# Growing as much food as possible in the middle of LA

### an in-depth tour of my "urban farm"

[Carmen in the Garden](https://substack.com/@carmeninthegarden)  
Jun 11, 2026  
∙ Paid  
10

Six years ago, my garden was entirely grass. Slowly but surely it has become what you might recognize today. One of my most requested features at long last: A GARDEN TOUR. I am sparing no detail today. The ins and outs of growing as much food as I possibly can in the middle of Los Angeles.

In today’s paid subscriber post:

- The full layout, and how it all fits in
- What I’m really growing for, plus the low-and-slow drip system everyone asks about
- A bed-by-bed walkthrough, with a photo and full plant list for every single bed
- Every fruit tree and what I’ve done to make them thrive
- My side yard citrus collection and exactly where I source my pottery
- What six chickens add to a working garden
- What I’d do differently if I started over from scratch

## The Overall Layout

Surprise! My vegetable garden is in my front yard. The total space is approximately 2,000 square feet, and it is jam-packed. Running along the front is my chicken coop and run (more on the girls in a later section), and surrounding the vegetable garden are my fruit trees (more on those too). The garden is made up of 10 raised beds. Each one is constructed from cedar and measures 4 feet wide by 10 feet long by 2 feet tall, and sealed with a food-safe sealer.