Lemon Grove has been swarming with neighbors helping neighbors to build pollinator gardens all through the city. The Busy Bee Garden Co-op, a project of the Lemon Grove Garden and Nature Group, has a goal to transform Lemon Grove into a certified Bee City by turning properties throughout the city into pollinator gardens. So far, its pollinator gardens can be seen at The Dartmoor Naturehood Project, Mariposa Lane (The Secret Path of Lemon Grove), Lemon Grove Bistro, Lemon Grove Historical Society, San Altos Elementary, and many homes around the city.
Founder Chelsea Gastelum has lived in Lemon Grove since 2017, and the Busy Bee Garden Co-op began with her trying to push native plants to people, by providing native plants for them to plant at their homes.
“I have a storm drain ravine that runs behind my house. I was pulling out invasives and putting in native plants. Then I redid a school pathway where it was all weeds and prickers. A neighbor and I started in COVID 2020 where we started removing all the weeds and putting in butterfly plants making it look nicer,” she said.
Gastelum said since she was propagating her own plants, she collaborated with the Monarch Fellowship, where they supply seeds to distribute in your neighborhood.
“I was giving out one plant at a time and I thought, what if I gave out a whole garden pack,” she said.
Gastelum put it on her Facebook group to see if her idea would work.
“One of the people who said yes, she actually failed. All her plants died. She did not know what to do. But she runs a lot of community pages here in Lemon Grove,” she said.
Gastelum said she proposed to do this kind of project where people learned how to create and maintain the gardens. Which led to them going from one house to create a garden, then going to another house. After a meeting at her own home, many people wanted in on the project.
“We had a person volunteer to be the first house. We went in and installed a garden in that first house. So, what we have been doing is that you came to a house and helped get their garden up, so now you can get help getting your garden done,” she said.
Gastelum said doing the home gardens led to ideas in other surrounding areas in the city.
“So, we have been going to houses and public places, like the Lemon Grove Historical Society, and all over Lemon Grove where people want help. We will be putting up a garden in one of the schools. It has grown into this co-op of you help us, and we will help you,” she said.
Gastelum said they have up to 50 people on a project, with around 20 people who rotate in and out depending on their availability, with 20 people who are regulars at every project.
“If you want to help, we have our Facebook page, Busy Bee Garden Coop Public Group, which gives people information about an upcoming project, and then message us if you are interested. We also have an email to contact us at busybeegardencoop@gmail.com. Unless it is a public space, we do not release the address. People must message us to participate to get an address. Private homes we try to keep private,” she said.
Gastelum said there are a couple of things that make this group unique.
“One, it is kind of like a team building for citizens, as well as beautification. We are working together side by side with fellow neighbors. We even get people from outside our area that just want to come and help and like being involved. We get many people who are normally introverts, but they come and help because you do not have to have any experience. We have also had people come out with physical or mental disabilities, and this is so good for their mental health to come out and be part of this collaboration. We tend to only work for two to two and a half hours. We can do a lot of work during that amount of time. I always tell people if you have 15 people out working for two hours, you actually have 30 hours of work,” she said.
Gastelum said she is always amazed how many people thank them for an outlet that lets them feel like part of the community, and the ability to give back.
“I think that is a large part of it,” she said. “Mental health and mental wellbeing and connection with nature is huge. It gives people a chance to not feel so small in the world and that they are making a difference. Even in your small city or town. They can drive around and look, and then say, they were a part of that.”
Gastelum said people say that being part of a group, these projects also bring a sense of accomplishment to those who participate as they feel good, love seeing what they have done, and know that they have made a difference.
“When working with other people you accomplish something when you are out there. You do not feel defeated or deflected. Personal health problems did not mean anything in doing this. Many people cannot do hard labor, but they can collect seeds off plants for our established garden, then we turn around and give those seed out for free. We have four established Nature Seed libraries in Lemon Grove now, and anyone can come pick up seeds and plant them at their own house,” she said.
Gastelum said through the Monarch Fellowship program, she gives out more than 500 native plants and seedlings each year to the community.
“So, we are completely taking away any equitable factors for people. It does not matter whether you have money, or if you are on a limited income, we take that away and tell people that we can help you create these pollinator gardens at no expense to you, or very little because of water and soil. So, we can level the playing field, and we are improving our town while doing it. With this pollinator conservation effort, I have connected with several larger entities. We recently became the only community in California on the Pollinator Pathway, a national organization,” she said.
