Samo’s “Branching Out” garden is branching out

Daniel Thurmond, Contributor 

The gray gates that enclose the Samo’s Garden Club have not stopped the roots that are “Branching Out” into the Santa Monica community at large. “Branching Out” – synonymously, Samo’s Garden Club –  created the Pico Roots Garden on 20th St. and Pico Blvd. over the summer, which today is thriving with healthy green plants sprawling out of garden beds whose produce feeds the surrounding community, bringing them together under a common goal: social justice, land justice, communal healing and Regenerative Urban Agricultural Expansion in Santa Monica.

Every Saturday, Samo students alongside community members make salads with fresh-grown veggies and donate free bundles of greens to the surrounding halfway homes and homeless population. Though it is a diverse group, one where you can hear every language from Thai, to Hindi and Spanish, and see faces from young children to abuelitas, everyone comes together as one—as agents of revolution, social change and as communal gardeners. These Saturdays are full of smiles, blessings, teachings, knowledge, stories… Everyone has their own vision for what the garden should become, or something that they want to see planted—and planted it will be. The beauty of the communal garden is that it is entirely selfless; it humbles the individual to understand and work under the greater whole, while maintaining their individuality. 

Pico Roots, across the street from a Burger King, adjacent to a liquor store and a bustling city-street, is the quintessential urban garden, realizing the profound potential of small, urban spaces to make a big, sustainable difference. A lot of the surrounding homeless population loves the fresh, free produce, not to mention neighbors and community members. It is a mere green hole in a large gray wall, yet it has inspired countless community members to take a part in their community to grow gardens of their own, change their diet and just be better as Santa Monicans. 

Branching Out, along with Team Marine, the City of Santa Monica, various community members and urban farmers and gardeners, is in the process of drafting local legislation which will heavily incentivize more urban agriculture in Santa Monica through the Regenerative Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone (AB 551) through speaking at City Council meetings, presenting to council members and engaging the community. They are active in several other school gardens, urban farms and gardens springing up around LA and Santa Monica. Branching Out is for a future full of free, fresh vegetables for all life in the city and beyond. 

Branching Out, @samohi_garden_

Daniel Thurmond