In 2014, Bert Gonzalez, a Westbury Community Garden founding member, asked if there was a possibility of converting a raised bed that was one concrete block high to a garden where one could sit or stand to tend the plants. Bert’s wife, Diana, had trouble squatting and bending; they might have to give up gardening. It seemed a reasonable request and a necessary one, so a team of members pulled together a plan and went to work. “The new raised garden is perfect,” says Bert Gonzalez, who will turn 90 this year. He and Diana have enjoyed bountiful harvests every season since 2010.
More Bi-Level Garden Plots
Fast forward eight years. It was becoming apparent that other community gardeners who had trouble with knees, hips, or shoulders would benefit from the bi-level beds too. An Eagle Scout candidate and his troop and family built two more bi-level gardens. The project was dubbed “Gardening Within Reach.” WCG members and volunteers continued the work in 2023 and this year (2024) we will complete a whole row of twelve bi-level sit-stand gardens. The garden leadership team is very pleased to accommodate our senior members in this way. We know that growing and eating healthy, organic food, getting outdoors for moderate exercise, and the social aspects of meeting and working with like-minded friends are important factors in keeping seniors healthy so they may “age in place” – that is live longer at home.
Easy Access and Parking
The next phase of Gardening Within Reach meant providing close access and parking for the members who grow veggies in the new row of elevated gardens. The garden’s Master Plan called for a new entrance just south of the pavilion with a parking area and stretch of driveway that will run right next to the bi-level gardens. The driveway will eventually encircle all the active areas of the community garden and provide several parking areas.
A Driveway That Doubles As A Water Conservation Tool
The new driveway and parking will be constructed with pervious paving materials to further support the garden’s mission of conservation and sustainability. The design is intended to create a rock filled channel beneath the permeable driving surface that not only supports heavy vehicles like dump trucks, but also makes a place for stormwater to accumulate and slowly percolate back into the ground, rather than run off into the street.
2024 Will Be the Year of Expansion at WCG
The Gardening Within Reach fundraising was expanded to include not only the raised beds, but the needed driveway and parking as well. For three years WCG’s year-end crowdsourcing fundraiser, The SeedMoney Challenge, has been earmarked for the new raised beds, driveway, and parking. In 2023 and 2024, our accumulated fundraisers, several small grants and gifts will coalesce to finally make the first section of the new driveway a reality. We are almost at the financial goal line! We feel sure this ambitious project will be implemented this year. If you’d like to contribute to the Gardening Within Reach Project, checks may be sent to WCG, 5322 W. Bellfort, Suite100, Houston, TX 77035.
We hope you’ll have a chance to visit for one of the garden’s community events this year and see the progress that this group gardeners and our many supporters have built by working together as a community.