Chenevert Urban Gardens: Harvest the Fruits of your Labor

You’re ready to make a scrumptious salad for the family, and the only thing missing is the ingredients. So you head to the grocery store and load up on all the goodies – lettuce and tomatoes, onion and cucumber.

For some green-thumbed Midtown Houston residents, putting together the perfect salad is as easy as heading over to Chenevert Urban Gardens at 2503 Chenevert Street. There, gardeners are growing a wide variety of vegetables and flowers.  

“We started in 2014, so now it’s pretty exciting because things are tall and green and the garden’s pretty full,” said Nancy Darst, who helped establish the garden for the neighborhood of mostly townhouse and apartment dwellers.

“In the beginning it was a struggle so now we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor,” said Darst, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Midtown Management District.

Today, 26 plots have been leased and three more plots will soon be available, said Becky Hall, who has one of the original plots at the garden. The initial buy-in fee is $175, and annual rent for a plot is $150.

“We’re building out three gardens right now,” said Hall, a former Midtowner who now lives in Meyerland. “They (plots) should be ready September 19th. So far there’s only one person on the waiting list .”

With some help from her eight-year-old son, Hall has a garden to be envious of. She just harvested sweet potatoes from the summer, and is growing Chinese long beans, basil, eggplant, broccoli and cabbage. “I even have luffa gourds and two varieties of pepper,” Hall said.

Darst, who owns eRemitt Payment Processing Solutions on McGowen Street at Chenevert Street, bought the 6,250-square-foot parcel in 2014 with her husband. They opened the garden after a community garden on the west side of Midtown was closed and sold to a developer.

Chenevert Urban Gardens has been a win-win for the community, Hall said.

“Most people who live in Midtown have very little or no space around their homes, and many don’t have a yard at all,” she said. “If they want to have a garden there’s really no place for them to grow their own garden.

“That’s what the garden allows them to do,” Hall said. “There are parks nearby and the garden is like a park for the community, but one where you can interact and actually grow things there.”

In a city where much of the landscape is a concrete jungle, the community garden provides an oasis of green space, peace and tranquility.

Or you can start a flourishing container garden at your apartment or townhome with limited greenspace. Urban garden growing tips can be found at midtownhouston.com/midtown-houston-urban-gardening-series.

Come together for safety

Gardening in Midtown Houston is the perfect opportunity to meet new neighbors and to share information for a safer community. With that in mind, be sure to head out to the National Night Out gathering in Midtown Houston. The free event is set for 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October  4th, at Bagby Park, 514 Gray Street at Bagby Street.

Officers from the Houston Police Department, Metro Police Department and Harris County County Pct. 7 Constable’s Office will be on hand to discuss safety tips and their law-enforcement efforts in the community. And Midtown businesses will also be on hand in a show of support for national event, now in its 32nd year.

For more details about Chenevert Urban Gardens , visit the group’s website and Facebook page.