Support Services for Affiliate Community Gardens
Part of Urban Harvest's mission is to support gardens in greater Houston that help improve their communities. These community gardens serve many purposes, such as fostering friendships, providing nutritious food, improving the environment and building community spirit. Urban Harvest supports community gardens in the following ways:
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All Community Gardens
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Affiliate Gardens receive the following services in addition to those on the left:
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Support Services for ALL community gardens:
How to Start a Community Garden Class If you are thinking about starting a school garden, donation garden, neighborhood or other type of community garden, the best way to get all the initial information you need is to take our bi-monthly How to Start a Community Garden three part series. This series covers site design and materials as well as an overview of the funds and volunteers you will need.
Gardening Reference Library
Our Garden Library is home to more than 600 books on a variety of gardening topics. Community gardeners and our members have access to our reference library. The library is open during our business hours 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Harvest Celebration & Spring Fling
Twice a year community gardeners from all over greater Houston gather to trade ideas and share success stories. At our fall meeting we gather for the annual Harvest Celebration with a fabulous potluck and an awards celebration to thank the hardworking volunteers in your garden. Awards are given to volunteers for five, ten, and fifteen years of service. Special awards are given to honor the exceptional efforts of a few gardens each year. In the spring we have the Spring Fling another amazing potluck affair usually at a community or school garden with a guest speaker(s) discussing various garden topics and tours of the garden the event is held in.
Books for Sale
Urban Harvest sells some of the most essential gardening books for growing vegetables and fruits in the greater Houston area
Gardeners’ Corner at the Bayou City Farmers Market This is a spot at our market for community gardeners to sell their extra harvest. If you have a bumper crop and want to make a few extra dollars to support your garden, this table is for you. You will need to register as a vendor. You can find the details here.
Additional Services for Affiliate Community Gardens:
Volunteer Referrals
Urban Harvest often receives calls from potential volunteers (individuals and groups) interested in finding a garden to help out in. If your garden would like us to refer you volunteers, please contact our Community Gardens Coordinator or fill out our Volunteer Request Form and email it to Becky Blanton .
Garden Signs An attractive sign with your garden's name on it can aid in recruiting volunteers and raising funds. When the garden's neighbors know what they have, they ask questions and get involved. Urban Harvest provides these handsome aluminum signs in two sizes to you at cost.
Free or discounted Gardening Classes
As a community gardener, you are invited to take many of our classes for free. Free classes are noted in our Classes and Events Calendar and include the fall Gardening Basics series and our winter series on growing fruit trees and plants. For other series, such as the vegetable specialist or permaculture series, a few students are eligible for reduced cost admission. If you do choose to pay for your class, we thank you for your support of Urban Harvest and community gardening.
Webpage of Your Garden
We will create a personalized webpage for your garden in our web Directory of Community Gardens. This is a terrific way to create visibility for your garden, recruit additional volunteers and donations, and thank those who have contributed funds to your garden. To have a page created, please contact our Community Gardens Coordinator, Becky Blanton.
Your community garden will be listed in our affiliate community garden directory as well as marked on our interactive garden map. Many of the volunteers who contact us use this map to find the garden they would like to work in.
Media Referrals
We sometimes get calls from local, state, and national media looking interested in doing a story on a garden. We have made suggestions and connections that have led to a number of noteworthy articles. These articles in turn help gardens to receive new volunteers and donations. Keep us up to date on what’s happening in your garden so that we may do the same for you.
Troubleshooting Advice
We are available via phone, e-mail and in office consultation to answer questions regarding horticultural and other challenges you may be having with your community garden. If you have a question and were unable to find the answer on our website,in Dr. Randall’s book Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro Houston, or at Urban Harvest on NING you are welcome to e-mail our staff at becky@urbanharvest.org.
Discounts on Urban Harvest membership for community gardeners
Individual gardeners who are registered with Urban Harvest as community gardeners are eligible to purchase an Urban Harvest membership at a reduced rate.
Discounts on Books
As an affiliate community garden your garden is eligible for discounted prices on the books we sell.
Subscription to In Season
Each affiliate community garden will receive one subscription to In Season our quarterly newsletter. The newsletter features a variety of articles on gardening topics, community garden updates, Urban Harvest events and each issue includes a planting calendar.
Gardening Supply Discounts
Affiliate community gardens will receive a membership card that can be used at area merchants to obtain a discount. Discounts include 10 to 20 percent off of plants, organic fertilizer, soil, tools, and other gardening supplies and services.
