#Pomona Nurseries

[thebotanicalarcade]

n35_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr: [Pomona Nurseries materials]. Dansville, N.Y. :Pomona Nurseries,1917-1922.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50478670

[historicalbookimages]

🍎 [Pomona Nurseries materials]. Dansville, N.Y.: Pomona Nurseries, 1917-1922.

[ironborealis]

#12

Pomona has the kettle set to boil, going about her preparations to make a nice mug of rosehip tea -- just the thing to prevent the late spring cold that's racing through the Hufflepuff dormitory.

The greenhouse is far too warm for tea, but outside they're going through one of the last freezes of the year (hopefully). She'll need the fortification if she's going to make it back to the castle.

The Headmaster has this far refused her entirely reasonable request to add an underground tunnel connecting the student greenhouse with the castle -- perhaps next year.

She adds the water to her teapot as the sounds of a snowball fight draw nearer. She tries to ignore it, not wanting to spoil the fun, even if the shouting does seem a bit testy...

The smack of wet snow and crack of something solid hitting one of her glass roof panels forces her hand. The roof is charmed not to break, but it's the principle of the thing.

"WHAT IN MORGANA'S NAME IS GOING ON OUT HERE?"

She hates shouting, but needs must sometimes.

Fifteen snowballs drop from the air around five grubby first years. Thankfully, none of them are her own -- Gryffindors and a Slytherin, naturally. Two sides of the same coin playing at good and evil.

"Just a snowball fight, ma'am," the Potter boy replies, as if a chocolate frog wouldn't leap in his mouth.

The Snape boy is soaked from head to toe, and his friend the Evans girl is not only soaked but has a scratch on her cheek that's oozing blood. Potter, Black, Pettigrew and Lupin are much drier in comparison. A simple friendly snowball fight this isn't.

"Do you think me a fool, Mr. Potter?" Her eyes narrow, daring the little lion cub to run his mouth. Hufflepuffs might have a reputation for being pushovers, but there was a reason why their mascot was a badger. "You little marauders might have Professor McGonagall beguiled, but your charms won't work on me."

The Potter boy flushes and nervously swallows, avoiding her eyes. Satisfied that she's cowed him for the moment, she turns her attention to the Lupin boy.

"Four against two is hardly fair odds and that's before someone started putting rocks in their snowballs."

The Lupin boy isn't the culprit, after teaching him for most of the year she knows he's a good natured soul, but he's got a dreadful tendency to follow along with things he knows he shouldn't.

He also has no poker face because once she mentions the rocks, his face becomes briefly outraged and he glares at the Black boy.

She could, she supposed, have asked the Pettigrew boy directly, but where was the challenge in that?

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor for excessive roughhousing -- Misters Black, Lupin, Pettigrew and Potter, you'll also be serving a detention with Mr. Filch." A chorus whines cuts off quickly when she raises her wand -- which she uses to cast drying charms on Snape and Evans robes. If the other boys catch a chill it would serve them right. "Ms. Evans, can you walk to the infirmary? Good, then I'll spare you the chaperone. Have Madam Pomfrey take a look at your cheek. Mr. Snape with me and the rest of you back to the castle."

She stomps the snow off her feet at entry and is pleased when the boy mimics her. She transfigures a spare nursery pot into a stool and gestures for him to sit as she summons her other mug.

"Have some rosehip tea, dearie. It's good for preventing colds." She hands him a cuppa and busies herself by adding a dollop of strawberry jam to her own. She raises an eyebrow as the boy attempts to drink it plain and barely hides a grimace at the tartness. "You can have some honey to sweeten it, if you like, even I can't drink it straight."

The boy pinks at the invitation and quickly adds two heathy globs of honey to his mug.

"This isn't the first fight you and those boys have had." She doesn't patronize him by turning it into a question.

Generally it takes at least half a year for a real vicious rivalry to set in between students -- to really "hate" someone you've got to get to know them a little first. Those Gryffindor boys, Evans, and Snape all seemed to have bad blood from the sorting onwards.

Adding to the tension was the fact that Evans and Snape were in different houses, and that Slytherin was considered Gryffindor's biggest rival. There wasn't even a convenient excuse of blood relations to provide a fig leaf of cover.

"Maybe you should spend some time making friends in your own house... Your house is meant to be your family and can offer you some protection."

