Neighborhood Harvest Project was created by volunteers to promote healthy local food and sustainable living through education and community gardening in Round Rock and surrounding areas. The volunteer leadership envisions a vibrant local food system where Round Rock residents of all ages experience the benefits of community, school and neighborhood gardening; become healthier through improved diets, exercise and positive social interactions; and can learn about, experience and practice sustainable living.

On December 13, 2009 volunteers took their first step towards making the vision a reality as they broke ground for Unity Park Community Garden. Through a partnership with the Baha’i Faith of Round Rock, they obtained use of an empty field that sits on a well travelled street. Since last November, they have gone from an empty lot to a fenced in garden with 40 available plots, accessible beds, compost bins, a rainwater collection system and a water tank with well access. They have graduated two citizen gardener classes (which focus on organic and sustainable gardening practices, garden stewardship and volunteerism), held a seed starting class, an organic pest control class, and a vermiculture class. Through donations via the gardeners and the “pantry plots” they have been able to donate generously to the Round Rock Serving Center. They have a very active volunteer base and a rapidly growing online gardening/sustainable lifestyle community (http://rrcommunitygardens.ning.com/).

The Keep Austin Beautiful grant will fund a pollinator garden to beautify the fence surrounding the vegetable plots, attract pollinators, and raise awareness about supporting pollinators as valuable parts of our environment. Funding will also be used for a picnic table for volunteers to use after their workdays. Plants in the pollinator garden will be viewed as public property and will be tended by volunteers in the same manner as the current pantry plots.

Visit  www.UnityParkCG.org if you would like to get involved with this garden.