The dream was to live off our land. In 2004, we became urban farmers by growing flowers in our garden in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. A year later, we added herbs, vegetables, fruit trees and vines to our ½ acre property. Today, thanks to Dana Hollister, Silver Lake Farms also keeps a growing ground at the historic Paramour Estate.
You’ll find us at local farmers’ markets from Jan/Feb thru June/July. Everything is grown organically in Silver Lake and harvested fresh that day.
We choose to be natural and sustainable. We dig by hand and use cover crops, manures, mulch and compost to keep soil rich and healthy. Compost is key to our success; the difference it makes is amazing. We use Rodale’s guide to hot composting and pay attention to C:N ratios. Adding “greens” and “browns” in layers takes time but it's worth it; black gold arrives much faster. To learn how to compost properly, click here for my gardening workshops.
Speaking of compost, I hope that the California Waste Management Board will change state law soon so that Silver Lake Farms may resume composting raw vegetable scraps and used coffee grounds we used to collect from our favorite local restaurant, Canele. Read about the Cease & Desist I received here. If you want to be part of changing the law that that bans caring Californians from composting raw vegetable and juice pulp waste collected from restaurants etc., contact me here.
Silver Lake Farms is proud to be associated with a network of local artisans: Carmela Ice Cream, Valerie Confections and most recently, Lave-Me Soap. Angela, who founded Lave-Me in 2008, has just started introducing my organic loofah sponges and herbs into her soaps. Check her out here.
My thanks to Councilmember LaBonge, his team and the City of LA’s Department of Building & Safety for kindly supporting what we do.
See you soon. Tara
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g workshop taking place March (insert date).ng workshop taking place March (insert date).
New! Organic Gardening Workshops – now the first and second Sunday of every month. Details here.
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