North Texas is experiencing the hottest and driest summer in more than three decades. However, that has not stopped the Wesley Foundation from building the TCU Community Garden.

Reverend Megan Davidson, Director of the TCU Wesley Foundation and the community garden, said the drought has not altered the plans for the installation of the garden.

The design of the garden has been approved and will be installed by volunteers on Aug. 27 on the west lawn of the Wesley Foundation Building , which is located on West Lowden Street , she said. Plans for the garden have been in the works since May, and so far at least 80 volunteers have expressed interest in helping with the garden.

According to Davidson, the purpose of the garden is to “grow people and build community.”
Senior Spanish major Jamie Klump, co-chair of the community garden, said she chose to help out with the garden because “planting a seed and ending up with something to eat is so gratifying. People take for granted where their food comes from.”

Volunteers will plant a variety of flowers and seasonal vegetables throughout the garden, which will be made out of mostly reclaimed and re-purposed materials. Davidson said volunteers can also contribute by helping paint the wood that will surround the garden and helping prepare and serve food during the installation on Aug. 27.

“The garden will create a space where members of the TCU community can come together and achieve a common goal,” Klump said.

Produce from the garden will be donated to the Tarrant Area Food Bank and could eventually help supply the kitchen at Market Square, she said.

Not only will the garden help provide the community with fresh produce, it will also be environmentally friendly, Davidson said.

Junior film-television-digital media major Ellen Thomas, said the garden has been designed in a way that will keep essential water in the soil and drain excess water. Davidson said research is being done to ensure that the garden is sustainable and that the garden is properly watered without wasting any resources.

Thomas said a compost pile is being built for organic waste which will produce nutrient-rich soil to put back into the garden.

Davidson said she hopes the garden will live out its mission statement, which is to “cultivate community in a living laboratory for the education and enjoyment of fresh and local food, exploring sustainability issues and fostering creative and spiritual growth.”