For some, the phrase “community garden” has something of a newfangled ring to it. Truth is that Americans have cultivated such gardens for over a century. Here in Central Texas, the roots of community gardening run deep and are rapidly branching out. Perhaps the area’s oldest existing community garden is Sunshine Community Garden www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org, which opened thirty years ago and contains over 150 plots and a greenhouse. Situated on four-acres in central Austin, Sunshine hosts an annual plant sale, a Web site, and even has corporate underwriters. The all-volunteer, non-profit group leases the land—which is a developer’s dream given its location and size—from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The Green Spaces Alliance www.greenspace.org in San Antonio decided to place community gardens at the center of its mission in 2005. Currently, the group is in the midst of a two-year push designed to create new gardens and channel funding that will keep them flourishing. Meanwhile, one of the newest and largest gardens in the Alamo City can be found on the grounds of the San Antonio Food Bank www.safoodbank.org, all part of that organization’s endeavor to increase food security while nurturing self-sufficiency.
While it’s true that most people think of the gardens as being strictly an urban or “big city” phenomenon, the idea is catching on in smaller towns. No surprise, really. Yes, by their strictest definition, community gardens are a means of bringing a bit of the country into the city. At the same time, the projects demand collaboration and teamwork—traits frequently brought to mind by the old-fashioned concept of “barn-raising” in which rural residents paired up to meet a specific need, namely the creation of a new barn. For those of us who’ve seen small town folks pair up to shear the sheep or bail hay, it makes sense that people are choosing to come together to grow fresh produce, especially in lean times.
“Community gardens are categorically on the increase in the area,” says Bob Grafe, who hosts a garden-themed radio show on Seguin’s KWED 1580AM and serves as president of Guadalupe County Master Gardeners. He’s been affiliated with the latter group for eight years, enough time to notice a gardening trend when it arrives. “Without a doubt, the recession is driving the interest.”
Grafe notes that several charitable and religious organizations are leading the way when it comes to creating new gardens in smaller communities like Seguin. “The Christian Cupboard is a food bank. They’ve worked with other groups to put in their garden,” says Grafe. “And then there are several church groups, including Mosaic Church, which are in the process of putting together a community garden. They’ll use it both to support their charitable arm and as a way to provide access to property for people in apartments.”
Grafe points out that raised beds are popular in the region’s community gardens because soil quality can prove challenging for even advanced gardeners. “Over in the Hill Country, you’re pretty much just growing rock in clay,” he jokes.
Not every town is interested in transforming marginally arable land in an oft-unforgiving climate into a veritable Garden of Eden. But small-town Texans have a way of embracing challenges and seeking practical solutions for them. So don’t be too surprised if you encounter a brand-new community garden blossoming near you next spring.