San José State community garden provides a safe space for students to grow and relax in between classes.
The community garden was established in 2014 as a result of student advocacy, according to a Feb. 24, 2021 Spartan Daily article.
SJSU Garden Coordinator Ruby Howard has been managing the volunteers and employees since May.
“We harvest all our food for the Spartan Pantry a couple times a week and we care for the plants, by weeding, pruning and watering,” Howard said. “A lot of our beds are on a drip system, so we don't actually have to water most of them and to check there's no pests or diseases.”
The community garden doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides meaning everything that is grown throughout is organic, while also following fundamental practices of permaculture, according to the same community garden web page.
Permaculture is a way of living by making sure that resources are being augmented in terms of tending to a garden, using solar power and composting, to maximizing sustainability, according to a permaculture article.
"We have a total of four student staff, (and) they’re here everyday and do a lot,” Howard said. “We have a lot of volunteer support at this time of year, everyone is excited to be back in school.”
The volunteers are first introduced to the staff, and are instructed to walk around and familiarize themselves with the area.
Shortly after, they are told to make a friend and work together as they are never truly left alone without the supporting staff of the garden.
Volunteers are then instructed by the staff on what to do when it comes to watering plants and or pruning.
Pruning is the removal of certain parts of a plant, living or dying to extend the lifespan, according to an Ambius web page.
“It's important that we have solar for the garden, it was actually a student project with the engineering students,” Howard said. “It’s a good example of a student sustainability project and how we could be more sustainable in the garden.”
Aashiv Bajaj, an SJSU graduate student and program assistant, has been part of the community garden staff for eight months.
“When I arrive for my shifts at the garden, the first thing I do is check the composting bin,” Bajaj said. “Some people in the community drop off their compost for us to use later on for the plants.”
Volunteering for the garden is on a first come, first serve basis for students and members of the community who sign up through its Instagram.
“If someone wants to volunteer, there is no need for previous experience,” Bajaj said. “It is very easy for anyone that wants to be a part of the experiences here.”
Karan Ghura, a fourth-year civil engineering student, previously volunteered for the community garden.
“I volunteered three times in total at the garden, I planted some garlic and we cleaned some compost containers as well," Ghura said. “As a volunteer, you can learn a lot of things about gardening and the correct way to tend to the plants.”
There are around 60 different species of plants throughout the garden which vary from flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables, according to its web page.
Howard, the garden coordinator, said the community garden maintains the plant beds based on the previous garden coordinator, Matthew Mangoni.
“We group the plantings in the beds based on country or region,” Howard said. “(He) was really good about making sure that whoever entered the garden was able to see their culture represented in what is growing here.”
She said some plants that are featured in the garden are a banana tree, a passion fruit plant and herbs such as parsley.
“It was a fun experience and learning about the variety of plants," Ghura said. “I didn’t realize how many plants the garden actually has and it was a very educational experience.”
