Garden Master David King cultivates more than soil on a one-acre patch of land just off the eastern edge of Venice. Urban farming saved him—and, he says, it can also save the nation.

See more about urban farming below.

The Seed Library of Los Angeles: The Learning Garden sponsors the Seed Library of Los Angeles. For a $10 lifetime membership anybody can check out seeds, plant them, and return seeds from their harvest for the following year. “In essence, we’re giving people free seeds,” says David King.

Garden Master’s Blog: “A pair of hands sifts through the harvest of Cannellini beans; 12 feet of row netted just shy of 10 pounds. I am thinking a family of four would use about 50 pounds in a year. But this is just one of the many things we are harvesting from the garden this month.”

The Learning Garden Online: The garden, located on 13000 Venice Blvd., straddles the Venice and Mar Vista neighborhoods. “A garden is really about people, much more than its about plants,” says King. “It’s about how we treat the people, and what the people do, and how the people can be in the garden.” 

Reach Contributor Najeeb Hasan here.