Maybe with one less thing to invite a fight, Snape and Evans can get a bit of peace until those Gryffindor boys move on.

The boy's expression turns mulish as he sets his mug down and politely asks for permission to leave, which she grants with a wave of her hand.

Slughorn has been hinting to her that the Snape boy ought to have been sorted into her house. The only reason the gasbag hasn't petitioned the headmaster to re-sort Snape is likely because he knows that the headmaster will never allow it.

While she has no doubt the Snape boy would succeed in her house, the truth is that he would succeed in any house, just like every other child in this school.

[phantomato]

Thoughts on academic nerd dads nottmort? I’m so in love with the idea of professor Tom lol

Nerd dads Nottmort! I need a little pick-me-up after editing my piece for tomorrow, so let’s have some fun with imagining this.

I love Thoros and Tom as older fathers. At the earliest, I see them having a child in their mid-40s—but assuming Tom gets his appointment at Hogwarts in the late 1960s, like I’ve written elsewhere, they might wait a bit after that to make sure his career is settled and he’s happy. Theodore comes along in the mid-1970s (and it’s always Theodore, and he always looks like a miniature Thoros, I accept no other options for when they choose to have a child) and he’s precious, of course.

So, the thing about being an academic is that even though the work is quite all-encompassing, it’s also extremely flexible. Hogwarts should be more like a primary or secondary school than a university, but it’s my rules and Tom teaches Muggle studies which is only an elective and I say he can teach mostly morning sessions and leave in the early afternoon for nursery school pickup. Things like snow delays (or cancellations) mean that sometimes he’s got to bring little Theo into the office with him, and you know Pomona and Horace are enthusiastic about little kids and Minerva is awful with them but thinks she’s decent and Albus doesn’t even pretend to try. Students are mostly shocked that Professor Riddle has a young child because that’s weird, it means he has a life outside of being their professor.

He lets Theo sit on his lap when he grades papers and talks through why he’s taking off each point, because Theo is brilliant, of course, and will understand a NEWT-level essay at age five. Tom is sure of this. Theo likes his dad’s office candy and rummaging through the office supplies in his desk drawer.

When Thoros has to take Theo into the office—which can only happen on a day he doesn’t have fieldwork and doesn’t have to conduct a ritual—he puts Theo at his desk chair so that he can scribble on spare parchment. Thoros takes the sofa. Theo doesn’t like Thoros’ office candy as much—butter mints versus Mars bars, there’s no contest for a little kid—but he loves that everyone in Thor’s office has to listen to him. (Papa is the boss!) He thinks he’s tricking the administrative staff into ordering elaborate lunches for him and his Papa, but he doesn’t see Thoros silently nodding his assent behind him.

Being massive nerds doesn’t stop at the workplace or academic topics, though, so Tom and Thoros are also nerds about what they do for fun. I love the idea that they sing to him or watch wildly age-inappropriate films or Tom brings him along to his knitting circle (Galatea Merrythought and her friends, Tom’s the baby of the group) or Thoros brings him along to quidditch matches with Rosier and Mulciber. Whatever Thor and Tom do for fun, they do it with as much dedication as they devote to their academic interests, and Theo grows up surrounded by that. Obviously, he also becomes a nerd.

I haven’t done this, I barely even know where I could stick an idea like this, but goodness this is so sweet. I love nerd dads Nottmort.

[moonestate]

Do not claim my builds as your own.

Inspired by builds in Alpine County.

Entrance

Kitchen

Dining Area

The Study

The Formal Livingroom

The Garage

Bathroom #1

The 2nd Floor

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #3

Master Bedroom:

Nursery (4 Cribs)

The Pet’s Suite

Both the nursery and pet’s suite share a bathroom, with a tub for giving baths.

Overview

The Backyard and Garden

The BBQ

Play Area (top right corner)

The Garden and Hot Tub

Adress: 1005 Pomona Promenade, Apaloosa Plains. Cribs: 4. Double Beds: 3. Bunks: 1. Total Cost: 280,413 Simoleons

Requirements: World Adventures, Outdoor Living Stuff, Pets, Supernatural, Ambitions, University, Generations, Late Night, and Seasons.

NO CC. Store Content is included!

