The world in a garden - Hayward Community Gardens, Hayward, CA

Sunset, Oct, 1996 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

All year, the beds are filled with a huge assortment of vegetables. What does he do with them all? "I feed my family of 10 and give them away to friends," says Rios with a broad grin.

During the summer, Rios grows three kinds of corn for making tortillas and tamales ("someone gave me seeds from El Salvador"), beans for drying, cilantro, 'De Arbol' and 'Fresno' hot chilies, white and yellow sweet peppers, sugarcane ("we chew it for the juice"), tomatillos, and 'Better Boy' and 'Early Girl' tomatoes.

In early spring and fall, Rios grows broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, lettuce, onions, and peas. He puts the arbor to good use again by hanging the garlic and onions to dry.

Nomi Vardy retired in California about 13 years ago after living in Russia and Germany most of her life. "I always had pieces of land in Russia. I came to America and had no land. Then I read in the newspaper that I could garden here [at the community garden]," she says.

Vardy grows what she calls "Russian food," along with potatoes and sunflowers. "I brought over a sunflower with extra-big seeds - they're too big for the birds to eat," she says. She also likes diversity. She grows and dries tomatoes, raspberries, and zucchini to send to relatives in Russia. "They have nine months of winter, so they grow almost no vegetables."

Vardy often spends three to four hours at a time in the garden. "Everyone who wants to live longer has to work in the garden and play sports. I swim an hour twice a week. I'm so tired from gardening and then go in the cold water - it feels wonderful."

The Hayward Community Gardens, founded in 1975 by Connie Hawkins, occupies city-owned property that's leased to Pacific Gas & Electric Company. The gardeners depend on funds from HUD, donations from members, and profits from the sale of vegetables. Membership (for Hayward residents with low and middle incomes) is by application. The garden, at 25051 Whitman Street, is not open to the public, but anyone can buy fresh vegetables at its stand between 8:30 and 2 on Saturdays year-round.

To start your own community garden, the nonprofit San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) offers a 16-page booklet explaining how to go about it. The first few pages provide a definition and history of community gardening. The succeeding pages explain how to get started and how to find land and identify owners. A 22-page companion booklet discusses managing and organizing the garden. To order the booklets, send $5 for each to SLUG, 2088 Oakdale St., San Francisco, CA 94124; (415) 285-7584.