THE TEST

The soils (urban fill) were heavily compacted, protected by a thin layer of bermuda grass, dried out from years of drought and heavy use, including maintenance trucks. We decided to test various soil building treatments including the use of mulch, compost as a top dressing, compost integrated into the top 6” of soil, and sheet mulching. We also tried live plants, live plants with seed, and seed only planting treatments. The linear bands are no more than 5’ wide, ensuring both sides can be accessed without stepping into the plots. The linear fence is a visual cue, rather than a barrier.

2024 UPDATE

Compaction still remains a key issue. The good news is that bermuda grass has not come back and the plants in the plots are doing pretty well. Tough species like Telegraph Weed continues to spread and thrive, but not much else has self sown or spread by rhizomes beyond the plots. Buckwheat is the only species that reliable grew from seed. We have concentrated our effort in the last couple of years on adding more habitat in the areas beyond the plots, since this particular area is so hard-packed. Given what we now know, if we could do it again, I would increase the grow/kill cycle time (maybe do it for 2 winters and wait for a really wet rainy season). I would also try methods to get water deep into the soil, like vertical mulching via an auger. 

BACKGROUND

Rio sits within a narrow valley between Mt. Washington and the steep bluffs of Elysian Park on land that was once settled by the Tongva Indians, Spanish ranchers, and the First Transcontinental Railroad. In the 1920s, Rio and the area around it became Taylor Yard, a 244-acre railroad maintenance and operations facility which spurred the growth of the neighborhoods Glassell Park and Cypress Park but left the site soils heavily polluted from decades of industrial use. When Taylor Yard closed in the 1980s, it was divided into several different parcels for sale including Rio, which became a park after a diverse group of community organizations fought to turn the land into a park for the people. Rio opened on Earth Day 2007 and has since been managed by LA Rec and Parks (who take care of the active rec fields and facilities) and State Parks (who coordinate the care of the naturalized areas).  Rio is part of a future network of LA River parks. Two other riverfront parcels next to Rio (G1, known as the Bowtie, and G2) are slated for development and together with Rio, could form nearly 100 acres of contiguous parkland - an important piece of the future revitalization of the LA River.  

During Fall 2020, we were in the midst of a global pandemic. We thought, what a perfect time to expand the idea of Test Plot beyond Elysian Park. Could it work in other locations, with other communities? How would our approach need to differ in planting but also in stewardship? One of the reasons Rio is a special park is because it has people power! Since the early advocacy to transform Rio into a park for the community, it has drawn a strong base of volunteers. Many of the gardens in the park were community initiatives, from the bird and butterfly gardens and the artist's bench,  to the scent “snake” garden and the scrub jay habitat. These are all maintained by groups of community volunteers from the Park Champions program, the Abuelas de Parque, and LA Audubon. 

The people that participate in these groups are largely elderly and so we developed a maintenance schedule around a set time each week, for example on Monday mornings to do a bit of weeding after a morning walk and chat. In this way Test Plot seemed a natural continuation of the efforts already underway, and a chance to partner and learn from an already established volunteer program. Together with students from USC, we developed a design and installed the plants in November 2020. We asked questions like: 

—To what extent should Test Plot engage with the public?  —What is the role of a fence? Who is invited and who is excluded?  —To what extent should the design engage with the site's history?  —How far can we drag a hose, and how does that guide where we plant?

In 2022 the Taylor Yard pedestrian bridge opened to connect Rio and the Glassell Park neighborhood across the LA River to Frogtown and Elysian Valley. As this area of the LA River continues to develop into the 100 acre parkland, we hope Test Plot and the many examples at Rio can serve as a meaningful example for public engagement and community stewardship in ecosystem restoration.

PRESS

—Native Plants are Bringing New Life to L.A.'s Ravaged Areas, Los Angeles Times, November 2022
—Test Plots in Los Angeles Parks Grow More Than Native Crops: A Community of People Who Care, NEXT CITY, April 2022
—The Lab in the Backyard: USC’s Landscape Justice Initiative aims to give students grassroots perspective on their field, Landscape Architecture Magazine, April 2022
—The Future of Land Care in Los Angeles, USC Archtecture Exposition, Fall 2020.