(March 28, 2010) -- Volunteers, community members and VIPs pitched in to clear the ground and hoist compost at Long Beach Organic's newest community garden: the "South 40"...offering over 40 garden plots on South Street just east of Paramount Blvd. in NLB.

CSULB Prof. Jake Wilson's Sociology students volunteeer.

LBReport.com was on-scene for the Saturday, March 27 event. Videography is by LBReport.com Community Correspondent Dan Halverson.

(If you can't see the image, click here to launch video.)

Long Beach Organic, a non-profit run by volunteers, promotes organic gardening and local production in the urban environment. The "South 40" (2813 E South St.) is being developed into Long Beach Organic's latest community garden...and the group's website says it's "seeking unused urban spaces for future garden sites."

When fully built out with planned amenities, the South 40 will feature 40 plus garden plots, mostly 10' x 10,' a few with raised beds meeting ADA standards, a small orchard of fruit trees, monarch waystation, picnic area under a grape arbor, and will feature a demonstration garden with produce donated to local food banks.

In the photo below, LBReport.com quipped that we'd captured Vice Mayor Val Lerch shoveling something. "That's a pitchfork," he accurately reminded us.

Long Beach Organic is designating this demonstration garden as the Jardin de los Santos, named to honor the owners of the property.

A production crew from ABC-TV's Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution was also present...shooting video that may turn up on the national prime time telecast in the coming weeks.

Also on scene providing coverage of this NLB news event: NLBCentral.com. To view their coverage, click here.