Garden of the Month - Village Garden, First United Methodist Church (Hurst)

Village Garden Begins Sixth Season

           When FUMC and Mission Central began the Mobile Food Pantry in 2011, Hurst Harvesters built the first four raised beds for the Village Garden.  With those four beds, we grew 250 lbs. of fresh, organic produce for our neighbors at Mission Central.   In subsequent years, we grew 512 lbs., 663 lbs., 644 lbs., and 388 lbs. respectively.    Initial funding for supplies and materials came from a grant through Tarrant Area Food Bank.  Currently, we fund the Village Garden through spring and fall bedding plant sales.

            In addition to growing fresh produce, the Village Garden provides educational and missional opportunities for various groups.  For example, three Eagle Scouts have earned their badges completing projects in the Village Garden.  Each year, VBS children learn and work in the garden; and several youth and student groups from churches and colleges have completed mission projects. 

            This year, we begin our sixth growing season. By sharing our expertise with African friends and area churches, we help others who are constructing raised beds for the 2016 growing season.

            You can be part of our exciting ministry.  Learning from co-leader, Master Gardener, Mike Goode; you can help us grow fresh, organic produce for Mission Central.  It’s time to plant for 2016!  Prayerfully consider joining Hurst Harvesters in the Village Garden.  We are waiting to welcome you!

            For more information, contact Mike Goode at: mtgoode@att.net  or Vicky Otterman at:  vickyott@swbell.net.    

What We're Planting Now - March 2016

It appears as if spring has sprung in North TX! We can continue to debate about the last freeze date and when to put out our tomato starts as long as we like, but the near future forecast looks warm and sunny.

Our gardeners have been busy putting in new garden beds, refreshing the soil with compost in our existing beds, cutting down cover crops, and taking care of the seedlings that will be ready to put out in the next couple of weeks.

Keep us up to date on what you've been doing at your garden. Visit our working group page here.

Sharpen your gardening skills at these local workshops:

• Tomatoes! - Dallas - March 12th
•  Raising Chickens in the Garden - Fort Worth - March 19th
•  Composting 101 - Fort Worth - March 31st
•  Making Recycle Seed Paper - Fort Worth - April 2nd
• PCLDA Pool & Garden Tour - University Park - April 21st

What We're Planting Now - February 2016

As the mild winter continues here in North TX, our gardens continue to produce beautiful fall vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, herbs and greens! Our dedicated and enthusiastic gardeners have begun to plan for their spring and summer gardens. Garden planning classes at TAFB's Learning Garden have been full of eager gardeners who have networked and planned for spring.

TAFB's Learning Garden also hosted a Vermicomposting project day where volunteers helped assemble two different styles of worm composting bins.

Keep us up to date on what you've been doing at your garden. Visit our working group page here.

Sharpen your gardening skills at these local workshops:

• What to Plant When - Fort Worth - February 11th
• Planning Your Spring Garden - Fort Worth - February 20th
• The Garden that Heals - Dallas - February 27th
• Raising Chickens in the Garden - Fort Worth - March 19th
• Composting 101 - Fort Worth - March 31st
• Making Recycle Seed Paper - Fort Worth - April 2nd

Plenty of good produce still
 growing in North TX!

Get your spring garden planned now!

If it's cold outside, start a worm bin inside!

Plenty of work left to do in garden! 

Garden of the Month - Farming the Sprawl (Fort Worth)

A tiny but mighty movement to promote urban farming and homesteading in 

Fort Worth, Texas

FORT WORTH — The allure of homegrown heirloom tomatoes and fond memories of a grandparent’s garden often lead many people to give gardening a try.

But a lot of folks give up after a season of Texas’s unpredictable weather, the largest green caterpillars you’ve ever seen, or unproductive but luscious tomato plants.

That is where Tina Arons and her husband Austin Caraway come in to attempt to coax the most reluctant gardener with delicious concoctions from their own garden — from salsas and green tomato relishes to peach jalapeño jams and blackberry lemongrass kombucha.

Urban farming has grown in popularity over the last decade but many people don’t know where to start, Arons said. Or they have given it a try without enough success to want to keep going.

“Sometimes the problems are easy to fix but the main component missing is a network of other gardeners to help troubleshoot,” Arons said.

With the help of her husband, she started Farming the Sprawl in 2014 to create momentum for a local urban farming and homesteading movement.

“I believe gardening is the key to creating healthy, active and happy lives,” she said. “My goal is to make getting started as easy as possible.”

Arons has taught classes throughout Fort Worth in connection to other local groups as well, including the Tarrant Area Food Bank, the Fort Worth Botanical Garden and Elizabeth Anna’s Urban Farm.

