Directory of Gardens
Jim Huff Memorial Community Garden
| Location | Sugar Land, southwest of Houston |
| Main Purpose | donation of vegetables to the hungry |
| Established | 1989 |
| To Visit or to Volunteer | contact Huff Garden - call Urban Harvest for contact info |
The
Jim Huff Memorial Community Garden, originally the Sugar Land Garden, was
the first donation garden in Fort Bend County. It continues to provide thousands
of pounds of fresh produce to the hungry each year. The garden was created
under the leadership of Jim Huff, who passed away in 1998.
The idea for the garden arose in 1987, when the Interfaith Ministries and Hunger Coalition were working on ways to alleviate hunger in Fort Bend County. At that time, members of the First United Methodist Church were bringing produce from their backyards garden to church to donate to the hungry. There was no one place for the needy to go for food, and people would often travel from church to church in search of provisions for their table.
The
Coalition received a $10,000 grant from the George Foundation to build a
community donation garden. They recruited the help of a boy scout, who needed
a project for his Eagle Scout Award, to build the garden. He and other volunteers
constructed eight raised beds measuring 40 feet by 5 feet. The foundation
grant provided seeds, tools, timbers, soil, and a subterranean irrigation
system. Trees for Houston also donated apple, pear, peach and persimmon trees
to create a fruit orchard.
The first planting of vegetables was in 1989. Crops have included staples such as carrots and onions as well as regional favorites such as purple hull peas and mustard greens. Two years later, when the garden was growing and the church kitchen was overflowing with fresh produce, the Coalition helped to open the East Fort Bend County Human Needs Ministry Food Bank, where the Huff garden has been delivering fruits and vegetables ever since.
The Huff Garden has received accolades and has been in the news. In 2002 the garden won the Urban Harvest Nutgrassroots Award for persevering against obstacles to continue to run a successful community garden. This award recognized Jim Huff's continued dedication despite his battle with cancer as well as gardener Foncyne Mapes' hard work for the past four years to run an organic garden. The garden was also featured the article "A Crop of Kindness" in a June 2002 issue of the Houston Chronicle, as well as in a Fort Bend County magazine.
The Huff garden receives continued financial support from the Sugar Land Garden Club, which for four years has donated funds to purchase seeds, fertilizers and supplies. The church donates the water used for irrigation and also takes up a collection at its weekly services.
Harvests from the garden have been bountiful. In 2001, 3434 pounds of vegetables and fruits were harvested and delivered. The hard work of the volunteers in the spring of 2002 resulted in 123 pounds of carrots, 128 pounds of bok choy, and 119 pounds of lettuce. The summer harvest included 457 pounds of cucumbers, 214 pounds of okra, and 417 pounds of spinach.
| Huff Garden harvest for the hungry in 2002 included: |
||
| mustard greens |
turnip greens |
turnips |
