New community garden plants roots in Hurst

Aspiring gardeners with no plot of land to call their own now have a place to put down roots. The Growing Place Community Garden at St. Philip Presbyterian Church is open for business.

The garden boasts 12 beds for gardening and four plots for flowers to aid pollination, said Gail Anderson, a coordintor of Growing Place.

“It feels wonderful to be at this point,” Anderson said. “It is for the community to garden and to raise organic food for themselves and to give back fresh vegetable for the community because we’re going to arrange [that] half of their produce go to food banks around here,” she said.

As momentous as the grand opening was on Feb. 10, the real excitement will begin when gardeners begin planting seedlings March 3, Anderson said.

But Growing Place garden offers so much more than just fruits and vegetables, said Greg Garis, St. Philip Presbyterian Church pastor.

“There’s something deeper than planting and growing and harvesting,” he said. “This Growing Place also represents something that I think we need in our community and in our nation. It’s a place of hope. … It is a place that can be a sign of how the Lord God watches over us, provides for with grain or water and fills us with hope as the seeds are planted and as we watch the growth,” said Garis.

All the plots in the garden already have been rented out, said Hurst Mayor Pro Tem Henry Wilson.

“You’re at capacity before spring even gets here, so that means you are definitely meeting a community need,” he said. “If you’ve built out before you’ve opened, it’s time to expand.”

Those who want more information or are interested can still register online at www.growingplacegarden.com to be placed on a standby list, Anderson said.

Bringing the people together and building friendships is another benefit of community gardens, said Becca Knutson, Tarrant Area Food Bank community garden coordinator.

“Anyone can garden on their own, but it takes something special to come together as a community garden with a group of people working together to make that happen,” said Knutson, who helped Growing Place garden volunteers with the startup process.

There also are mental and physical health benefits to gardening, she said.

“You’re going to make friends and learn things you may not know,” Knutson said.

It took a community effort just to bring the garden to fruition, including a grant from Home Depot, said Chuck Lucas, community outreach volunteer.

“We have a shed out there but it is empty and that is going to allow us to put the tools in there,” Lucas said.

Derek Shane, Home Depot Southern Division sales director, has been a member of St. Philip Presbyterian Church for more than 20 years, and said he and the company were proud to be a part of the project.

“This is a great way to really give back to the community,” he said.

The community garden received about $17,600 in grants from Home Depot, Grace Presbyterian, and St. Philip Presbyterian Church to get it where it is today, said Grace Bosworth, Growing Place Community Garden coordinator.

Bosworth still sees room for growth in the project and is hopeful the next phase will include a building to hold the harvest or to have garden meetings.

“Right now, it’s functional and now we want to beautify,” she said. “We have so many plans, and it may seem like pie in the sky, but so did this a year ago.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 12:28 PM with the headline "New community garden plants roots in Hurst."