Ocean View Growing Grounds:
A Health Generator and Environmental Justice Learning Hub in our Community
The OVGG Community Health Generator and Environmental Justice Learning Hub is a 27,000 square foot piece of property in a low-income, community of color that sits between an Interstate and an auto repair shop on a busy bus line. The surrounding community has been declared a food desert by the USDA, a Food Swamp by the CDC, and a brownfield (i.e., soil deemed by the EPA to have a high probability of being contaminated). A survey of homes within this area identified that over 35% of the residents are growing food on their property. OVGG is working toward converting the entire neighborhood into a food system where knowledge is shared, and healthy food is grown and shared.
Visit us at 4540 Ocean View Blvd, San Diego, CA 92113
Garden Open Hours are 10:00AM-12:00PM on Saturdays
What’s new at OVGG?
Latest Blog: Seed Sovereignty and the Movement Toward Local Food Resilience
What is Seed Sovereignty? On the surface, seed sovereignty is a farmer’s right to save, use, exchange, and sell their own seeds. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll find that seed sovereignty is crucial in protecting agricultural independence and biodiversity at large. As of 2021, four major companies, including Monsanto and Bayer, controlled approximately 60 percent of the global proprietary seed market. These corporations produce genetically modified seeds that farmers cannot legally save or replant. Such a restriction forces farmers to buy new seeds every year, along with the company’s seed-specific herbicides and pesticides. An issue of layered dependency is created as a result; agricultural giants make farmers sign legally binding contracts that expose them, their soil, and others to harmful synthetic formulas designed exclusively for their seeds. Cutting ties with large capital-driven companies has always been a radical move, but like a colleague once said, “a farmer is only free when they grow their own seeds”…
View the whole blog by clicking the button below!
Vision
The vision that guides the development of the space came from the community after canvassing the neighborhood with local leaders and bringing over 100 people onto the space. Since then, the OVGG has involved over 200 residents, 400+ university students, 30 organizations, 10 businesses, City Council members, foreign visitors, and federal, state, and local funders. Residents have donated equipment, fruit trees, vegetable plants, and volunteered their time and expertise. The OVGG has transformed into an Environmental Justice Community Learning Hub focused on Nature-based Climate Solutions involving residents at no cost. The site has stations demonstrating Urban Gardening, Tree Planting, Composting, Food Forests, Water Harvesting, Bioswales and Mindfulness. An outdoor kitchen (close to completion) will promote health and wellness, providing cooking lessons utilizing organic fruits and vegetables grown on site. The site is developing a children’s area designed with children’s input, along with an outdoor Smart Classroom where we will conduct workshops on urban agriculture and Nature-based Climate Solutions. The workshop instructors are residents with content expertise, as well as faculty/scientists from UC San Diego. The Mindfulness Station focuses on reducing stress and contributing to psychological well-being by providing guided meditations in a seating area with a small outdoor library.
A Brief History
… - 1942
Years ago, the community of Mountain View had a large demographic of Japanese residents. The lot where Ocean View Growing Grounds now stands was a Japanese Nursery owned by Japanese residents.
During World War II, Japanese citizens were displaced of their homes, and businesses around the U.S. The community of Mountain View was no exception. The Japanese nursery was no longer being maintained, the only thing standing was a large Bonsai tree located at the West of the garden.
2013
In 2013, the Global Action Research Center developed a partnership with a local real estate developer and the University of California-San Diego’s (UCSD) Bioregional Center for Sustainability Science, Planning and Design to convert a 2,700 square foot piece of property into a Community Health Generator and Environmental Justice Learning Hub, the Ocean View Growing Grounds (OVGG)
The property was vacant when the owner bought it 35 years ago and was vacant when the Global ARC acquired a long-term lease in 2015 for $1.00 per year. The Global ARC, working closely with residents, local organizations, and our university partner, UC San Diego, transformed this vacant lot from a neighborhood problem into a community asset.
To best benefit the local community, The Global ARC held a Garden Design Workshop where community members gathered to have a say on the design of the space. Once that was complete everyone worked together to prepare the soil for the beginnings of the crop beds, food forest, fruit tree grove, and composting!
2014
In efforts to beautify the garden, the community decided to work with local San Diego artists to include two Community Murals representing the garden and its community.
Together they first brainstormed what visuals would be on the art piece with ideas including: demographic representation, fruits and vegetables they liked, flowers, butterflies, chickens, and much more! The artist then sketched out the outlines and prepared the mural using the paint by numbers method. Finally, in a lovely community event, everyone painted the beautiful murals.
… - 2016
Ocean View Growing Grounds was recognized with the Outstanding Collaboration award in UC San Diego’s 2016 Sustainability Awards.
