Houston Community Garden

In March, Joan Redig and Irish Britson joined me and kids as we started seeds with the second graders at Houston Elementary.  Teacher Heather Martin is always so accomodating, adn Matt Schuttee has been an excellent caretaker of the grow station. as the 2nd graders themselves tend to the watering and loving everyday.

I transplanted the tomatoes and peppers into larger pots before Easter; and last week, Cardy Lewison and I, with help from Hailey, Krystal Lewison and grandson Dalton, transplanted foundering lettuce and kale into a garden box and tucked some seeds of peas, radishes, beets and spinach into the ground.  

Roger Meyer has pruned the raspberries, my husband Tracy trimmed trees from fenceline, but we still have rotting fenceposts to replace or repair, boxes to mend, and the shed is going to need a new coat of paint this year. Minor stuff, that after six years is to be expected.

The big news this year is that we are working on getting a dedicated water source at the garden in the form of a well. (insert cheers)  Because of our location (in the ponding area, no electricity, to plumbing) getting water is a tricky process, but we have received approval from the state environmental health folks so we can move forward to other folks. We are still working out details, but we have  a cost estimate and are in the process of getting approval from the remaining required parties, and I’ve started writing grants.  In a perfect world, we would have a well installed and a lovely spigot on site by the heat of the summer.  I’m hopeful that everything will fall into place, but that means that a bunch of different departments have to agree and that we acquire $3,000-4,000 to do the job. Wells aren’t cheap!  Having a dedicated water source at the garden is another step in making our garden truly sustainable for the long term.  If anyone has some money you want to donate to the project or experience with Solar power (as we want to use solar to provide electricity to the pump), let me know!

I am still working on possible classes and good food gatherings for the summer and will send those out when finalized, but you can expect that we’ll probably host another Pesto-Festo, and maybe try some movie nights again. There are some new, outstanding documentaries out there that would be worth viewing. We also have a bunch of birdhouse gourds and would love to put together a class for making them into birdhouses!  (I need to see if Mary Thompson would be willing to do this again--hint, hint!) If you have a class idea you’d like to see, please let me know!

For now, Sunday, May 4th at noon, I have scheduled the garden orientation for all renters and volunteers, especially new folks! It looks like we are going to have 8 boxes “rented” out this year, and I look forward to all the smiling faces full of gardening goodness! Weather permitting (as seems to be the case for most things this year) we might spend some time tidying up and prepping for the season.  Feel free to stop out any time, however! It’s always a nice time of year to listen to birds and frogs and marvel at the beauty of nature.

Next Tuesday afternoon/evening from 3-6 pm, I'll be in Caledonia at the Houston County Public Health "fair", sharing information about the Community Garden. There are new SHIP monies available this year and the garden hopes to capitalize on some of the funds to improve what we offer and perhaps help other communities start their own gardens. Stop by and say hi if you're in the neighborhood!

In closing, I’d like to impress upon you how special the Houston Community Garden really is.  In my search for gardens around Southeast Minnesota (and beyond), I’m finding that what we do here is unique and an inspiration to other communities much larger than our own.  Other areas find that community gardens have a strong start but fizzle out within five years, or have difficulty keeping land for gardening because of commercial development aspirations.  No other gardens host education classes or food celebrations like we do. Our connection with the school district and children is also remarkable, and not seen in other gardens of any size I’ve been able to find that aren’t dedicated “school gardens”. And the philosophy of an “open gated” garden that serves so many people is really rare. So I’m grateful to the City of Houston for allowing us the space; to the Friends of the Houston Nature Center who believe in the vision of the garden and how it enhances all of Houston, and the many many volunteers who continue to show up to plant, weed, water, harvest, visit, play and share, even though they have their own gardens at home. 

And if you are reading this, I am thankful for you, too. Your support, if even in spirit, helps the garden grow, now and into the future.

This was a long update, I’ll send out shorter updates with upcoming events as they are planned.  Think Spring! Think warm and sunny days!

Audrey