Did you know that Google has a garden? It was surprising to me, and I work there. Wondering why an internet company has a garden, I sat down with Rebecca Jepsen, Google’s Manager of Culinary Horticulture a few weeks ago, for a discussion over some freshly picked fava beans. I found out that Rebecca is a certified UCCE Santa Clara Master Gardener and has been overseeing Google’s “The Growing Connection Google Garden” since last year.
TTMYGG: So, why does Google have a garden?
Rebecca: The “Garden” at Google is multi-faceted. We use it as a demonstration and teaching garden to teach people how to grow their own, fresh, organic, seasonal produce. Here in Santa Clara, we can grow all year long! All produce from the garden is used in [Google’s] cafes. We also want to highlight the importance of growing your own food so that people will understand the importance of preserving the little land that we have left in this country which is viable for growing!
TTMYGG: What’s The Growing Connection?
Rebecca: The Growing Connection (TGC) is a United Nations non-profit organization that is promoting something called “the Earth Box” [the plants in Google’s Garden are all planted in Earth Boxes]
TTMYGG: What’s an Earth Box?
Rebecca: An Earth Box is a self contained growing environment that contains water, strip of organic fertilizer, and growing substrate, but not soil. It also has a cover or “shower cap” which helps elevate the temperature of the soil, and extends the growing season.
TTMYGG: Why is the Earth Box interesting?
Rebecca: The Growing Connection used EarthBoxes in 3rd world countries where the soil is not viable to grow the produce necessary to end hunger, disease, or provide proper nourishment.
[Rebecca gave an example where certain villages in Mexico with bad soil, and whose residents could not grow leafy greens were given Earth Boxes, and because of the vegetables it allowed them to grow, were able to clear up their health issues!]
The EarthBox also allow us to grow on roof tops in the
Bronx, fire escapes in San Francisco, or on balconies or patios around the world.
TTMYGG: What do you grow in the Google garden?
Rebecca: Currently we are growing tomatoes: Early Girl, Sweet 100, Koralik; peppers: Peri Dot, Chicken Heart, Piquin Firecracker; varigated basil, crookneck squash, lemon cucumber, Black Beauty eggplant, fava beans, sugar snap peas, blueberries, grapes, kiwis, many varieties of mint, lettuce, white alyssum to bring in the lady bugs and lacewings that eat the aphids…..
TTMYGG: What is your background?
Rebecca: I have been in the high tech field for 27 years. I have held senior level management positions in sales, marketing and business development.
For the last several years, I have been doing my own consulting with high tech firms. I became a certified UCCE Santa Clara Master Gardener last year, and subsequently became the Project Lead for The Growing Connection Google Garden.
I also do the “Green Tips of the Day” here at Google. I work on composting, School Garden Projects, and on a team to bring ESE (Eco-friendly, Sustainable, Edible) Landscaping to the GooglePlex.
This was a really fun interview for me, and Rebecca and I agreed to follow up with further discussions in the future. Thanks to her for taking the time to talk to me in my first TTMYGG interview, and look for more from Rebecca here soon!
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