Not everyone reaches for the remote when they come home from a long day.  Fresno City College’s adaptive ornamental horticulture instructor, Jerry Hentzler, feels the garden offers a better alternative.
With a degree in horticultural therapy, Hentzler’s idea of stress relief involves simply being out in the garden. 
“Just the sheer getting outdoors in the dirt has a therapeutic effect,”  said Hentzler.
Along with the two classes designed for students with disabilities, Hentzler teaches horticultural skills and greenhouse workforce prep.  In his classes, students use small plots in and near the greenhouse to grow both ornamental and edible plants.
The produce the class is currently growing includes organic basil, tomatoes, and peppers.
The harvest is shared among the students.  “Anything you grow always tastes better, it’s fresher,” Hentzler said.
Hentzler also spoke of a class he teaches at Reedley College where everything grown is strictly organic.  “This past Fall we had these freakishly large cabbage, cauliflower, and broccolis that were all fed by organic slow-release fertilizer.”
That particular garden is part of a community one shared with a class of Reedley seniors who couldn’t help but notice the huge vegetables.  “[The seniors] kept coming by and saying, ‘What did you guys do to your vegetables to get them so big?'”
The ornamental plants raised in FCC’s greenhouse are sold.  Centerpiece displays featuring a variety of different flowers are the most frequently sold items.
There are also three big greenhouse sales where students can more-easily browse the selection.  The next sale occurs March 27; the other two take place on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. 
While both of Hentzler’s classes focus on developing horticultural skills, the greenhouse workforce prep class has an emphasis on time management to help smooth the transition from school to the workplace for students with disabilities.