Houserville Community Garden

Houserville Community Garden

About the Organization

The Houserville Community garden is a gardener-directed, dues-supported, charity-minded neighborhood garden hosted by Houserville UMC House of Hope at 1320 Houserville Road. All are welcome to garden here regardless of religious affiliation.


It all started in late 2014 on Nextdoor Houserville, where a neighbor on Spring Street floated the suggestion of a community garden for Houserville. Nobody did anything about it for two years. But when a newcomer to the neighborhood indicated some interest in November 2016, two other neighbors with some experience in community organizing picked it up. They contacted the folks in charge of the only possible community space in Houserville—the United Methodist Church. The church folks were hospitable and generous enough to share some of their land with the community.

Since it’s their land, the church maintains final decision-making authority. But it has remained a thoroughly neighborhood effort all the way through. A committee of neighbors, including two church members, formed in early winter 2017 to coordinate procurement of building supplies, organize plot assignment, and prepare for a community work day.

After some preparatory digging and plowing help from a neighbor on Watson Road, at least a dozen neighbors gathered on church land on May 20 to till in manure from Double JJ Stables on Houserville Road and mushroom compost from a friend, establish plot boundaries, put in a fence, and mark inter-plot paths using sawdust donated by Envinity.

Clearwater Conservancy and Garden Starters helped process dues payments during this first year. Garden Starters also helped with supplies.

We’ve had five successful growing seasons since! See, for example, some of what one family harvested via our Facebook page.