Spring Has Sprung – Carson Tahoe Health Foothill Garden, Revitalized

It seems each season Carson Tahoe Health’s Foothill Garden grows. What originally started out as a simple hoop house to donate fresh produce to seniors through Meals on Wheels is now an outdoor garden mecca, which serves as a scene for garden classes, a trailhead connecting several area paths, and now a lush and aromatic space for the community.

“Our Foothill Garden is an extension of what we do, system-wide,” says Alan Garrett, Carson Tahoe Health President & Chief Executive Officer. “Our focus on wellness, inside and outside hospital walls allows us to tune into the many contributing factors to healing … one of which is nature.”

A Healthy History
In late summer 2017, Carson Tahoe teamed up with The Greenhouse Project, an agricultural an education-based nonprofit, to build the Foothill Garden on Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center’s campus. Located behind the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center in north Carson City, Foothill Garden includes a large hoop house and several raised plant beds. The gardens are managed by The Greenhouse Project, experts in Nevada agriculture, worked by students who want to learn more about sustainability, and several helpful volunteers.

Last spring, a Bee Hotel/Habitat and Pollinator Garden was added to the space. Created through community partnerships and spearheaded by the Carson City Chamber Leadership Class of 2019, the habitat facilitates healthy flora and creates and space for non-aggressive bees to “nest.” The project began after Carson City was named the 76th Bee City USA in the nation.

A Bright Future
The newest addition, though, is a similar effort, as members of the Carson City Chamber Leadership Class of 2020 planted new drought tolerant & disease resistant trees along the Serenity Trail (near the garden) on April 24 (Nevada’s Arbor Day). Tree planting can improve the quality of the air and water in the environment, keep our city cooler, and enhance both the beauty and resilience of the climate of our neighborhoods.

The project was another layer of great community collaboration, alongside a grant from the US Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry program and implemented by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Carson City Extension faculty.

“Planting trees in the northern corner of the Carson Tahoe Medical Campus was not only fun, but also rewarding,” says Lisa Taylor, one of the Carson City Chamber Leadership Institute students who also works as the UNR Extension Educator in Carson City. “It is an enriching place to walk, jog or just enjoy being out in nature.”

With warmer weather and perhaps, a new horizon, Carson Tahoe encourages the community to visit the dynamic space, while maintaining proper “social distancing” for safety.

Throughout the year, The Greenhouse Project hosts gardening classes on various topics (either virtually or in-person). Visit our online calendar for more information.