Winter has killed most of their hard work, so juniors Jan Chan and Ada Chen light up when they find a lone green tomato in the back of soil-filled, weed-covered trough.

“Green!” Chan said, pointing to a small round tomato. “Hey, that’s green! I thought we were past season.” Chan, head of public relations and Chen, vice president of gardening club MV Sprouts, push open the unlocked gate surrounding their garden and survey their labor, rattling off a quick inventory.

“There’s some green onions,” Chen said. “In that clump of weeds, that’s tomato, that’s tomato, that’s tomato. Everything else is tomato.” Chen and Chan apologize for their lack of diversity and crops in between planting seasons, quickly adding that a winter planting day is in the near future. Planting days usually involve a potluck, where members either bring food or five dollars. The group of approximately ten active members then plays an ice-breaking game before weeding, planting and harvesting. Previous crops include zucchini, beans, corn, fennel, broccoli and blackberry. Members bring the crops to Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Clara, or, if there are only a few tomatoes, they deliver them to the school’s cafeteria.

The club began two years ago with the help of science teacher Andrew Goldenkranz, and Chen and Chan signed up when friends encouraged them. Although neither were especially interested in gardening initially, the two were drawn to the club, citing it as meditative and calming, and quickly became dedicated members.

“I thought it was a weird idea,” Chan said, “but it grew on me.”