KHSD celebrates opening of new hydroponics garden

With roughly 22,000 students to feed each day, the Kern High School District’s central kitchen facility is always bustling with activity to push out meals to its campuses. But what may come as a surprise is that the kitchen is now growing some of the same fresh produce that will end up on students’ lunch trays.

The district celebrated the grand opening of its two new hydroponics gardens on September 25 at its central kitchen. Installed as part of a partnership between Blue Zones Project Bakersfield, Valley Children’s Healthcare and Adventist Health Central California Network, the units are expected to grow enough produce to feed more than 1,500 students monthly. High schools in the district will receive the produce on a rotating basis.

“What’s so exciting is the direct impact these gardens will have on students,” said Jonathan Gallardo, organization lead for schools for Blue Zones Project Bakersfield. “This means there will be more nutritious meals, more exposure to fresh produce and more students connecting to the food they get to eat and, hopefully, grow.”

According to KHSD nutrition services director Jennifer Davis, the new gardens will allow her team to grow produce on-site year-round, which will help reduce the distance food travels to their cafeterias and give students a direct connection to the food they eat.

“This project is more than just growing greens. It’s moved us closer to our goal for expanding scratch cooking in our kitchens. It also gives our cooks ingredients to make meals for Around the World Wednesdays and to introduce our students to new flavors and cultures,” said Davis. “This project aligns perfectly with our commitment to healthier meals and our partnership with Blue Zones Project Bakersfield to create a healthier community.”

KHSD Chef Brandon Sullivan oversees the process of growing crops from the district’s hydroponics garden units. From seed to harvest is about a 28-day process. Sullivan says it starts with seeds grown in trays. Once they start to bud, they are then placed into the hydroponics unit, where the nutrients and pH levels are monitored as the plants grow.

“I talk to them every day to see how they’re doing, and at the end of the day, I talk to them again. I call them my Swifties. It’s a great time to relax and lose yourself in planting,” said Sullivan.

Water stays in the chamber for about three cycles of farming, and then the unit undergoes a deep clean before the process starts again. Though learning how to grow with hydroponics has been a learning curve, the district has perfected their system, with lettuce becoming one of their favorite crops to grow.

“With the ability to harvest up to 3,400 plants annually, these gardens will give us a steady supply of crisp, nutrient-dense greens. KHSD serves roughly 800 pounds of lettuce daily across our cafeterias, so even a small portion of hydroponic produce makes a noticeable impact,” said Davis.

These three units are just the beginning of the district’s plans to expand this program. Liberty and Mira Monte will be the first two district high schools that plan to add their own hydroponic gardens into their FFA programs.

Davis explained that the district’s goal is to integrate a hydroponics system into every FFA program, giving students the chance to learn where their food comes from, harvest it themselves, and serve it in school cafeterias. She noted that this type of hands-on learning boosts salad bar production while also helping students develop an appreciation for fresh food, science, and sustainability.

“This is just the beginning, and I cannot wait to see what these gardens have in store for all of the schools within the Kern High School District,” said Gallardo.