In 2010 Ron Finley transformed an unassuming strip of land alongside the sidewalk bordering his South Los Angeles home into a joyous garden he shares with the community. This act evoked awe, as his neighborhood was better known for strip malls than for greenery, a state of affairs that guerrilla gardener Finley deplores. “Why is concrete and asphalt the norm?” he asks. “Why isn’t this the norm?”
This is a tangle of edible and ornamental plants—from artichokes to sunflowers to bananas—which envelops passersby as they walk along the sidewalk. And Finley’s garden was just his first step. The self-proclaimed Gangsta Gardener has created a non-profit, The Ron Finley Project, to inspire others to transform unused urban spaces.
Meanwhile Finley’s own garden may be living on borrowed time. A real estate firm purchased the property in late 2016, threatening eviction. Finley and friends, including natural-food company executives and slow-food pioneers, are working to raise funds to buy back the land to save the garden. The other day we visited Finley for a garden visit (and a lesson in an unexpected use for nasturtium pods):
Photography by Stacey Lindsay.
![Finley walks in his sidewalk garden, which runs parallel to his home in South Los Angeles.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-8-733x489.jpg)
Finley says he got the idea for his garden after he grew tired of having to travel far from his neighborhood to purchase fresh produce that wasn’t laced with hard-to-pronounce pesticides. He looked around and saw an epidemic happening in South Central: People suffering from curable diseases and obesity sky-rocketing. He wanted to change all that with his garden by giving his community 24-hour access to healthy produce. After all, “you are what you eat eats,” he says.
![Nasturtium vines grow throughout the garden. Finley enjoys adding the spicy edible pods to dishes. “Try this,” he says, picking off one “That will clear your sinuses out.”](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-5-733x489.jpg)
![Artichoke and sunflowers mingle.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-15-733x489.jpg)
![A handmade branch canopy offers an enclosed place to sit.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/la-gangsta-garden-stacey-lindsay-733x1100.jpg)
![Mint grows amid other herbs.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-17-733x489.jpg)
![The spring bounty in all its glory includes: nasturtium, sweet potato, rosemary, mint, green onion, kale, artichoke, corn, swiss chard, and more.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-4-733x489.jpg)
![Fig and banana trees thrive, creating shaded areas along the sidewalk.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ron-finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-gardenista-1-733x331.jpg)
![The view facing south, running along Finley\2\17;s property. On the other side of the wall he transformed an empty swimming pool into a host for more plants and gardening tools.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-3-733x489.jpg)
![Finley handles a poppy flower blooming from a tree that was hacked last year by passersby. The tree re-routed and is now thriving.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-14-733x489.jpg)
![Threatened with eviction, Finley and his supporters have started a campaign to help raise the funds needed to buy the property from its corporate owner.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-11-733x489.jpg)
![When he is not in his garden, Finley hosts workshops and lectures on the subject of gardening.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finley-garden-stacey-lindsay-20-733x489.jpg)
Interested in exploring more community and family gardens? Visit our posts:
- Garden Visit: Summer Street in Red Hook.
- Garden Visit: A Family Friendly Garden (Chickens Included).
- Garden Visit: At Home with Designer Julie Weiss in Manhattan.
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