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A space where things become possible

Jessie Temple checks out the corn in the Three Sisters Community Plot at Festival Beach Community Gardens

For 14 years El Jardin Alegre community garden was a fixture in the East Cesar Chavez and Holly neighborhoods of East Austin, TX.  When the privately-owned land became unavailable, gardeners scrambled to find a new location.  A core group of gardeners stepped up to the challenge, including architect Jessie Temple who lent her project management and design skills to develop a new community gardening space.

Jessie admits that she is not much of a gardener.  But, she became caught up in the idea of beginning a project from the ground up, so to speak, and creating a new garden to benefit the neighborhood.  After nearly a year of planning, the end result is Festival Beach Community Garden which broke ground on April 17, 2010 on 2.5 acres of city parkland.

Located in a neighborhood experiencing rapid transition, the garden now has about 50 rented plots and is a mix of urban professionals, Spanish-speaking families, refugees, and a few elderly gardeners from adjacent senior citizen housing.

"I was so interested in creating a space where things become possible.  Festival Beach is a kind of magical spot where people put seeds in the dirt and grow things.   But, you also run into people that you would never talk to on a daily basis and friendships develop.  The Stone Soup metaphor comes to mind.  Everybody brings their little piece of the puzzle and you end up with something unimaginably great.  It's been a series of surprises that have just been wonderful," says Jessie.

Festival Beach Community Garden sign constructed and painted by a garden volunteers

Rather than hold tight to the reins after a labor-intensive planning, design, and installation period, Jessie is a master delegator.  The result is a community space that rapidly has taken shape thanks to this spirit of inclusivity and possibility. 

An artist built and painted a sign for the garden, a friend developed a website, a gardener tilled and planted an expansive Three Sisters Community Plot with corn, beans, and squash that is tended by garden volunteers, refugee women have another plot, local non-profit Tree Folks is donating fruit trees, organizers selected the permanent fence via a community design contest, and the list grows daily.

Festival Beach gardener Kathleen McWhorter adds, "It's a place where people can be close to the earth, have fun, get good exercise, grow healthy food, and get to know neighbors of all ages and different backgrounds.  Gardeners help each other out, and share their knowledge and skills."