The Growing Home is an urban farm, educational center, and model home located in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Beginning in 2008, our house began to be slowly converted from a grass growing space to a food growing farm. We started in a small space (about 400 sq ft in our backyard), just enough to feed our family the produce we needed for the summer. From there, it wasn’t long before we had removed all the grass from our front and backyard, and started growing food everywhere. We are always adding new growing space to our farm, trying to use up every last inch for productive vegetable growing. And we already have 40 fruit trees, which provide us with a wide range of organically grown fruit all year long.
At this point, we currently grow food on about 5000 sq ft or our 10,000 sq ft property. In that space, we now not only feed our own family, but also feed several other families Organic produce through our Community Supported Agriculture Program. We’re hoping in the future to expand that space by not only growing in our front, back, and side yard, but also by growing vertically on the roof and walls of our home.
Additionally, we are now helping others grow their own food at home through our Growing Home Gardens organic vegetable garden installation business. If you would like to set up an in-home consultation to have your own vegetable garden, please call us at (909) 660 3514.
Our greater goal, beyond growing food, is to provide a space for building community through sustainable education. Each month we hold two potluck dinners, where you can come and meet other like minded people, as well as listen to our Guest Speaker. We also regularly hold classes on things like composting, rainwater harvesting, vegetable growing, and tree pruning.
If you like the work we’re doing, please keep in touch with us through our Newsletter and Facebook.
Rishi recently graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in computer science, but his real education took place outside the classroom. After first attempting to grow his own food just three years ago, Rishi decided to spend 3 months doing a on-the-farm apprenticeship at the Navdanya Farm in Dehradun India. Returning to San Diego after his apprenticeship, he co-founded the Neighborhood Community Garden @ UCSD. After graduating from college, he returned to India for another 4 month apprenticeship at Navdanya Farm.
After returning from India in February 2011, Rishi began to plant a vegetable garden for himself and his family. The result was the founding of The Growing Home and Learning Center. Rishi is the bullock behind The Growing Home. He has turned literal tons of soil and dirt to make The Growing Home a reality.
Rishi is a firm believer in the power of hard work. After meeting Sunderlal Bahuguna in India in 2010, he has tried to live by the mantra Bahugunaji gave him:
From the head, to the heart, to the hands.
- Sunderlal Bahuguna
Manju (Pearl) Kumar moved from India to the US when she was 11 years old. With her, she brought the knowledge of her culture. Since then, she has been working in the new world to build bridges from her knowledge of the old world. She has been an avid gardener since she was young, and her encyclopedic knowledge & hunger for experimentation is the basis upon which The Growing Home was built.
Ro Kumar was once upon a time accepted to Harvard and Yale Law, but decided to grow wheatgrass instead.
Ro is in the process of starting a technology startup focused on local commerce and networking neighborhoods. If you or anyone you know would be interested in partnering (or just giving suggestions) please check out the website at localblu.com, or email him at ro@localblu.com
You can also follow him at www.rohitkumar.org
James is The Growing Home’s CSA and Farm manager. After gardening for nearly one decade, James as acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of everything to do with growing plants, from soil life to nutrients.
Oscar helps with the manual labor at The Growing Home. He also helps with the website.
Oscar is in the process of starting a technology startup focused on local commerce and networking neighborhoods. If you or anyone you know would be interested in partnering (or just giving suggestions) please check out the website at localblu.com, or email him at oscar@localblu.com.
Learn more at oscarleung.net
Davey is The Growing Home’s beekeeper. After becoming a member of the Backwards Beekeepers and being mentored by founder Kirk Anderson, Davey was empowered to handle bees one-on-thousands. Follow Davey on Twitter and Facebook.
