Community gardens sprouting in Watsonville

It’s a place you wouldn’t think needed any more fresh produce but in Watsonville, churches and other community groups say there’s a growing need. They say many families in the area don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which is why community gardens are sprouting around town.

Dirk Deardorff rents a plot in the community garden in Watsonville’s All Saints Cristo Rey church. This is the second year he and his family have grown their own vegetables. The movement is sprouting roots with other families.

“I understand there are some like, 50 families participating,” Deardorff said.

Despite living in the core of fruit and vegetable fields, many families live in areas considered “food deserts.”

“It’s a problem for low income families because there aren’t grocery stores in their communities,” the Rev. Michael Dresbach said. “And the food available, the processed food is cheaper than fresh vegetables but that’s what people need for good nutrition. So this is a way to make sure kids are getting the food they need. The children in our Sunday school even have a plot and they raise vegetables and they get excited when they’re coming up and not just about watermelons, they like the other vegetables they grow.”

The idea is growing like a weed. There’s another community garden at River Park, cultivated with the help of local organizations like Driscoll’s and Home Depot. If it’s anything like the Sunday School kids at All Saints Cristo Rey, the families who garden there will be able to watch the fruits of their labor come to fruition.

“It gives them a sense of satisfaction and they enjoy doing it,” Dresbach said.

Many of these community gardens are getting help from the people at Santa Cruz based Mesa Verde gardens, who teach budding gardeners the ropes. More community gardens are already in the works in Santa Cruz County, at sites including Rolling Hills Middle School in Watsonville.