Growing Seeds for a Good Cause

David Cundiff, a retired medical doctor, educator, researcher and health author, has spent years educating on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and reducing the carbon footprint, among other topics.

The author of five books, with the latest being “Grand Bargains, Fixing Health Care and the Economy,” which can be purchased as a softcover or read for free as a PDF online at www.grandbargainsbook.com, Cundiff spends a lot of his free time growing organic food and sharing it with others.

Cundiff was an original board member of Long Beach Organic (LBO) – a nonprofit organization that provides community garden plots to residents. It was founded in 1994 by Belmont Shore resident Capt. Charles Moore, who famously discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean.

Like Moore, Cundiff supports protecting the environment. For example, Cundiff sold his car in 1994 to help reduce pollution and rides his bike, walks, or takes public transportation to get around. He uses the sun to dry his clothes and buys from Farmers’ Markets whatever he doesn’t grow himself, and so on.

Though he had a plot with LBO for many years, Cundiff gave it up for others to use and now cultivates live food in the backyard of the home he shares with housemate Dale Whitney, a former minister who managed local Farmers’ Markets for many years.

Today Cundiff raises tomatoes, kale, collards, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel and others. He puts the flowering nasturtium plants in his salads.

Though no longer an LBO board member or plot renter, Cundiff still gives his time to the organization.

He and other volunteers are helping with the upcoming LBO spring fundraiser, where, for the second year, organic seedlings will be provided for a donation at the Zaferia Junction Community Garden at 3709 E. 10th Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 20.

Cundiff and others tried to grow seedlings in trays with plastic lining, but the plastic prevented the water from draining and the first batch was ruined.

“We had a little catastrophe,” Cundiff explained. “So we drowned the first 1,800 plants.”

With the fundraiser approaching, Cundiff and the helpers quickly started over and now a seedling station stands in the backyard complete with drainage, two heating pads and growing lights to speed up the germination of the warm season plants, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants and squashes.

He said a bottom temperature of 70 degrees is optimal.

Cundiff said the sale of last year’s seedlings brought in $800 for LBO.

“We would have done a whole lot better if it weren’t for COVID,” he said.

Regarding this year’s event, Cundiff added, “Hopefully COVID will continue plunging and be low on March 20.”

Meanwhile, Cundiff said it’s unfortunate that in the United States, unhealthy, fast food is cheap but healthy, organic fruits and vegetables are expensive.

“The U.S.D.A. can be commended for spending millions of dollars on educating the public on the importance of fruits and vegetables; they’re five a day education campaign is on the right track,” he said.

“However, the financial policies of the U.S.D.A. are to subsidize corn and soy and wheat, which goes into high fructose corn syrup for Coca Cola, sodas, and feeding cattle and pork for cheap hamburgers. So fast food is highly subsidized.”

And it doesn’t stop there.

“Also, the low-income workers at fast food restaurants get food stamps and Medicaid health insurance,” he said. “So the fast food is highly subsidized and fruits and vegetables are not subsidized at all. So they need to get that act together.”

Regarding LBO, the nonprofit offers eight community gardens in Long Beach. To learn more or to sign up for a plot, residents can visit www.longbeachorganic.org.

Local resident Karawyn Boyd, who has belonged to the Zaferia Junction garden for numerous years, enjoys the peaceful gardens. Right now her plot is producing squash, kale, root vegetables, Jerusalem artichokes and fennel, to name a few.

“You name it,” said Boyd, who rents an apartment and does not have the room to grow food. “I have a lot of stuff in that garden.”

Boyd tends to her garden regularly.

“I really love being there,” she said. “I go every two or three days. I enjoy being with nature and the greenery and plants. From a 10 by 10 foot plot, I get all my vegetables.”

And she appreciates LBO Garden Director Joe Corso.

“He does a great job,” she said. “Not only does he have vision about running the gardens, but his people skills make it comfortable to be there.”

kirt@beachcomber.news