Directory of Gardens

The Turning Point Center Community Garden

The Turning Point Center Garden was rejuvenated in spring 2006 due to the leadership of Jean Fefer and the energy of many hardworking volunteers. This extensive garden includes 22 vegetable beds and a fruit orchard and provides food for the residents at the Turning Point Center across the street. Several groups have completed days of service and Jean has contributed many hours to getting this garden in shape.

Jean, a longtime volunteer with Urban Harvest, first saw the garden preparing for a day of service with the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Steven Gross led her and 25 other volunteers through a strenuous day of weeding nine vegetable beds and spreading new soil to replenish the beds.

The Turning Point Center, formerly the Rehab Mission, is a local non-profit organization in the Spring Branch started in 1989 by Isha Salas Desselles to provide essentials such as shelter, clothing, and rehabilitative services for homeless men and women over fifty. Since its inception it has served over 7,500 homeless elders. The renovated former apartment complex currently houses more than 90 residents.  It provides a temporary home to help these individuals get back on their feet and find long-term housing of their own.

The garden across the street from the center has been growing for more than ten years and provides fresh fruits and vegetables to The Turning Point Center. Residents typically do not work in the garden
themselves. The garden was started by volunteer Tracy Park and received assistance from Urban Harvest and Harris County Agricultural Assoc. in its early years. Over the years volunteer groups from several churches, schools and temples have helped to plant and weed the garden on workdays throughout the year under the guidance of Mr. & Mrs. Mohammed, parents of Isha Salas.

Jean Fefer took on the garden as a project in December 2005 and is helping to coordinate volunteer efforts there.  Jean donated irrigation materials and revamped their irrigation system from an overhead sprinkler to a
soaker system. Other improvements have included redoing the beds to raise them with additional concrete blocks and the addition of new soil and compost. She has worked with several groups of volunteers and puts in many hours in the garden herself and in partnership with her husband Mort.  Regular weekly volunteers work two days a week maintaining all of the 22 beds in this extensive garden. Each of the 22 beds in this large garden are 4x24 feet. In the beginning it was not possible to keep the vegetable gardens producing and also work with fruit trees in the large orchard on the same property. In 2006, a new volunteer, Robert White, joined the group and was interested in working to improve the orchard.

Most of the trees had not been cared for and all were in need of the help of an experienced organic fruit gardener. With the help of Bob Randall the orchard was evaluated and many of the trees cut down since they were not appropriate for this area.  New trees were purchased and donated by Robert White so the Center has a developing orchard with trees that are more attuned to Houston with pears, apples, several types of citrus, plums and figs.

The first year, 12/2005-12/2006, the garden supplied approximately 800 pounds of fresh vegetables to the kitchen of the Turning Point Center. The produce has included tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, kale, mustards, collards, edamame, squash, lettuce, spinach, beans, sugar snaps, bitter melon, zipper peas, okra, and eggplant. The current year looks to be even better!

Anyone who is interested in volunteering at The Turning Point Center is invited to do so, particularly if you would like to come on a regular basis. You need not have experience with vegetable gardening, but you
should be a fan of organics. This garden is maintained without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Contact Urban Harvest to get work days and phone and email numbers.

 

 

2311 Canal St., Suite 122, Houston, TX 77003
713-880-5540 •