Cultivating Connections: Interview with SCCG gardener Pam Porteous-Hunt

We here at San Carlos Community Garden (SCCG) are kicking off the New Year with a new monthly section “Cultivating Connections” by introducing you to familiar faces of SCCG with hopes you’ll say hello next time you’re in the garden.

It is our honor to feature Pam Porteous-Hunt for January 2025.

SCCG: Hi Pam! What inspired you to get involved in the community garden, and how has it changed your life since?

Pam:  I became a SCCG member in 2020. During that time, I wanted to get outdoors and garden but was stuck in a condo with no space. I am originally from a small farming town in Northern California so having a home garden and chickens is familiar territory for me but I knew I first needed to learn more about the San Diego climate - we may be in the same state but it sure has big differences for growing a garden - that’s what brought me to SCCG. Thankfully, soon after joining a community garden plot became available and I have been happily tending to it since.  

SCCG: Can you share a favorite memory or story from your time spent in the garden? 

Pam: Ohhh…there are soooo many and it's hard to pick just one!  A favorite is from a day when my grandson joined me at the garden when Leslie was growing carrots in the Children's Garden. My grandson was able to pull a handful of carrots out of the ground and to his surprise they were all different colors, not just orange - my grandson was ecstatic!  I also love arriving at the garden early in the morning and enjoying the peaceful environment and views of Cowels Mountain. And every time I see someone at our garden's Little Free Library, it brings me joy.

Pam also oversees SCCG’s Free Little Library, located along Lake Adlon Drive, and is always looking for book donations.

Members can speak directly to Pam or place book donations in blue tool shed.

SCCG: What’s your favorite thing to grow, and why? Is there a special story behind it?

Pam: I love growing tomatoes, especially Red Tie-Dye tomatoes.  My family and I love BLTs!

SCCG: That sounds delicious…can you share with us your recipe for a perfect BLT?

Pam: My perfect BLT has to be on soft white bread untoasted with Best Foods mayo, as many thick slices of homegrown tomato you can fit, good quality bacon and crisp iceberg. No salt or pepper.

Homegrown “Red Tie-Dye” tomatoes from Pam’s SCCG garden plot.

SCCG: How has being part of the community garden impacted your relationships with your neighbors?

Pam: I have met so many people and have built a true sense of community through being involved with SCCG.  It's the SCCG community that keep me coming back and staying involved. Actually, so much so, I now share my SCCG lessons learned by volunteering at the Chet. F. Harritt STEAM School garden.

I also want to share I am most impressed by the leadership team and all of the positive partnerships they have formed, like with the Boy Scouts and the school next door. Just like this garden’s landscape, these partnerships are beautifully thought out.

SCCG: If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting their own garden, what would it be?

Pam:  Ask the other gardeners anything - it's like having teachers continuously around who are always willing to share their knowledge. I learned a lot the first few seasons! My first unexpected lesson was about pest management.