All of the food that is grown in the garden is donated to The Caring Place.[/caption]Drivers heading south along Church Street in Georgetown are greeted by neatly lined houses. But upon arriving at the 19th Street intersection, one will find a sprawling block of green space known as The Getsemani Community Center.
The center is home to The Getsemani Neighborhood Garden, where peaches, tomatoes, okra and squash are growing, depending on the time of the year.
A mission of the First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, the space is used to grow food for those in need, teach residents how to garden and provide a community gardening space, according to Richard Pearce, the center’s 2016-17 chairman.
The church purchased the land in 2013 and with the help of church patrons, built the garden—including a rainwater-collection system that holds 2,500 gallons of water and dampens the plants through drip irrigation without using pesticides or herbicides.
Until recently the garden has been watered using almost entirely rainwater, Pearce said.
“Rainwater is free,” Pearce said. “It has no chlorine in it [and] doesn’t inhibit plant growth.”
Pearce and three other church members are in charge of the garden’s upkeep, including Kathy Henderson, a native plant specialist and transplant from Illinois.
Henderson stressed the importance of the preservation of native plants and their ability to attract pollinators to the garden.
The community center and garden space was purchased by First United Methodist Church in 2013.[/caption]“I wanted to try to help the situation, that we are losing so much space for our native plants from development and pesticides,” Henderson said.
When it comes time to harvest the plants, 100 percent of the fresh produce goes to The Caring Place, a Georgetown-based nonprofit that provides assistance to area families in need.
The garden also offers individual gardening spaces for people in the area.
Pearce, who worked as a physician in Georgetown for more than 30 years, said heat and drought play a large role in what is planted.
But no matter the conditions, Pearce said Getsemani's goal of providing a community space remains in the forefront.
“You learn from other people; somebody taught me to garden, and I try to teach other people,” Pearce said.
Three purposes of The Getsemani Neighborhood Garden:
- Donate food to people who are needy
- Teach people who want to know how to garden
- Provide a place for people to garden
Getsemani Neighborhood Garden
412 E. 19th St.,
Georgetown
512-863-3515
www.facebook.com/getsemanicenter
Hours: Tue. and Fri.
9 a.m-noon