Download (SFS)

Download (The Sims 3 Exchange) 

If you enjoy my builds, please consider donating.

[birdylion]

13 and 24? (for the obscure asks)

13 - talk about an au or story you came up with I once wrote a 70k story which I will never post because it needs a lot of editing and I'm not going to do that, so I'll talk about it here instead. It's set in the late 1920s which I determined as the time Minerva McGonagall and Pomona Sprout went to Hogwarts. My story tells how they meet, and get to know each other, become friends, and fall in love. They have both their own problems which they need to overcome, Minerva her fear of thestrals and the difficulty of juggling her prefect duties, quidditch, school work, her animagus training (I don't use the pottermore ritual), her friends and her new relationship, and Pomona has to find a way to keep her parents' magical nursery. They end up in an arrangement with Minerva's Quidditch captain who is pressured by his parents to take on / save their nursery, so he and Pomona decide to join the businesses once they take them over. He is aro-ace and they marry for economical reasons, and he's 100% on board with a platonic marriage and being the beard. They all find happiness in unexpected places. 24 - what is your favorite thing to learn about? My favourite journal since I was a kid has always been "Spektrum der Wissenschaft" which is the German version of Scientific American. At age 11, I didn't understand the mathematical background of the articles, but I loved going through them and trying to understand as much as I could. I still like to read it. Anything in it - medicine, astrophysics, biology, (the chemistry parts of) archeology, number theory, computer science, ... you name it, I'm interested in it.

Thanks for asking :-)

[charlottechevallier]

n0_w1150 par Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr : [Pomona Nurseries materials]. Dansville, N.Y. :Pomona Nurseries,1917-1922.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50478635

[sproutingxaster]

Aster Sprout

28 | Former Hufflepuff | Herbology Aide | Neutral

❝ We carry on through the storm, tired soldiers in this war. ❞ JESSICA PARKER KENNEDY? No, that’s actually ASTER SPROUT. Only TWENTY-EIGHT years old, this HUFFLEPUFF alumni works as a HERBOLOGY AIDE and is sided with THE NEUTRALS. SHE identifies as DEMIWOMAN and is a HALFBLOOD who is known to be WITHDRAWN, PESSIMISTIC,and OVERBEARING but also MATERNAL, HARDWORKING, and TRUSTWORTHY. { KAY, 28, MST, SHE/HER }

Aster’s paternal grandmother, Pomona, was born in 1941, and her son William in 1970. In 1995, William’s girlfriend gave birth to Aster and then promptly left the two of them. He had essentially withdrawn from wizarding society but Aster’s birth, and her mother’s desertion, changed things and William moved to Hogsmeade, near where his mother lived at Hogwarts. Despite not knowing her mother, Aster never felt any lack in her upbringing. She, her dad, and her grandmother were very happy together and Aster was quite in love with the wizarding world. She attended Hogwarts without a complaint, excelling in Herbology to the extent that she wanted to study it after she finished her education. She traveled a bit, working with various potioneers and hospitals and learning about magical plants there, as well as from nurseries. Then, five years ago, she was offered a position as an aide at Hogwarts and gladly took it up. She admired Neville Longbottom and was happy to work with him, and her job allowed her to interact with children and gave her a little breathing room to figure out what exactly she wanted to do. 

Aster is a very loving person, she just wants to be friends with everyone and make them happy, and the current state of the world is stressful and she has quite frequently considered just . . . leaving, like her dad did. Life as a Muggle couldn’t be much harder than this, right? But so far she’s stayed, out of loyalty and duty and obligation.

Miscellany

Birthday: March 1, 1995

Wand: apple wood and unicorn tail hair, flexible, 10 and a half inches

Usually found in the greenhouses or her tiny office in Hogwarts or her small cottage on the grounds

Always a little grubby looking - dirt under her nails and on her robes and often on her face as well

Panromantic demisexual, bit shy about relationships though

I’m probably forgetting things but I’m cutting myself off here

[suzylwade]

