New Growth: Growing Where No One Else Has Grown

BY Joseph Isam

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog! Today, I’d like to share my journey growing food at the UC Cooperative Extension’s urban farm located in Martial Cottle Park in San Jose, California.

This site has historically been a difficult place to grow anything. The soil is dense with clay and severely lacking in beneficial nutrients, making it tough for plants to thrive.

To make things more challenging, the area is overrun with ground squirrels that will eat just about anything that isn’t thoroughly protected.

Every raised bed has to be outfitted with cages made of gopher wire and protective netting—but even then, the squirrels still manage to sneak in and feast on our crops.

A head of cauliflower partially eaten by squirrels.

Over the past two growing seasons, I’ve encountered a lot of obstacles, but not without learning valuable lessons and experiencing real success. This year, my coworker Hannah and I spent a lot of time reinforcing our raised beds and hoop houses in an effort to make them “squirrel-proof.” We used extra netting, stronger materials, and more secure structures, but still found evidence of squirrels getting in and snacking on our plants and seed starts. It was frustrating and disheartening, especially after putting in so much work.

After exhausting nearly every conventional method of pest prevention, we decided to try something completely different: hiding the plants in plain sight. Tapping into knowledge from our previous farm experiences, we brought out the BCS tractor and got to work making in-ground beds out in the field.

Of course, the soil was still mostly clay and low in nutrients, so we amended it with generous amounts of compost and a bit of organic fertilizer to give the crops a fighting chance.

Now, you might be thinking, “Why would you plant in open ground when you have a squirrel problem?” Fair question! But we didn’t leave the beds completely exposed. Instead, we constructed mini hoop houses using white protective cloth and flexible steel rods. To secure the cloth and prevent it from blowing away, we made dozens of homemade “rock bags”—essentially sandbags filled with rocks. These not only held the netting in place but also helped conceal the crops from the squirrels’ line of sight. Once everything was set up, we followed a strict daily routine. Each morning, we uncovered the crops to allow airflow and reduce the risk of moisture-related diseases or pests. At the end of the day, we covered them again using our trusty rock bags. After a few weeks, we started to see strong, healthy growth—and remarkably, little to no squirrel damage.

A work truck loaded with chard, preparing for delivery to Fishes & Loaves in San Jose, a food donation center dedicated to providing meals for those in need.

Eventually, our efforts paid off. We harvested over 600 pounds of chard, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower in just two months, all from one small field plot. Every bit of it went to local food donation centers.

This experience reminded us that with persistence, creativity, and a little trial and error, growing food—even in challenging conditions—is possible. We’re more hopeful than ever about the future of food production at Martial Cottle Park.