Gods Garden, a Christ centered community garden, was established in 2000. Gods Garden became a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2016. The goal is to keep providing organic vegetables free of charge, to increase gardening knowledge in the community, promote healthy eating and food security and to increase yields by improving the soil with manure and gypsum. Food security means having reliable access to enough good, healthy, and culturally appropriate food. Food security is socio-economic (financial and cultural). According to the 2016 USDA report, 14.3% of Texas households (one in seven) experienced food insecurity in the years 2014-2016. The garden is in continuous operation with two growing seasons per year to maximize production. It uses no raised beds nor does it sell allotments to people. Gods garden provides all of the vegetables free of charge.
This garden provides a viable means of bringing fresh organic vegetables to those most in need in the local area and to inspire them to make their own gardens. This is a self-pick garden, so it encourages people to get outdoors and get some exercise as well.
In addition, the garden produces an abundance of fresh vegetables which we share with several local food pantries, which are listed below:
East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry, Stafford, Texas
Second Mile Mission Center, Stafford, Texas
Rosenberg-Richmond Helping Hands, Richmond, Texas
Trini’s Corner Market, Mamie George Community Center (Catholic Charities), Richmond, Texas
The folks at Trini’s Corner Market weren’t sure exactly what a kohlrabi was, but their inhouse chef prepared some recipes for their customers to take with them so they would know how to prepare this delicious and nutritious vegetable.
In the past year we have also allowed people associated with the Fort Bend Clubhouse to pick fresh vegetables to serve at their lunches. Fort Bend Clubhouse practices psychosocial rehabilitation for those with mental health issues. By providing them with fresh vegetables, it encourages their members to eat healthier.
Another part of Gods Garden’s program is to teach people of all ages
● the basics of gardening (which includes planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting),
● what grows well in our area, what types of insects are beneficial and which ones are not,
● what to use for gumbo soil to change it to viable agricultural soil, what enhances the soil and thus its productivity,
● water conservation methodologies,
● soil conservation
● how to prepare compost piles, and
● how to prepare vegetables they have never eaten before.
We have supervised Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops in harvesting crops, provided a place where teens can get their community service hours, provided a separate garden for a group of families to garden so they can learn how to garden, when to harvest, where to take excess vegetables to food pantries and provided opportunities for volunteers to help with the main garden.
GOALS:
The main goal is to have the garden produce as much as possible to feed the needy people in the community and provide vegetables to the food ministries (food pantries) so that overall the people’s health may improve.
Our biggest obstacle is the gumbo type soil, so one long term goal is to continuously improve it. We improve the soil through amendments like compost, manure, gypsum, etc. Our crop yields have increased substantially using this method, but the gumbo itself takes many years to convert to good, productive soil. For example, gypsum helps to break up the clay to make it drain better.
Another continuous goal is to educate people about gardening and sustainable agriculture. Teaching people is an ongoing effort.
An additional goal is to attract more veterans and others in the community to volunteer in the garden. We need volunteers when we are harvesting for the food pantries and people only tend to volunteer temporarily.
SOIL IMPROVEMENT:
For soil improvement, we have applied, and will continue in the future to apply, gypsum to the soil as well as manure. Manure eventually disappears over time into the soil, so it needs replenishing yearly. We do different sections of the garden dependent on the weather. Volunteers would be welcome to help distribute the manure in the garden.
We have had individuals and groups come to the garden to learn how to garden. For instance, a local church group of families accepted an offer for them to have their own plot at the garden so their children could learn how to prepare the soil, select the vegetables they wanted to plant according to the season, plant the seeds, water, w**d and harvest. It was up to them as to what they would do with the harvest, but they decided to give some of it to Second Mile. The families took turns tending the garden whereas all of them were there for planting. We intend to continue working with this group.
Second Mile has provided some volunteers who came out in groups to help with the harvest (which is the greatest need for volunteers). In addition, the church group of families also have helped with harvesting from the main garden for the food pantries. Sustaining a group of volunteers is very important. We have one man who waters the garden, takes care of the watering system, repairs the fence, etc. The more volunteers, the less time it takes to accomplish the tasks.
IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY:
The people who come to the garden will continue to be provided with fresh vegetables so they will have better food security. We strive to provide culturally appropriate food which means that people have food that they are familiar and comfortable with from their native country. We grow seeds people provide from their native country so that they have availability of familiar foods and varieties. People will have the opportunity to help with the garden activities, to learn how to do it themselves, and to pass this along to their children and grandchildren. It will have an impact on the volunteers who truly believe in this program of providing the harvest to the local food pantries.
In terms of food delivered, last year we delivered over 5,400 pounds of fresh vegetables to local food pantries. In the fall / winter of 2017/18, we delivered 7,851 pounds of fresh organic vegetables. This amount is in addition to the people who stop by and pick their own.
REVIEWING PRODUCTION:
There are two areas in which we evaluate the garden and its production.
We assess crop successes and failures and then choose vegetables based on plant performance (production). Each season we plan what to grow and where in the garden it should be grown, rotating the crops so the soil can recuperate. We use Texas Agriculture Extension Service calculations to estimate crop yields. Crop yield is one basic measurement which can help us determine approximately how much food will be produced. The actual measurement is the weight of the vegetables provided to the food pantries which benefits the community. In addition, we also evaluate which crops are more favored by people and try to grow more of them. This is especially true of crops which are not typically found in local grocery stores or ones which cost a lot in the store, but are not too costly to plant (examples include Oriental Cabbage and Snow Peas).
When we take crops to the food pantries, we record how many bags of food were contributed and what type of vegetable it contained. Some of the food pantries provide weight measurements. From the section above, you can see we have tracked how many pounds of vegetables we have provided. We keep records of how much each pantry receives (they provide receipts).
There is an intrinsic value which cannot be measured which is the satisfaction on the part of volunteers who help with watering, w**ding, harvesting, planting, etc. A lot of people have said the garden is a place of beauty and peace.
We believe in having a personal relationship with the person in charge of each food pantry we serve. When we are close to harvesting, we talk to that person to find out if they have room to accept what we have to offer (type of vegetable and estimated quantity) and coordinate the day and the time of the day for delivery. By being in touch on a frequent basis, it increases the pantries’ awareness of what we can offer and is mutually beneficial to each organization.
We have also partnered with a local horse stable in the following way. The stable has a real need to have their horse manure removed from their property as it builds up quickly. The garden has a real need for the manure. It is a reciprocal, win-win situation. This is not only a two-way win, it is an environmental win as well.
In Fort Bend County, 15.4% of people live in food insecure homes. Of the 7,747 adults, seniors and children eligible for Texas SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program), only 49% receive help. For those who do receive SNAP, it covers only $1.28 of the $2.69 needed per meal. These statistics can be found on Feeding Texas website. This is to illustrate that Gods Garden needs to be sustained by your very generous donation in order to keep providing people with fresh vegetables free of charge. Thank you.
