The farm at the Fairplex in Pomona hosts four-week gardening classes through which participants can earn University of California vegetable gardening certificates.
The latest session runs every Sunday through March.
Besides certification, the class offers skills that can be applied to home and community gardens.
Participants learn about plants and soil health, irrigation, composting, pest management, and small-space utilization.
At the end of the class, seeds, seedlings and cuttings from the plants on the farm are given out for those to take home and grow their own mini farms.
Volunteer and master gardener Adam Armit was on hand on a recent Sunday. He’s been involved in this program since 2021, though he said he’s been gardening and teaching classes for years.
This program started in 2018.
Another participant on hand Sunday was Ronnda Hamilton, a Long Beach-based chef.
“Growing vegetables started meaning a lot more to me,” Hamilton said.
During breaks of class, participants could explore the farm for inspiration from fabulous fruits and veggies, including strawberries, artichokes and various mint plants, including strawberry mint, orange mint, sweet pear mint and more.
The Fairplex farm also features numerous flowers, some of which are actually fruit blooms.
For more information visit fairplex.com/event/master-gardeners-grow-la-vegetable-gardening-class-4.
—Alicia Naranjo
Alicia Naranjo is a staff writer for the Campus Times and a freshman journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism. She enjoys watching sports and writing stories on them.