Knott’s Berry Farm "We had to do something to make our berries stand out. All we did was wrap our baskets in plain, clean store wrapping paper and put rubber bands around them. Others were using newspapers and twine.” - Cordelia Knott, ‘Knott’s Berry Farm’. ‘Knott’s Berry Farm’ is one of the oldest and one of the largest theme parks in the United States - located in Buena Park, California. ‘Knott’s Berry Farm’ originated as a farm and nursery. It was founded by Walter Knott (b. December 11, 1889, San Bernardino, California, U.S. - d. December 3, 1981, Buena Park, California) and his wife, Cordelia Knott (née Cordelia Hornaday; b. January 23, 1890 - d. April 23, 1974, Buena Park, California). Knott, the son of a farmer, grew up in Pomona, California, where he met and married his high-school friend Cordelia. In 1920 they leased 10 acres (4 hectares) of land in Buena Park in nearby Orange county and grew berries - selling them from a roadside stand and to local grocers. Cordelia also sold her own preserves, relishes and candy. In 1928 they opened a tearoom and berry market. The adjoining tea shop that Cordelia opened in 1934, served fried chicken and boysenberry pie. It became so popular that the Knotts added an ‘Old West’ attraction (a mining ghost town) to keep their waiting customers occupied. And thus, the theme park was born. Rollercoasters and live shows were added from the 1950s and the Halloween event ‘Knott’s Scary Farm’ was launched in 1974. (at Knott's Berry Farm) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZJixaHIKKz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[supremekalmllc]

New Post has been published on https://supremekalm.com/california-voters-expand-commercial-cannabis-opportunitiesacross-the-state-part-ii/

California Voters Expand Commercial Cannabis Opportunities Across the State: Part II

Election day this year proved to be a big step forward in terms of drug policy reform, with Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota legalizing adult-use cannabis, Mississippi legalizing medicinal cannabis, Washington DC decriminalizing a host of psychedelic plants, and Oregon leading the way by legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use and decriminalizing non-commercial possession of ALL controlled substances.

But here in California, at least thirty-five cities and counties were also voting on cannabis-related issues, and those ballot initiatives were largely successful. As Marijuana Business Daily noted in their overview of the successful initiatives, “as of June, only 168 of California’s 540 cities and counties allowed for any type of legal MJ retail operations, and many of those don’t allow adult-use retail, only medical.” Across California, there are currently only about 700 storefront retailers, which is arguably woefully insufficient.

In this two-part series, we provide a rundown of what happened with cannabis at the local level in this year’s election, and how in some jurisdictions, that might pave the way for new commercial cannabis opportunities across California. In case you missed it, part one of this series is here.

Oceanside: Measure M

Voters authorized a tax on marijuana retail, manufacturing, and distribution business of up to 6% and on cultivation marijuana businesses of up to 3.5% of gross receipts generating an estimated $1.9 million per year for general city services.

Ojai: Measure G

Voters authorized a 3% tax on marijuana businesses generating an estimated $465,000 – $1.55 million per year for city services and permitting Ojai to increase the tax up to 10%.

Pomona: Measure PO

Voters supported the Commercial Cannabis Permit Program granting up to eight permits for marijuana businesses, maintaining marijuana businesses must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, daycares and youth facilities.

Porterville: Measure R

Voters authorized a tax on marijuana businesses of 10% of gross receipts or $25 per square foot to fund general services and public safety.

San Bruno: Measure S

Voters authorized a business license tax up to 10% on gross receipts generating no revenue until marijuana businesses are permitted within the city.

San Joaquin County: Measure X

Voters authorized the county to impose a marijuana tax of between 3.5% and 8% of gross receipts and $2.00 per sq. ft. of cultivation in order raise an estimated $250,000 per year to fund childhood and youth services.

Solana Beach: Measure S

Voters REJECTED a measure that would have allowed at least two storefront cannabis retail licenses as well as indoor cultivation and delivery. Solana Beach currently prohibits all commercial cannabis activity.

Sonoma: Measure X and Measure Y

Voters approved Measure X, which establishes a general cannabis business tax of up to 4% for retailers, manufacturers and indoor growers, 3% for distributors, 2.5% for outdoor cultivators, and 2% for testing labs.

Voters also REJECTED Measure Y,� which would have allowed additional personal cultivation rights and the establishment and operation of cannabis businesses within the City, including commercial cultivation, manufacturing, retail, delivery, distribution, testing, and special events.

Tracy: Measure W

Voters authorized marijuana business taxes at the following rates: 6% of gross receipts for retail businesses, 4% of gross receipts for other businesses, and $12 per sq. ft. for canopy cultivation, thereby generate an estimated $350,000-$700,000 per year in revenue for the city’s general fund.