The Ocean View Growing Grounds partnership has transformed a vacant, urban lot in Southeast San Diego’s Mountain View neighborhood into a vibrant community garden, food forest and learning center. Participants are now able to learn which plants have the capacity to uptake harmful elements in the soil through tested track levels of pollutants and metals. The Ocean View Growing Grounds also hosts workshops on soil science, collective visioning, composting and healthy cooking.
2017
In May, OVGG further developed into a Neighborhood Learning and Research Center with an updated goal of turning the site into a ‘Health Generator” for the expanded neighborhood. In effect of the update OVGG held a worm composting workshop, educating community members on the various benefits and methods of incorporating worms into our gardens.
2018
In 2018 the OVGG went through structural updates. One of them was an archway, with the goal of not just beautifying a walkway but to make the garden visible from afar but now there are so many trees and plants the arches are hardly visible anymore! The other was the installation of a meditation garden, highlighting the importance of green spaces and our mental health.
An Earth Day Celebration was held at OVGG. many community members and girl scouts joined us at the garden to plant seeds and harvest our crop beds. Within the harvest were eggplants, peas, and turnips! The Global ARC hosted a teaching and learning seminar about the organization and about how plants are vital to the ecosystem. The youth in attendance participated in rock painting activities and planting their own seedlings.
… - 2021
The Global ARC kickstarted the 1st cohort of The Young Environmental Justice Advocates Academy (YEJAA). YEJAA was formed with the goal of creating a pipeline that trains and activates Youth of Color as activists and leaders in the Environmental Justice Movement in San Diego. This special year had 2 groups, an upper division of high school youth and a lower division of elementary school youth. The Academy’s art project was a beautiful mural representing our connection to each other and our environment. OVGG hosted the classes and a graduation ceremony where the students gave presentations on what they learned and were presented with a certificate of achievement. From The Global ARC and the UCSD Bioregional Center for Sustainability, Planning, and Design.
This year OVGG also hosted a Farm to Table Dinner, a post sunset celebration featuring live music and food prepared at the garden by Chef Christina of Berry Good Food.
2022
2023
… - 2025
2022’s Harvest Festival celebrated the harvest of the year, before the winter dormant months. The theme centered around Native Plants and Community while also incorporating family fun events such as pumpkin decorating, food, music, and outdoor games with prizes. Visitors had the chance to talk with partners at the San Diego Audubon to learn more about native plants, San Diego Family Health Center for questions about health insurance, and San Diego Continuing Education to learn more about the free resources available for further education.
The Native Plants Garden became the new installation to OVGG and the food forest was also expanded. The Native Plants garden came to fruition thanks to our former agriculture specialist who as an intern lead a research project identifying native plants that would benefit the soil and ecosystem of the site.
In November a large group of volunteers, workers and family of SDGE dedicated a Saturday to enhancing our site! They helped plant the natives for the native plant garden, they enhanced the pathway under the archway, expanded our Food Forest, and donated small fruit trees which were planted around our fruit tree grove and within the food forest! Our friends at The Berry Good Food Foundation donated a variety of tools for all to use!
OVGG was featured in Edible San Diego’s Fall 2023 Issue! At the growing grounds, we’ve been paying attention to how our operations have been affecting and attracting the local ecosystem.
The Native Plant garden was expanded during a Native Garden Planting Party opened to our community. This event focused on adding a new section and new plants totaling to 30 native plants at OVGG. We also had local environmental organizations table, sharing there knowledge and resources with our community.
As a green space in an urban area, it’s essential to plant natives to increase equitable access to the natural beauty of this region, and to support local ecology and pollinators, such as the 1,600 native bees in CA! It’s thanks to the California Native Plants Society and once again SDGE for supporting the expansion of the native plants and habitat at OVGG!
About Food Deserts and Brownfields
The Ocean View Growing Grounds (OVGG) is purposely located in a food desert, or an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Not only does this neighborhood face the challenges associated with food deserts, but this area is also a brownfield. A brownfield is an area in which the soil is too polluted with toxins, such as lead, pesticides, or other chemicals that make the food that is grown in that soil too hazardous to eat.
Visit our Food Justice Page to learn more about food deserts and other topics relating to food justice.
Nature Based Climate Solutions
In addition to being a community garden, the OVGG is a demonstration site for nature-based climate solutions. These solutions assist in climate change mitigation by absorbing greenhouse gases as well as adaptation by using less water, increasing direct access to fresh foods, or restoring ecosystems.
Watch these videos to learn more about climate solutions!
Check out our Environmental Justice Page to learn more about environmental and climate justice.
