Our Programs
three line blurb about programs
Participating low-income San Jose and Gilroy resident families receive all the garden supplies, seedlings, and support they need to build and nurture a home garden!
Knowledgeable Valley Verde staff mentor and provide individualized garden mentorship, and participants attend monthly workshops on topics such as organic gardening methods, composting, harvesting, and pest management using organic methods.
program length: 1 year
After completing the introductory gardening curriculum of the Shared Garden program, families can enroll in the Deep Roots program to develop advanced gardening skills and receive free culturally-relevant seeds and seedlings.
program length: 6 months
Shared Garden and Deep Roots program participants are eligible in our 6-month program to learn to compost at home!
Community members who do not have space to compost in their own homes can bring their food scraps at our on-site compost hub in exchange for nutrient-rich finished compost. All San Jose residents are encouraged to compost with us at our on-site hub!
program length: 6 months
This apprenticeship program supplies the resources and education for low-income experienced gardeners to grow commercial-quality vegetable seedlings. Apprentices receive supplies to build their own home greenhouse, educational horticulture and business workshops, and individualized support. Their first sets of seedlings are purchased by Valley Verde for use in the Shared Garden program, and they are encouraged to form their own neighborhood businesses.
program length: 2 years
Valley Verde grows the seedlings used in our Shared Garden and Deep Roots programs in our on-site greenhouses. We also sell these seedlings to the general public in our Homeland Nursery, with an aim to increase access to culturally relevant vegetable seedlings for home gardens in our multiethnic community. We listen to feedback and recommendations from our diverse community to inform which varieties we grow, sell, and give away.
All members of our community are welcome to attend our free public events and workshops on-site! Past event topics include seed saving, seed mosaics, harvest festivals, bee keeping, and more.
Super Sprouts is a mini physical gardening kit paired with an online learning library designed for kids! Kits are available for individual purchase or bulk purchase, perfect for teachers looking for already developed curriculum to jumpstart a garden in their schools or parents looking for an educational enrichment activity for their kids to learn about gardening at home.