Trinity County: Measure G

Voters approved a tax on marijuana cultivation at a rate of $15.44 per pound for flowers, $4.59 per pound for leaves, $2.16 per pound for fresh plants, and 2.5% of gross receipts for those with a marijuana retail license, maintaining a maximum tax rate of 25% for the first 100 pounds, 50% for 100-400 pounds, 75% for 400-1,000 pounds, and a tax at the full rate for more than 1,000 pounds.

Vacaville: Measure V

Voters authorized a marijuana business tax of 6% of gross receipts for retail businesses, 4% of gross receipts for other businesses, and $10 per square foot for cultivation generating an estimated $400,000 – $600,000 to fund general services including law enforcement, fire services and roads.

Ventura: Measure I

Voters approved a tax on marijuana businesses of 8% of gross receipts for retail marijuana businesses, 4% for other marijuana businesses and $10 per square foot for cultivation. The city currently prohibits all commercial cannabis activity.

Ventura County: Measure O

Voters authorized marijuana cultivation and distribution with limitations of 500 acres for cultivation of general marijuana and 100 acres for indoor nurseries, permits for sales between distributors, and a tax of 4% of gross receipts on general cultivation and 1% of gross receipts on nursery cultivation. The county currently prohibits all commercial cannabis activity.

Weed: Measure B

Voters decided to establish regulations on marijuana businesses including requiring licenses, limiting licenses, and other regulations on operations and conduct of such businesses.

Yountville: Measure T

Voters REJECTED a measure that would have allowed one marijuana business to exist in Yountville for retail, delivery and on-site consumption and establishing regulations, fees, permits, operation conditions and a 3% tax on gross receipts, generating an estimated $30,000 – $100,000 per year.

The post California Voters Expand Commercial Cannabis Opportunities Across the State: Part II appeared first on Harris Bricken.

[mollieprattbotanical]

MY BRAND

My brand is a homewear brand, the age audience for my brand is early teens to early adults because i want to link my work closley to Urban outfitters home as my style of patterns will be similar to UO. however id also like to think that my patterns and styles would also intrest the older generation because it would be adding that small touch of colour to their household.

For my brand name i have a selction of four names which i am choosing from as i feel once i have a pattern or style thought out the name would match. my choices are:

Gingko: Gingko Biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is a very old species, with some fossils dating back 270 million years making it the oldest species of tree. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. 

aalsmeer: The town is located 13 km southwest of Amsterdam. The town is sometimes referred to as the flower capital of the world, as the largest flower auction in the world is based in Aalsmeer, along with numerous nurseries and an experimental station for floriculture.

Santa Elena: Santa Elena is also the birthplace of the ornate flower arrangements called silletas that are the cornerstone of the Flower Festival or Feria de Las Flores in Medellin. This industry is celebrated every year in what has become one of Colombia's most famous events, the Flower Festival.

Pamona: Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. he watches over and protects fruit trees and cares for their cultivation.

All four of my brand names have a link to botanical

the item i have chosen to design is cushions, i am going to do a collection of pillows all of different shapes. i plan to design the pattern on the pillow digitally using the photography i capture throughout the whole project. i plan to explore screen printing, heat pressing and digital printing by getting my designs sent off to be printed. my style of art or photography is editorial and abstract which i will portray in my prints, these styles of art/fashion can be seen as urban which links to my aged audience.

My items packaging i will use a paper bag, like the bags shown above. i chose this because its an easy way of carrying pillows from a shop, the paper is recyclable and i can then use my screen printing to print the branding onto the packaging as it will be a plain canvas for me to print onto.

[leupagus]

My working theory is that The Arboreteum isn't actually an Arboretum but like, the special wizard word for a magical plant nursery, and Thomas "I listen to grass during my downtime" Nightingale was some kind of fucking Pomona Sprout pre WWII and one reason he assumed that all the magic was going away is that all his weirdo plants died during the war and so he just closed up the room and refused to think any more about it but what neither he nor anyone except Molly knows is that since the magic started coming back, two or three surviving plants have since taken over the whole goddamn room and punched a hole through the roof.

