Grow Your Own

Even if you city dwellers don't have a huge backyard to garden, don't despair: Growing your own food is easier than you think. Marta Teegen will show you the way.

The master gardener and founder of Homegrown Los Angeles offers monthly classes at the new Cube pop-up marketplace Downtown, where she maintains an organic garden on the roof of the Divine Pasta factory and warehouse.

With the city skyline as a backdrop, Teegen shows off her beautiful organic arugula, radicchio, black kale, endive and fennel--with blueberries, artichokes and tomatoes coming later this year--all of which are used at the La Brea café.

Class themes change monthly, but this Saturday (March 13), she'll explain planting basics (10 a.m. to noon; $50) and how to grow perfect tomatoes (1 to 2 p.m.; $30). Teegen also holds classes on non-marketplace days, like the intro to container gardening on March 27.

And when you're back in the marketplace, pick up garden and serving accessories like Esther Coombs seed markers, so you know where your fennel, thyme and escarole are planted, or the gorgeous dbO handcrafted serving bowl.

A splurge, yes, but your homegrown, fresh-from-the-garden greens deserve it.

Cube Marketplace, 550 Ceres Ave., Downtown; 213-542-3316 or cubemarketplace.com