Valley Verde Fully Launches Its Super Jardineros Project in Santa Clara County

This past July, Valley Verde launched the third component of its community food system, The Super Jardineros Project. The Super Jardineros Project offers experienced Valley Verde family gardeners the opportunity to manage their own home greenhouse where they will germinate, grow and sell culturally preferred, heirloom vegetable seedlings that aren’t presently found in the mainstream market.

In 2015, Valley Verde recruited and supported 47 San Jose and Gilroy low-income families as they gained the skills necessary to become organic home gardeners through its first component of their community food system, the Organic Home Gardening program. In July, three of the participants were invited to be the first cohort of Valley Verde’s Super Jardineros Project. Each of the gardeners had their own greenhouse built at their residency by Valley Verde staff members and volunteers.

“Our family gardeners are using the skills gained from our Organic Home Gardening program to become successful Super Jardineros and germinate culturally preferred organic seedlings, some going to the families we work with and some to be sold to local nurseries,” said Sergio Martinez, Valley Verdes Program Coordinator.

For each of the Super Jardineros gardeners this is their first time growing in the controlled environment of a greenhouse. The greenhouse allows the gardeners to germinate healthy plants with a select portion of them sold directly to local retailers and nurseries to generate revenue for them as they operate their first microbusiness.

“We believe we are developing a unique community food system from seed to table that challenges entrenched issues of food insecurity and dependence in Santa Clara County,” said Raul Lozano, Valley Verde’s Executive Director.

Valley Verde anticipates a total of 250 healthy seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower and shanghai bok choy that will be ready for the community to purchase by the end of the planting season. The seedlings will be sold at select retail locations and nurseries in the South Bay.

“When all of the components of the community food system are fully operational, we envision an independent food system of organic produce from germination to harvest that is controlled by our family gardeners themselves,” explained Raul.

The Super Jardineros Project intends to provide seedlings for 60 new and 30 current home gardeners and over 400 family members in the next year. Since Valley Verde formation in 2012, 230 families have completed the organizations one year long intensive organic home gardening program and over 3800 lbs. of produce has been harvested with an estimated cost savings of $475 per family.

About Valley Verde:

Valley Verde is a nonprofit organization formed in 2012 that is dedicated to increasing access to healthy, organic produce, through its three component community food system. The organization gives low-income families in Santa Clara County the resources they need to start and maintain year-round organic gardens in raised beds with planting materials and seedlings, free classes in nutrition and gardening, and visits by a master garden mentor. Learn more about Valley Verde – and how to support its community food system – at www.ValleyVerde.org.

Media Inquiries/Contact Info:

Raul Lozano, Executive Director

Phone: 408-666-4794

Email: raulL@valleyverde.org