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ORGANIC NURSERY IN MIRACLE MILE BACKYARD
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Laura Eversz
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ORGANIC NURSERY owner Jo Anne Trigo sells plants at the Larchmont Village farmer’s market on Sundays
TWO DOGS’ backyard destruction was inspiration for nursery.
A self-described “farm girl at heart,” Jo Anne Trigo found herself pining for a garden at her Miracle Mile home. But the two rescue dogs she and husband Alejandro adopted had other ideas, and immediately destroyed the couple’s back yard. “We don’t even have a blade of grass,” laughs Jo Anne.
But when her friend turned her on to EarthBox Garden Kits, Jo Anne outfoxed the canines by planting in containers. The patented, maintenance-free high-tech growing system uses less fertilizer and water, and can be placed on stands or tables to keep critters away. “I bought a couple, then a couple more and pretty soon it was like I was possessed and I kept planting more and more,” she said.
“Maybe I had too much time on my hands, or I was craving something creative,” mused Jo Anne, who for 21 years had owned La Paloma custom furniture store on Beverly Blvd. with her husband. “The building we were in sold, and retail business started to wane a little with the economy,” she said. So they closed the doors, and moved La Paloma into a warehouse near USC that features a showroom as well as a fabric and wood sample library.
Sensing there might be a market for selling organically grown vegetable and herb transplants, the Trigos re-worked their driveway, back yard and garage to accommodate thousands of seedlings, creating “Two Dog Organic Nursery.”
Their idea was to sell at local farmers’ markets. But the couple were surprised at how much licensing and paperwork was involved. First, they obtained a license from Sacramento to sell nursery stock, after which they had to become certified producers, which involved two inspections by the Agriculture Dept. Later came the decision to be “organic” or not, since using the term without actually being organic could result in fines of up to $10,000 per day. They registered with the state’s organic program and will become certified next summer by the USDA.
Then, despite predictions that it would be impossible to get into a farmer’s market, they were accepted right away, and can now be found in La Canada Flintridge on Saturdays and at the Larchmont Village market on Sundays.
The seeds are started in the garage under full-spectrum fluorescent lights, and moved outdoors after they sprout. “We also have a big rack of seedlings in the dining room and the guest bedroom,” says Jo Anne.
After a busy summer of tomatoes, squash, green beans and peppers, Two Dog Organic Nursery is offering a variety of cool season veggie transplants including heirloom lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, kale, collards, chard and spinach, as well as herb plants and edible flowers.
And with the tomato season coming up and her hope to grow at least 36 varieties, “it’s quite likely we’ll have to expand onto the roof of the garage,” said Jo Anne. “That’s where the best sun is.”
Two Dog currently sells EarthBox products, soil, fertilizer, fungicide and pesticides and books at twodognursery.com. And Jo Anne is also working on being able to offer shipping on plants. “I think if everyone gardened, grew something, it would be a better world,” she said. “It teaches you gratitude, humility and patience. And it is so much fun.”
Two Dog Organic Nursery, 914 S. Cloverdale Ave., 323-422-3835, twodognursery.com
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