West Valley College About to Grow a Community Garden

Think West Valley College is a pretty campus?

Well ... it's about to get even prettier thanks to Saratoga resident and local Alain Pinel Realtor Rebecca Jepsen who wants to transform a half-acre barren plot of land near the school's baseball field into a beautiful garden.

"There is a growing need, pun intended, to find spaces that allow folks to come together as a community, learn about growing their own food, inspire folks of all ages to be outdoors, enjoying nature, being physical and nurturing our environment," she told Patch. "We intend for this community garden to do all that and more."

Santa Clara County master gardeners will help run the program, said Jepsen, who's a master gardener herself.

The plan includes building 100 raised beds, with a number of them being accessible to people with disabilities.

Jepsen envisions planting a grove of fruit trees, creating a "blueberry hill," installing a habitat garden using native plants and herbs that will encourage birds, bees and beneficial insects to visit the garden.

She also said the plan calls for having a pizza oven on site that will allow the gardeners to reap the rewards, and tastes, of what they're growing. The group will also have a teaching circle offering educational talks, workshops and demonstrations to the community.

WVC officials are all on board with the plan, she added, giving her permission to use of the land; however they're not able to help financially with the project.

Jepsen's goal is to raise $350,000.

To donate to Jepsen's cause, please contact her at rjepsen@apr.com.

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