A new phase for the Throop Learning Garden

First imagine the before: a strip of lawn, flat and water-guzzling, stretched out between the tall walls of a Gothic Revival style building, Throop Unitarian Universalist Church, and two busy streets, Del Mar Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue. Like so:

Before: a strip of grass in front of Throop Church

Then envision the after: a garden with low and tall growing plants, with native shrubs in various shades of silver and green, with hummingbirds and butterflies that settle on fruit trees, sunflowers and echinaceas.

After: sages, echinaceas...

...and a winding path invite visitors to linger and learn

The Throop Learning Garden was the work of a group of about 200 volunteers around Transition Pasadena, the Arroyo S.E.C.O. Network of Time Banks and the church — and the eco-transformers aren't done yet. Thanks to a successful online fundraising project in July, the sustainable permaculture garden will soon see the installment of a rainwater harvesting system.

The idea is to collect rainwater from the church roof via a series of gutters and to feed it into a large tank. The water will help supply the fruit trees and food beds in the garden with moisture. During the monthlong crowdfunding drive on Faithify supporters pledged $5.035 to help finance the project.

Transition Pasadena, which initiated the garden at Throop Church as a learning experience for the larger community, also organizes workshops and presentations. This Saturday, Lisa Novick of the Theodore Payne Foundation will share her knowledge around the topics of water conservation, habitat preservation and planting with native plants and edibles.

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When: Saturday, August 9, 3 p.m.

Where: Throop U.U. Church, 300 S Los Robles Ave

What: California Native Plants: The Big Picture (a presentation by Lisa Novick of the Theodore Payne Foundation)

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The "before" image of Throop Church was used with permission from Transition Pasadena.

Free food garden: Digging for community

Drive by the site of the future store of the Arroyo Food Co-op on the corner of Wilson and Villa, and chances are you'll see people picking or digging away at the dirt on the parkway. What's going on?

The men and women are creating a free food garden. Designed by three local sustainability groups, the food co-op, Transition Pasadena and the Arroyo S.E.C.O. Network of Time Banks, the project is about community. The goal, as stated on the food co-op's website, is to transform an inactive space into a place where people can meet each other, work together, bring home food from the garden and enjoy improved health.

The Free Food Garden is a work in progress. Tasks have ranged from "sculpt the soil with a shovel" and "trim the bougainvillea" to "chat with passersby." The organizers hope that the effort will rub off and that free food gardens will crop up throughout the community.

A similar project, the Throop Learning Garden, already exists at Throop Memorial Church on the corner of Los Robles and Del Mar. There, time bankers and volunteers have transformed two bland looking, water guzzling strips of grass into gardens with drought tolerant plants, fruit trees, butterflies and humming birds.

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To join the free food garden project at 494 N. Wilson Avenue stop by on a Tuesday or Thursday morning or on a Saturday afternoon. For specific times see the calendar on this blog or the website of the food co-op.

Time bank members can earn time dollars to trade for other services. To sign up for an ASNT membership go to http://arroyoseco.timebanks.org. It's free.