SJSU Community Garden

SJSU Community Garden Small Space, Big Harvest

The SJSU Campus Community Garden was established as a result of a student-led initiative

Fall 2019 | Spring 2020

About Us This project was made by a photographer and writer who are both passionate about food and its impact on the community. We came together and created this project to highlight a very important and little known resource at San Jose State University: The SJSU Campus Community Garden.

We encourage other students to learn gardening skills not only to learn about where their food comes from and how it grows, but also to reclaim the power they have over their own health and that of their community.

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SJSU Campus Community Garden Tucked into a small wedge of land near the San Jose State campus lies a small garden where different types of colorful crops sprout from the soft soil.

The SJSU Campus Community Garden is a free source of organic food for students and provides a place to relieve stress and reconnect with nature. Along with other local community gardens like Valley Verde and Veggielution, the SJSU Campus Community Garden can slowly start to help fight food deserts in urban areas by teaching students how to produce food sustainably.

With climate change and obesity on the rise, turning things around can seem like a daunting task. However, the campus garden is an example that a positive change can be made one crop at a time. By teaching students how to grow food sustainably, the campus garden empowers students to take back control over what they put into their bodies and how they treat their environment.

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Seasonal Produce

Seasonal produce is important because most fruits and vegetables only grow during certain seasons of the year.

When you purchase produce that's not in season, it's likely that it was shipped from many miles away or it was forced to grow under conditions in which it was not meant to thrive. This compromises the fruit or vegetable's overall quality.

Growing plants that are in season is more sustainable because it allows the plant to grow more easily and with the flow of nature.

Student assistants at the campus garden can give guidance as to what crops are best to plant depending on the season.

Many organic gardens rotate their crops by planting different produce as the seasons change. This diversity in crops helps keep the soil healthy.

Another thing that helps soil health is compost, which works as a natural fertilizer for the plants.

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Compost

Compost is a good way to use most of the leftover scraps from your produce. It is basically biodegradable, organic waste that can be composed of stems, cores, leaves or paper. Then it goes through three stages of decomposition until it turns into a rich, dark, soil-like substance. This is then used as a natural fertilizer for the garden's produce.

Compost is like the earth’s natural form of recycling. The earth gives us many natural resources which replenish themselves if we let them. Most of the animals on this planet manage to live day by day using what the earth gives them, and they leave little to no trace behind. We can be the same, and maybe it can all start on our plate. If you don’t have a way to compost at home, you can bring your compost to the SJSU Campus Community Garden, which is right across the street from the dining halls on campus.

Turning compost is hard work and it can be smelly, but the hard work reaps big rewards. Compost is what allows all the plants in the garden to grow healthy. The end result is a dark, moist soil that's rich with worms, and this fertilizes the garden without the use of harmful chemicals.

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Stress Relief in the Garden Gardening is also a great way to relieve stress and reconnect with a more natural environment. As college students, we tend to live very hectic lives, and our campus is located in a busy downtown area. It can be hard to find time to slow down in between our busy schedules. There is something calming about getting your hands into the soil, patting a new plant into place, and showering it with fresh water.

English major and student volunteer Michelle Li said she began volunteering at the garden as a way to pass time and unwind, and found it to be therapeutic and calming.

On the other hand, sociology major Daniel Kokoski said that at first he volunteered at the garden just to get service learning hours, but ended up feeling more immersed into the “calm, serene environment” over time.

One of the things Kokoski said he’s had fun doing at the garden was making a salad using the day’s harvest.

“It’s kind of like a sanctuary in an urban setting,” Kokosi said. “When the weather is nice, it’s the perfect place to just relax.”

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How the Food is Used Local food vendors have used the produce to make foods such as smoothies, empanadas, and egg rolls, which were then shared with students at the campus garden's events.

The on-campus program CHEW (Cooking Healthy, Eating Well), which provides students with free, healthy cooking classes, also occasionally uses the produce for their classes.

"We try our best to integrate and be the example for students that they can use the food out here,” said Garden Operations and Community Engagement Assistant Michelle Domocol. “It’s not just for show or demonstration.”

The garden also occasionally provides food for the SJSU Food Pantry.

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Get Outside and Meet New People At the garden, all tasks are equally as important. Whether it's weeding, planting, or turning compost, every part is essential to the maintenance and health of the garden.

As students, we spend a lot of time cooped up and sitting at our desks doing homework. Gardening can be a great way to get moving outside. Not only is the vitamin D from the sunlight beneficial, but you also get to meet people who may have similar interests about food and sustainability.

Overall, volunteering at the garden can help us feel more proactive about environmental and food justice issues. The hands-on experience provides a sense of gratification that many of us don't get from simply doing homework or learning concepts and theories. Gardening can help us put what we've learned in the classroom into actual practice.

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Native Plants One plant that's growing at the garden is the California lilac, which is native to this state. This plant is unique because it can be used as an all-natural soap. All it takes is a little water and the friction from your hands.

Similar to seasonal produce, plants that are native to California are important because it means they're meant to grow in our weather conditions and environment. This not only makes it easier for the plants to grow sustainably, but it allows the plants to play their own important role in the ecosystem.

For example, growing the California lilac is a good way to support the health of our local bees, which in turn contributes to the health of our local environment.

Something as small as not having enough bees to pollinate our plants can be catastrophic for the local ecosystem.

In other cases, non-native plants can be invasive species, meaning they begin to grow too rapidly and start pushing out the biodiversity that is native to the land.

Growing plants that are native and seasonal ensures that the natural flow of the ecosystem is not being disrupted.

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SJSU Garden Tours

If you'd like to learn more about the campus garden, quick tours are provided to students so that they can familiarize themselves with all the different things that are growing at the garden.

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The campus garden is a convenient place to get service learning hours for classes and make a direct positive impact on the campus community by helping make healthy food accessible to students.

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You can join the campus garden Facebook group at SJSU Campus Community Garden to get updates on volunteer hours and upcoming events.

Our campus garden provides a place to engage with the community through the common language of food.

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." ~ Audrey Hepburn

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Gardening teaches us to nurture the process instead of focusing solely on the end result.

By growing our own produce, we can improve the health of our community and environment.

The campus garden helps us move away from a culture of food insecurity and pharmaceuticals while bringing us closer to a world where food becomes a medicine that is accessible to all.

Written by Ana Acosta Photographed by Nanzi Muro This magazine was made to inform SJSU students about the free organic food provided by the SJSU Campus Community Garden.

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SJSU Community Garden Location: 372 E. San Salvador St. San Jose, CA 95112 The garden is located near the intersection of 8th and East San Salvador, directly across the street from the Dining Commons.