Now she offers free classes through Farming the Sprawl to teach people in her community various aspects of farm life: backyard chicken keeping, canning and preserving, container gardening and more. Her husband shares his own knowledge as well, including how to assemble a rainwater harvest system, build raised garden beds, and ferment kombucha.

Anyone interested in learning more can follow their Facebook page for upcoming events or keep up with the blog on FarmingTheSprawl.com.

"In a time in which we never truly know where our food comes from or what's done to it, and in which we are becoming less and less connected with the things that bring us life,” Austin said, “it is more important than ever to dig our fingers in the soil and help everything grow.”

Tina Arons is a high school English teacher and farming activist in Fort Worth. She grew up on a ranch in the Hill Country but currently lives with her husband and four stepchildren in a quiet suburban neighborhood. With her husband Austin Caraway, she helped create an ever-expanding mini farm in the backyard.

What We're Planting Now - January 2016

It's the beginning of January and we haven't had a bad freeze yet in North TX. The holidays brought some cold nights and a dusting of snow that caused many gardeners to prepare for the worst. Without a lot of planting to do, local gardens have been covering (and uncovering) their crops, enjoying the continuous winter harvest, and starting to think about the seedlings needed for the next few months.

Let's take a peek at what our local community gardens have been up to for the last month!

Adding black, water-filled buckets
and covering with frost blanket will help
protect plants in the winter!

Don't forget to water and add
slow-release fertilizer - even in winter!

Saving last year's seeds and asking
 for leaf donations is a great way to save money!

Even the cold, winter months can be very
productive in Texas!

Keep up with the Tarrant County Food Policy Council and our Community Garden and Urban Agriculture working group here.

And check out  these local gardening events:

• TAFB's Community Garden Leader Gathering
• TAFB's Planning Your Spring Garden workshop
• TAFB's Raising Chickens in the Garden workshop
• TAFB's Planning Your Spring Garden (Feb.) workshop
• TAFB's Composting 101 workshop
• Several MLK Day Events Hosted by Heart of Texas Urban Gardening Coalition

Garden of the Month - Refugee Services of Texas (Fort Worth): Growing Hope

Since 2012, the Refugee Services of Texas  (RST) Fort Worth regional office has developed a community garden by which their clients can cultivate their own culturally appropriate foods. The gardens could not have been made possible without the help of Tarrant Area Food Bank, Tarrant County Public Health, dedicated volunteer support, and the Master Gardeners Association of Tarrant County, conveniently located next door.

Over the past 4 years the garden has reached a total of 33 growing plots with plans to add additional plots due to increasing interests expressed by clients. On November 21^st, RST hosted a workday where all of the gardeners gathered to help with the expansion, clean-up, and beautification efforts. A special thank you is also in order for Community Cultivators LLC who came out to provide support.  

In addition to the workdays, one of the many goals of the garden program is to create opportunities for the greater Fort Worth community to get involved. Over the years in partnership with TCU, students have been able to complete service projects in the garden and this collaborative effort is something that RST would like to continue in the future.

The garden provides an important outlet that allows clients to get back to their roots and grow produce that they are accustomed to from their countries of origin. The cultural dynamism reflected through the plants makes the garden a truly magical place to be immersed in.

If you are interested in participating or contributing to this worthy project please contact RST Fort Worth at fortworth@rstx.org

What We're Planting Now - December 2015

The first frost of the year claimed most of the remaining tomatoes and peppers left uncovered in the gardens of North TX. Brassicas, root vegetables and leafy greens remained mostly unharmed but most active planting has come to a pause.
It is time to put on another layer of mulch, organize our frost blanket, and start thinking about starting seeds for the spring.
Let's see what some of our local community gardens have been up to lately!

Testing out new seed starting shelves at The Learning Garden

I think we got it to work!

Kales, mustards, and herbs are usually winter-hardy in North TX

Herbs and Ornamental Kales have been added at TAFB's new Kitchen Garden

  

So many winter greens
left to harvest!

A thick layer of leaf mulch can
help protect against frost!

Harvesting beets and greens! 

Pick those green tomatoes before
the frost and ripen them inside! 

Fresh herbs are the best!

Keep up with the Tarrant County Food Policy Council and our Community Garden and Urban Agriculture working group here.

Check out these local events:

• Canning Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gifts-in-jars-canning-crafting-homemade-holiday-gifts-tickets-19515760164?aff=ebrowse
• Make & Take Herbal Vinegars (Johnson County): https://www.facebook.com/events/208489142816602/ 

Happy Gardening!