Daniela Roveda in SMC's Organic Learning Garden
Welcome to the Organic Learning Garden!
Club Grow members Jairuz, Zack, Stachu, Laura, & Ryan Brode
As soon as Daniela Roveda opens the gate to Santa Monica College’s Organic Learning Garden, people start entering to enjoy its welcoming green space. “It’s like a magnet,”
Daniela says. Some become so enchanted that they offer to volunteer as gardeners themselves,
because its 1,200 square feet is not just a sightseeing stop but an actual working
garden of vegetables, fruits and herbs.
“We have several raised beds in addition to planting straight into the ground,” says
Daniela, a master gardener who also serves as advisor to the SMC student-run Club Grow. With the club’s members, she manages the garden and teaches students how to grow
their own food without artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
Opened in 2011, the Organic Learning Garden exemplifies SMC’s commitment to sustainability,
enabling students to embrace environmentally friendly growing techniques that yield
fresh and healthy foods while also nourishing the earth. The garden currently features
14 plots that can be applied for by groups of students. But people don’t need a plot
to volunteer as a member of Club Grow. This club meets weekly to tend the overall
garden and also grow what they want in their designated plot.
Harvesting Together
The Organic Learning Garden is also open to SMC employees. “To me, that’s beautiful,
because the garden has become a meeting point where people can feel part of a community
connected by the same interests and passions,” Daniela says. “Some may miss having
a garden because they live in an apartment where they can’t have one, so they’re just
happy to put their hands in the soil. Others want to learn so they can start their
own garden, so they come in with a million questions.”
Daniela is happy to answer as many queries as possible as she, Club Grow members,
other students and SMC staff tend to the garden’s wide variety of plants. She holds
workshops on topics such as seasonality, soil health, caring for fruit trees, pruning
techniques, grafting and the benefits of organic agriculture.
The volunteers also share their produce with students facing food insecurity through
donations to the Bodega, SMC’s free food pantry. “It’s a team effort,” Daniela says. Still, when the donations
started, Daniela was on her own.
Sharing the Fruits (and Vegetables) of Labor
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced all SMC classes to go online, the campus was mostly
deserted. “The students weren’t allowed to come here for two years, and this beautiful,
flourishing garden started going to the weeds.” But even though she could not mentor
or advise — hands-on gardening not being conducive to remote learning — Daniela resolved
to keep taking care of the learning garden. She even took advantage of the situation
to install a new water-saving drip irrigation system.
Mainly, though, she kept cultivating the garden’s vegetables, fruits and herbs. “And
I started donating the produce to the Bodega.” At the time, the food pantry was only
open once a week, but since the pandemic’s end, it welcomes students every weekday.
“Finally, the students are back in numbers, and the garden is full of people again,”
Daniela says gratefully.
Greener Pastures
Daniela’s love for gardening developed when she was growing up in Milan, Italy. “I went to a school that incorporated the garden and nature as a learning tool for
children, so we had a little farm on-site,” she recalls. Even as she studied economics
and became a financial journalist, that interest never left her. Then, about 10 years
ago, she left journalism to earn a certification as a master gardener from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources department.
Club Grow President Ryan Brode is glad she did. An avid gardener since boyhood, Ryan joined Club Grow immediately
upon coming to SMC to study environmental science. He enjoys recruiting budding gardeners
to the cause.
“I love gardening and what it does to help people and give back to the community,”
Ryan says, referring to the food donations as well as to what gardening teaches people
about environmentalism. “It’s also about the joy of watching things grow and the satisfaction
of being able to eat food that you’ve grown yourself.”
The avid cook says his favorite thing to grow is probably tomatoes. “They are very
universal, and you can make sauces, soups, sandwiches and a lot of different things
with tomatoes,” he notes.
He also enjoys sharing his blossoming knowledge, much of which he has learned from
Daniela. “It’s exciting working with her,” he says, “because I’m always learning new
things.” Before taking part in the learning garden under Daniela’s mentorship, he
admits that a lot of his gardening know-how came from “trial and error.”
Planting Seeds
Daniela is passionate about teaching SMC students about the joys and benefits of cultivating
your own food. “I think a lot of people tend not to pick vegetables as their first
choice when they dine out or go grocery shopping,” she says. “But when you have this
big head of lettuce that you planted as a little seed, there’s a feeling of ownership
that changes your relationship with food.”
Instilling this appreciation in young people is especially gratifying, according to
Daniela. “I see in kids who might otherwise never touch broccoli, kale or a raw carrot
that when they grow and pick it, they all eat their vegetables,” she says. “It’s like
a miracle.”
It’s also fun, adds Ryan, who plans to transfer to continue his studies on his way
to a career in environmental engineering or development. “We make friends and have
a good time,” he says. “Because who doesn’t love a garden party?”
* * *
SMC in Focus Volume IX, Issue 2
A Surreal, Wild Ride
New York Times bestselling author of “The House in the Pines” Ana Reyes told the NYT Book Review her SMC Emeritus students kept her going. A can’t-miss interview with the author—about writing, SMC, and her debut experience.Read Article
Garden Party
Part of SMC’s commitment to sustainability, the Organic Learning Garden teaches students to grow their own food while enabling them to commune with nature. It is back and blooming! Read Article
Spikers Reunion Digs Deep into History
The Corsairs were once at the summit of men’s volleyball—SMC is the only junior college to ever win a men’s volleyball national championship. It took a dedicated coach to dig deep, and connect the present with the storied past. Read Article
Free and Clear
SMC’s pioneering sustainability program, which includes free noncredit certificates, opens up career opportunities in advancing a sustainable environment—and SMC is the only community college to offer these free sustainability certificates. Read Article
Bragging Rights
Theatre Arts’ dept. chair serves as Hindi language consultant for “Secret Garden.” A photography prof. is named to a prestigious list. Communications & Media Studies dept. is named a Model program. Read Article
Sowing Malibu’s Field of Dreams
The Malibu Campus is finally bearing its first fruit. Spring’s bounty consists of 26 course offerings, ranging from marine biology to vocal yoga, serving more than 450 students. An exclusive interview with the campus’s associate dean on what’s ahead. Read Article