The Community Gardens program promotes health and wellness in Watsonville. Participants are empowered to be active, become environmental stewards, build connections within their local community, and gain access to healthy foods and education
Garden Goals
Education
learning sciences, nutrition, and sustainability through hands-on activities
Promote Health
Improve access to healthy fruit and vegetables
Environmental Stewardship
Getting people outside to have a hands-on experience with nature
Build Community
Facilitating intergenerational and multicultural relationships through gardening and food
Build a Movement
Contributing to the regional movement to expand and sustain community garden programs for future generations
Carey - Davis Community Garden
The Carey – Davis Community Garden (CDCG) located at 37 Davis Avenue, Freedom, was founded by the Watsonville Police Activities League (WPAL) to serve the youth and families living in the Carey & Davis Avenue areas. The garden experienced several changes in management over the past few years. As of March 2021, through a collaboration with WPAL, and the City of Watsonville, Community Health Trust (CHT) took over the garden’s day-to-day management and support to ensure the garden continues to grow and thrive.
Over the course of the year local neighborhood families and WPAL students have the opportunity to grow their own fruits and veggies in their own garden boxes and participate in one of the several garden events, including – Día de Muertos, Movie Nights, and Posada. Through this garden revitalization, CHT hopes to increase access to fresh food and vegetables and foster community relationships.
Thank you, Tami Stolzenthaler, Senior Environmental Projects Analyst with the City of Watsonville, for donating soil for the garden.
The Care-Davis Community Garden is supported in part by a grant from Whole Kids Foundation.
Contact
- Teresa Martinez, Garden Manager
- (831) 840-2589
- (831) 726-4269
- tmartinez@pvhealthtrust.org
- Amaris Torres, Program Associate
- (831) 726-4258
- atorres@pvhealthtrust.org
Upcoming Events
- Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
- Date: Saturday, November 2. 2024
- 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Muzzio Park Community Garden
The Community Health Trust worked closely with the City of Watsonville and Monterey Bay Master Gardeners to build a new garden at Muzzio Park, Watsonville.
Muzzio Park is 1.12-acres near the Pajaro River levee and next door to Villa La Posada Apartments. The new garden features 28 planter boxes, compost bins, rainwater catcher barrels, picnic tables, a tool shed, and fencing.
The Muzzio Park Community Garden will provide communal space for residents to grow their own produce, thus increasing access to fresh food, increasing the consumption of nutritious food, increasing physical activity, and enhancing well-being.
The Muzzio Park Community Garden is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Superior Foods International, and other generous donors.
The Muzzio Park vendors are Cypress Coast Fencing and Lopez Landscaping. Our volunteers were Superior Foods, Driscoll’s employees, Edward W. Grace, Eddie Gonzales, Bibianna Rocha, Richard Dye, the Martinez-Rodriguez Family, The Torres Family, and members of the West Front and Rodriguez.
For more information, contact Teresa Martinez-Rodriguez, Community Gardens Manager at tmartinez@pvhealthtrust.org or (831) 726-4269.
Watsonville Youth Center Succulent Garden
The Youth Succulent Garden is managed by the Community Health Trust in partnership with Watsonville Parks and Community Services.
The Youth Succulent Garden program is designed to meet the needs of the youth in the community by incorporating the following principles:
- Cultivate a safe and nurturing place for youth to interact
- Encourage learning through hands-on activities
- Develop practical, vocational, and life skills
- Promote ecological awareness and responsibility
Contact
- Gene Hoularis and Waldo Rodriguez Youth Center
- (831) 768-3248
Two New Community Gardens in Watsonville
In partnership with the City of Watsonville, CHT will build two new community gardens in Watsonville in 2024.
