Seeds of change in East L.A.

The garden, he explains, is a step toward introducing, or reintroducing, the idea of more nutritious options and then providing those more nutritious foods.

Morales passed by the garden a dozen times, on her way to pick up the children at school, before peeping in one breezy afternoon. These days, she shows up for committee meetings - giving her opinion about what should be planted and when - and picks all her seasonings from the herb patches.

A few months ago a visiting friend brought her some fava beans from Mexico to plant there.

"It's not an overnight thing," admits Krochmal, who is as likely to find himself alone in the garden as he is surrounded by a group of neighbors. "But I feel something powerful is going on."

Indeed, neighborhood schools are beginning to bring in classes, kids are signing up to take seeds home, and hundreds of people have been showing up for traditional harvest festivities.

Community gardens in urban areas exist, in one form or another, around the world. The American Community Gardening Association estimates there are close to 10,000 community gardens throughout the US and Canada.

There are 65 in Los Angeles alone, growing fruits and vegetables year-round, says Al Renner, president of the community garden council in the city. They range from small plots on back streets to one that covers 14 acres.

The goals of these gardens are diverse: They bring together neighbors to plant and sow, create community pride, improve the physical environment, encourage more active lifestyles, promote organic farming, reduce family food budgets, and give people from all walks of life something to do.

In a place such as East Los Angeles, the potential benefits - especially in terms of changing nutrition habits - are substantial, says Mr. Renner.

"In so many of the poorer areas in L.A., like all over the country, kids are just not giving their bodies what they need, and this affects their looks, and, yes, their behavior," says Barbara Boone. She is head of the Los Angeles County Nutrition Task Force, which works to plant vegetable gardens in probation camps for young juvenile delinquents.

"If there were more gardens like Proyecto Jardin," she says, there would be less need for her gardens.

"Yeah, it's been good," says Morales's 11-year-old son, Gustavo, of the community garden. "All those spices taste great with cheese and avocado."

Besides, the garden has become a fun after-school activity, Gustavo adds. He used to be on a football team, but then quit. There were no other interesting things he could take part in after classes end, so he used to do "nothing much."

Now, sometimes, he says, he and his buddies head over to the garden.

"We specialize in tomatoes," he explains. His mom tells him to bring the ripe ones home to be mixed with rice, or to go into a salsa, but sometimes he can't resist and just pops them all into his mouth.

"Good stuff," he says with enthusiasm.

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