HOLY SHIT so there's a fancy version of Tales from the Folly on sale, and apparently these are the """official""" floorplans for the Folly! (Alas, no basement floor that I could see, but the description from "False Value" is pretty helpful.) I still think @jarrows's version of the ground floor is cooler, but me and my terrible spacial sense is just grateful to finally know how this fucking building works.

[agritecture]

Seven of LA’s Finest Urban Farmers

Los Angeles is an ideal city for urban agriculture. Here you’ll find lots of people, space, and sunshine. With four million people, LA is the second most concentrated city in the country. Spread across 469 square miles LA is a vast city with ample vacant lots and untouched areas for potential use. And due to its Mediterranean climate, LA stays at a consistent 70 degrees Fahrenheit with mild seasons and plentiful sunshine, making it a great place to grow. In addition to these draws, LA has seen increasing government support for urban agriculture. Due to strong community interest, municipal policies were updated recently to facilitate the development of urban agriculture projects throughout the city.

The urban agriculture community in LA is robust, and continues to grow stronger. This article highlights  seven urban farmers who are leading the way to a healthier, happier, more sustainable city.

David Rosenstein: Champion Job Creator

David Rosenstein is the Executive Director of Our Foods, a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to urban agriculture education, training, and jobs. He built the first aquaponic farm in Los Angeles County in 2012 and developed the Art & Science of Aquaponics, an educational platform for school universities and the general public.

Rosenstein is a man pure of heart. He has a deep rooted dedication to creating green collar jobs. Rosenstein helped create a re-entry program called Our Foods Urban Ag Training Program in Los Angeles & San Francisco that trains prisoners to learn to be growers, then placing them in jobs upon reentry into society. As a thought leader in the urban agriculture space, Rosenstein served as a selected judge for the LA Agritecture Workshop.

(Image: Our Foods Impact in LA)

Matt Vail: Ag Tech Wiz

Matt Vail is the Co-Founder and COO of Local Roots Farms, a company that designs, builds, and operates indoor farming solutions. Local Roots has shown great promise, having been selected as a portfolio company of the prestigious Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator.

Vail is one of the most qualified tech people you’ll be lucky to meet in the controlled environment agriculture industry (CEA).  He has four plus years of real growing experience, putting him years ahead of others. Vail and his team were also was able to pull off the feat of getting one of their 40ft shipping container farms to South by Southwest. With traveling farms and hard nosed experience, it isn’t hard to see why Vail is considered a leading CEA expert in the Los Angeles County.

Niels Thorlaksson: Distributed Agriculture Entrepreneur

Niels Thorlaksson is a partner of LA Urban Farms, a full service urban produce grower currently utilizing Tower Garden aeroponic technology. They’ve installed over 600 towers for businesses, universities, restaurants, and communities across Southern California.

Thorlaksson has created a unique model in this industry by distributing his nursery business across the region, and by placing his farms right at the point of consumption. Some of his clients include universities such as UCLA, USC, and CalTech, large chains such as Tender Greens and Ocean Properties hotel, and Thorlaksson is even known to grow for a few celebrities; though he’ll never say who. All of this started out by growing Tower Gardens in his backyard in Santa Barbara.  

Kathleen Blakistone: The Community Hero

Kathleen Blakistone is the Co-creator of Moonwater Farm, an urban microfarm in Compton, CA that provides youth and residents of South Los Angeles access to organic farming and livestock. Their aim is to re-establish attention on homesteading and to train community members for potential employment in the LA food industry. Blakistone originally purchased the property to start an aquaponic greenhouse, but changed directions when she saw how special a space it was for urban youth. They now provide school visits, summer camps, and workshops.

We could try and summarize further what makes Kathleen so unique, but instead we’ll share some footage of our interview with Kathleen during the LA Agritecture Workshop earlier this year. Enjoy!

Nate Looney, Westside Urban Gardens: The Aquaponics Expert

Nate Looney is the founder of Westside Urban Gardens, a veteran owned and operated micro green farm. He originally got the idea for West Urban Gardens when he was a junior studying business at the American Jewish University.

Soon after graduating from AJU, Looney started growing microgreens, eventually completing a microgreens, eventually completing a three month internship at Ouroboros Aquaponics Farms. This began the cultivation of the deep seeded knowledge in aquaponics he shares today. Drawing inspiration from his religious beliefs, Looney is known for his rooted commitment to the social mission of urban agriculture.

