Celebrate Nutrition at TAFB’s Learning Garden

By Becca Smith
Community Garden Coordinator, Tarrant Area Food Bank

March is National Nutrition Month® and what better way to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” than with fresh produce grown at Tarrant Area Food Bank’s Learning Garden in Fort Worth.

Tarrant Area Food Bank believes that teaching people from all walks of life how to garden—and to share the excess—can make a significant difference in alleviating hunger in our community. Further, the skills developed, along with improved access to resources, also benefit hungry families that participate in the program. While the garden exists to support the surrounding Ridglea neighborhood, ultimately, the goal is to inspire and support social service agencies, faith-based organizations and families in starting their own community and backyard garden projects.

There are many ways to enjoy TAFB’s Learning Garden. We recommend starting with a tour of the garden. Currently, tours are available the first Friday of each month from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or by request. The garden began offering training for adult beginning gardeners in January 2015. Upcoming topics for adults include Raising Chickens in the Garden, Composting 101, Building a Raised Bed, Organic Pest Control, and Attracting Beneficial Insects. New in 2016, we started offering Special Project Days for big building projects at the garden. Volunteers are invited to learn about garden projects and assist with the assembly for a great hands-on experience.

Tools, including a Tool Lending Library and planning resources, are available to leaders of community garden projects. We also have a Seed Bank where you can find packets of seeds to use in your own garden at no cost.

Tarrant Area Food Bank is very grateful to Ridglea Christian Church for providing the property and facilities, water and electricity, as well as to Archie’s Gardenland for providing materials, plants, expertise, and labor. The success of our garden is also heavily reliant on the hard work of our dedicated volunteers who have helped provide about 2,300 pounds of fresh produce to the WestAID food pantry over the past two years.

Community members are always welcome at the TAFB Learning Garden. To register for an upcoming garden workday or Special Project Day, visit our Volunteer page.  You can also keep up with our educational workshops and garden events by visiting our Eventbrite page. Together, we can make a difference in our community through shared gardening knowledge and the love of fresh garden produce. Join us today!