Watsonville Families Grow their Own Food

Watsonville families put their backs into it last weekend, breaking ground on their very own plots of land in Mesa Verde Gardens' community garden project. 

It all started last year, with 30 family plots measuring 12-by-16 feet each, on the land next to the on Rogers Street. After 2011's successful season, the Church has allowed them to expand the newly dubbed Mi Jardin Verde ("My Green Garden") to 50 plots, and all of them are expected to be filled.

“We're trying to reach low income families who don’t have the ability to grow food, and address the obesity and diabetes epidemic,” said Ana Rasmussen, founder of Mesa Verde Gardens.

Rasmussen does outreach at the Second Harvest Food Bank's Passion for Produce drop-off sites and also speaks at parent meetings at schools and preschools to let low income families know about the gardens.

Families who sign up for a plot don't have to be associated with the church in anyway—in fact few of them actually are, they just need to be committed to show up and do the work. The cost to rent a plot is $5 per month to help defray the water bill. (This year's drip irrigation or watering can-only rule will help keep the water bill under control.)

In addition to Mi Jardin Verde, Mesa Verde Gardens is excited to break ground on two other community gardens. One is a 20-family space next to the just a few blocks away from the first garden. The other is located next to the on Alta Vista, and will break ground this month.

"When I was looking for land for the second garden it took a long time and what happened was that first one said 'we could expand' and then this other church [the United Methodist] said 'we can do it,' and then this other church [the Lutheran Church] said 'we’d like to do it,' '' said Rasmussen.

Even though she didn't quite have funding for three gardens, Rasmussen went ahead and did the logical thing: she said yes to all three.

"All of a sudden there were three gardens but I only had funding for two. So I just decided to go for it even though we didn’t have the funding. Because it seems why would I say no to the land? So I said yes.” 

So far, the first two gardens were funded by a generous donation by the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, and by a Watsonville High School teacher who called Rasmussen out of the blue and gave the organization $5,000. 

used the money to pay for the land leases, garden tools, the supplies for families to build more water-friendly drip irrigation systems, and manure.

are open during all daylight hours, and there is almost always somebody puttering around, according to organizers.

Each garden can feed a large family, and there was an abundance of food grown last year. The garden started a produce trade so that families could share their procude, trading their surpluses for vegetables from other families. 

"There are a lot of new people here—new to gardening—so we help them out," said Lorrie Rubio, who doesn't have space to garden at her own home and heard about the program just in time to apply for the last plot. 

Angelica Ortega helps run the Mi Jardin Verde location by connecting families with plots. She is very excited to be involved for a second year, and came to the garden last year to grow vegetables. 

"My cousin brought me here and when I saw it I said "Yes, I have to have it," said Ortega.  

For more information on how to donate to Mesa Verde Gardens, click HERE. Learn more about Second Harvest's role in the garden .