Ron Finley: Food Policy Warrior

Ron Finley is the Director and Head Trouble Maker at The Ron Finley Project, a nonprofit that is dedicated to eradicating food deserts and changing food culture in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Finley is best known for his inspirational TED Talk, which has over 3,000,000 views to date. Finley discusses how food is both the problem and solution in food desert areas such as his neighborhood in South Central LA, where the drive thrus are killing more people than the drive bys.

Ron’s vision and mission is to activate each individual to revitalize a collective consciousness that leads to an empowered, self reliant community. Finley is known as the “Gangsta Gardener,” and he is flippin the script on what it means to be a gangsta. Growing your own food is gangsta, being self sustainable is gangsta. Ultimately, Finley wants people to know they have the capacity to transform and design their own lives.

Ben Hirshfield: Permaculture Expert

Ben Hirshfield is the Garden Director for Community Healing Gardens, a Venice-based nonprofit. Community Healing Gardens grows food and provides urban garden education in Los Angeles for those in need, as well as for Edwin Markham Middle School in Watts. At Markham, what started out as a field of weeds, rusty scrap metal, and other rubbish is now a flourishing garden.

Anyone who volunteers around the garden at Edwin Markham comes to know Hirschfield as the permaculture expert. From building swales to compost health, to terracing with recycled materials, Famer Ben is among the top permaculture professionals in LA. Currently, in addition to Ben’s work with CHG, he also has a private landscaping business, 3R Garden Design. Farmer Ben’s work proves that it is possible to turn a city liability into a community asset.

*Fun fact: long before Farmer Ben or David Rosenstein were urban farmers, they were roommates!

** Bonus Content: Our interview with Farmer Ben during the Los Angeles Agritecture Design Workshop

Bonus Grower: Colin Archipley

Colin Archipley would easily make the list if he was located in LA proper, but since most of Colin’s work is in San Diego or Pomona, we have included him as a bonus! Colin is the co-founder of Archi’s Acres, a hydroponic organic farm that trains veterans how to grow and start their own agrobusiness.

Archipley was a member of the Marine Corps and served in Iraq. Upon returning to California he recognized the difficulty of transitioning to everyday life. Inspired to do something that would help his fellow veterans succeed, he and his wife Karen designed full curriculum education courses meant to help veterans create their own businesses in controlled environment agriculture.

Conclusion

These folks are the backbone of the urban agriculture movement in Los Angeles. Their stories provide a good benchmark on the variety of ways that everyone can participate in the world of locally and sustainably grown food. To learn more, or to meet these and other urban farmers, please join Andrew Blume on September 13 for the LA Clean Tech Incubator (LACI) Food & Ag Cluster Meeting. This event will provide you the chance to be inspired and have your questions answered. We hope to see you there.

Initial Image Credit: Perkins+Will 

Authored by: Sierra Clark & Andrew Blume

[reneebarbee7]

The 1st of 3 major winter #storms rolled into #losangelescounty this am & I captured this shot of the #snow with the #sun shining on it this afternoon. ⛄❄️⚡🌦️🌬️🌫️🌨️⛰️🏔️ (at Cal Poly Pomona Nursery at The Cal Poly Farm Store) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtUZzcBho_sa9WihYNoexU7P8sGC1TktvnCCnM0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xwdpn5xz8wfh

[geralldhopp]

US (CA): Cal Poly Pomona partners with TreeTown USA for internships in SoCal nurseries

How important are internships in shaping students’ future endeavors? This summer, three students from the Cal Poly Pomona Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture participated in a rotational internship program developed by wholesale nursery giant TreeSap Farms, doing business as TreeTown USA. The interns… US (CA): Cal Poly Pomona partners with TreeTown USA for internships in SoCal nurseries published first on https://yeuhoavn.tumblr.com/

[never-lock-the-door]

The fight for people over profit is something I will always fight for. I'm so grateful for the community of love and farming that #sarvodayafarms has built :) tork inc thinks that their 14 unit 2 story condos aren't going to shade out the farm because there is shade cloth in the nursery. Hello all plants need sunlight! Even our tiny seedlings!! Who wants to be caged in close quartered condo!? (at City of Pomona - City Hall)