“A Community of Gardeners: Growing Together in Uncertain Times”

It's the Laughs, Lettuce, and Life Lessons in the Garden!

During COVID, many of us sought new ways to stay connected. Community gardens became a place to gather at a distance, offering us focus, fresh air, and a much-needed lift in spirits. They became unexpected sanctuaries, where we could bask in the sun, watch butterflies drift by, sink our hands into the soil, and grow something when life felt so uncertain.

Though I’d been a gardener for years, I’d never been part of a community garden before. Like many, I was navigating a fragile moment—job loss, my daughter suddenly back home from college, and the disappearance of friendly meetups or basic errands that once filled our weeks. Then something serendipitous happened...

One afternoon, on a trail that technically wasn’t open at the time (but where nature called louder than rules), I crossed paths with a kindred spirit, Shiila. We smiled from a safe distance, chatted, and she asked if I’d like to join Jacobs Well Community Gardens. “There are beds about to become available,” she said. I had been wishing for something like this—and suddenly, there it was. I took on two raised beds at the gardens, which are tucked away beside the Jacobs Well Conservation Area in Wimberley, Texas. The site, once 1980s-era tennis courts, now hosts 30 concrete-framed beds on the grounds of the Watershed Association. The Association not only supports the gardens but also helps champion their growth.

Several years later and with much more hands in the soil time, my botanical styling business brought me back to the garden in a deeper way. I sat down with Pascal and Shiila, two thoughtful mentors with a grounded vision for how to cultivate growth, not just in the garden beds, but with the community itself. Their steady involvement and care are helping to further expand the garden's reach and bring even more people together. I asked Shiila what makes for a good community garden and to keep it flourishing. 

She smiled and said, "People who are passionate about their connection with the earth, people who are passionate about community, and working together, then consistency. It is necessary to have a few core people who are always showing up, consistently having visions for the future, and consistently willing to work. Then you have to have fun!" This is not only when seeing your garden grow, but joining in the garden social each month. Bringing gardeners together with their families or friends to share, and cook the bounty fresh from the garden. A true farm-to-table gathering! 

The garden itself is evolving—just as the community around it is. Pascal shared that they’re beginning to refer to Jacobs Well Community Gardens not just as a location, but as A Community of Gardeners. It’s not a renaming of the space, but a reimagining of its purpose and identity. The original name, he explains, felt limited—both in terms of geography and scope. This new expression is more expansive and inclusive. It speaks to a growing network of people—gardeners, volunteers, educators, builders—who are learning from one another, sharing resources, and cultivating something greater together. Even those without a garden bed of their own can play a vital role through volunteering, building, teaching, and supporting the collective in meaningful ways.

A garden depends on water. The Hill Country of Texas, where this community garden is nestled, has been experiencing drought for over four and a half years. This is no small challenge, especially given the gravity-fed water systems in place. The garden has four rainwater tanks, each with about one thousand gallons that previously could not be accessed due to the outlet's location. A recent plumbing project changed all that, linking all tanks so every drop of captured rainwater is now usable. The tanks did run dry recently, but fortunately, some much-needed rain has filled them. 

What began as a quiet search for connection during uncertain days has blossomed into something far greater. This local garden, like most community gardens, is more than earth and rain. They are a living tapestry of resilience, where roots intertwine beneath the soil as friendships do above. Each drop of reclaimed water nourishes not just plants, but the spirit of a community bound by care and hope. 

We are living in urgent times, where our focus needs to radically shift to growing our food, flowers, and herbs in supportive community-based environments. These gardens don't just feed our families, but create new pathways to assist others in bringing fresh, organic food to their tables. Let's face it, pesticide-laced, out-of-season produce, and disconnected food systems are not a sustainable future, especially when we look at ongoing soil depletion. Growing organically, together, is a quiet act of resistance, and the heart of true sustainability. In tending these beds side by side, we cultivate more than food ... we cultivate belonging, renewal, and well-being for us, one another, and for our Earth.

Grounded in gratitude,

Christina