Darshini comes to Valley Verde with a passion for microgreens and permaculture. She directly supports our onsite demonstration garden and greenhouse operations, sharing her knowledge and love of urban farming with the Valley Verde community. During the pandemic, Darshini and her husband (with their young son in tow) made the bold move to launch a small microgreens business. A graduate of San Jose State and a local resident for the last 15 years, Darshini was brought up in a large, loving family in Malaysia that formed her deep connection to growing plants and sharing meals fresh from the garden. Darshini is deeply committed to the power of urban agriculture as it relates to self-sufficiency and food security, which is how she became well versed in hydroponics and vertical farming. She also has other hobbies, beyond creatively gardening in small spaces, like gathering books, reading, video games, and knitting. 

Martha moved to San Jose with her parents t a young age . She arrived when San Jose was known as The Valley of Heart's Delight. During that time there was a high concentration of orchards, flowering trees, and plants and it was the largest fruit-producing and packing region in the world. Martha grew up on her parents' farm near the Evergreen Hills. At the age of 8, Martha worked in the orchards with her father picking plums. Throughout her school years, Martha worked in many farm fields and orchards where she picked limes, chilis and other produce. She witnessed a greater part of history when she visited her mother working at Del Monte cannery. Martha became a certified medical assistant, but her love of farm work pulled her back to working with her father on his farm. To this day Martha helps her father in the farm planting and harvesting zucchini, various chilies, garlic and green onions. 

Jennifer Garcia was raised in South San Jose and recently graduated from San Jose State University. Their favorite gardening method is the Three Sisters because they enjoy watching them grow, nourish, and support one another. They began their gardening journey in the beginning of the pandemic when their friend gave them a tomato and jalapeno seedling to grow, from there their love for gardening grew immensely. Even though it was only two plants, they were able to quickly learn what it takes to grow and nurture a plant. It became an amazing experience for them because they were soon able to build a relationship with their neighbors and other community members and help them grow seedlings or provide them with homegrown vegetables. They are passionate to continue learning about different organic gardening methods and how it can be utilized to empower the community. Their interest quickly expanded beyond home gardening, leading them to volunteer at a local urban farm and join an environmental justice fellowship at SJSU. As the Super Jardineros Program Coordinator they hope to help and support their community members through their gardening journey so they can continue to nourish the local community and the seven generations to follow.