Anna Marie Carter wakes up each morning thinking about seeds.
"I am not your normal, average American," says Carter, known locally as the Seed Lady of Watts and the founder of the Watts Garden Club. "I save seeds, and your normal, average American does not save any."
Carter sometimes returns from a simple walk with many kinds of seeds in her pocket, and she saves them for her gardens. She's been known to have seeds for as many as 20 varieties of any sort of vegetation.
In one of her latest endeavors, the certified master gardener will continue putting her expertise to work as she helps set up a new 2.48-acre plot of land in Watts, working alongside her friend, Janine Watkins of the nonprofit Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC).
"I'm taking pieces of it and turning it into a healing garden for healers," Carter says.
The land, at 103rd and Grape streets, has been purchased by the WLCAC. It was initially owned by the Watts Health Foundation about a decade ago, but the organization had to sell the land to pay debts, Watkins said.
Nearly 10 years ago, Carter was involved in discussions about possibly purchasing the land, and she says she is now "honored" and "proud" to play a role in the WLCAC's plans.
And the WLCAC's Watkins says she's happy to have Carter on the team.
"Our organization knew of Carter and her endeavors to beautify gardens, so we brought her into our wing to help with the," land Watkins says.
The land has 124 plots, and the front portion should completely open by this fall, Watkins says, adding that "everything that Carter and our organization provide is fused with the idea that urban communities should have access to local food."
WLCAC had 110 volunteers to help clean the terrain, and Carter hopes to get everyone in the community involved to multiply the collection of seeds.
Carter launched the Watts Garden Club in 2002 to counter the area's reputation as being impoverished and gang- and drug-infested by creating an outlet that would bring children and families together to plant gardens at different locations.
The club also helps spread the word to eat and live better, helping thousands of urban youth and families bring in harvests of organic fruits, herbs and vegetables cultivated locally.
To find out more about the club or to contact Carter, visit www.wattsgardenclub.net/Contact_.html, or call (323) 969-4740.
Vanessa Abner is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photo of Anna Marie Carter by Michaela Mokrosova; seed image from www.wattsgardenclub.net.
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