A SEED SPROUTS A COMMUNITY
‘The gardening club is a great way for them to build friendships while doing something they love’
Contributed Photo
The Y’s Ones Garden Club plants a variety of fruits and vegetables that changes from season to season.[/caption]
BUDA — The YMCA is considered to be the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening individuals and communities across the country — and the Hays Communities YMCA in Buda is no exception.
In 2016, the facility received a grant from the St. David’s Foundation group, Health’s Angels, to create a senior garden called Y’s Ones Garden Club. The foundation promotes healthy living for seniors and provided funds and educational classes to help start and maintain the garden. The YMCA, in partnership with Health’s Angels and Resolutions Gardens in Austin, prepared the site in 2017, which has since been maintained by Hays Communities YMCA members.
“Members get a chance to share their love of gardening with each other. It also gives them an opportunity to meet others they otherwise may not have met,” said Member Engagement Director Margie Fernandez-Prew, who has been a Hays Communities YMCA member since it opened 15 years ago and has worked there since March 2022.
“Members share something in common, the love of gardening, and build camaraderie while doing what they love. The garden also creates a sense of community for those involved in tending the garden and the ability to share food with other Y members,” she said.
There are a variety of fruits and vegetables planted in the garden that changes from season to season. In March, a peach tree was planted, compliments of the Resolutions Gardens Nursery, and there are currently blackberries growing as well. The members recently harvested 66 pounds of potatoes, green onions and carrots; then, they planted the summer crops including okra, purple hull peas, tomatoes and cucumbers.
“There are approximately 12 Y members who tend to the garden on a regular basis. They work closely with the Resolution Gardens Nursery which supplies most of the gardening needs, such as beds, soil, seed, plants, fertilizers and education,” Fernandez-Prew said.
“The club has a garden helper from the nursery, Peter Hobbs, who comes every couple of weeks and helps them manage the garden and the beds and provides tips on soil management, planting, fertilizing and general tending to the garden. He started a compost area for the group that lets them use soil for fertilizer when needed. The YMCA provides water, hoses, fencing and some tools for the club,” she said.
Photo by Ashley Kontnier
Pictured are berries grown by the community garden at the YMCA.[/caption]
She added that when it’s time to harvest, the group members can take home the fruits of their labor. If there are any extra veggies remaining, those are placed in the Y’s community kitchen for other members to take home and enjoy with their families.
The Hays Communities’ Y’s Ones Garden Club is currently in need of new fencing and some new gardening supplies to help improve the garden. Anyone interested in donating to the Hays Communities YMCA, contact Fernandez-Prew or Senior Executive Director Dione Booker at (512) 523-0099.
The garden is open to all YMCA members; those interested in learning more about the garden and wanting to join the Y’s Ones Garden Club can contact Fernandez-Prew at (512) 523-0099. “The gardening club is a great way for them to build friendships while doing something they love,” Fernandez-Prew said.
Photo by Ashley Kontnier Basks in the bright morning sun.[/caption]
