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BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A group of Texas Southmost College students and faculty are working to bring new life to the TSC Community Garden and Greenhouse while providing fresh produce to members of the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The revived TSC Garden Club aims to grow food for the TSC Food Pantry, with a long-term vision of expanding the garden and greenhouse as a botanical research center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TSC Biology Instructor Dr. Melva Avalos\u2019 students showed interest in reviving the club when they visited the area over the summer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey really wanted to get a garden club going,\u201d Avalos said. \u201cI agreed to sponsor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Avalos and fellow TSC Biology Instructor Tara Hansler are sponsoring the club and working with TSC Physics Instructor Martha Casquete to restore the garden and greenhouse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The TSC Community Garden began as an initiative between the college and the Brownsville Wellness Coalition (BWC), funded through a 2022 grant. The community-wide effort involved several TSC programs and student organizations.<\/p>\n
Architecture students developed the garden\u2019s blueprints, while Construction students built garden beds, supporting structures, and toolshed. Volunteers played an important role by assisting with the planting and harvesting of produce, which was distributed by the TSC Food Pantry to students and community members.<\/p>\n
The ECO-MOVE Club was one of the original student organizations involved in the initiative, while the Garden Club has upheld its commitment to ecological awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had it going as a way to supply our Food Pantry here at TSC,\u201d Avalos said. \u201cUnfortunately, with the turnover of students and faculty, it hasn\u2019t been in use for over a year and a half now. Our project here is to really make the greenhouse green again. We planted some seeds over the summer, and we’ve seen a lot of sprouting and just want to keep the ball rolling. We’ve had a lot of help from our students and a lot of interest. I’m hoping to generate more interest in our Garden Club.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For students such as club treasurer Denisse Galvan, the project offers an opportunity to explore her interest in agriculture while giving back to the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second-year TSC student plans to study agriculture at a four-year university after completing her associate degree. She became interested in reviving the club after visiting the garden with Avalos\u2019 class as part of an extra-credit assignment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like nature,\u201d Galvan said. \u201cI find it to be fascinating to see the plants growing and seeing how the entire ecosystem works.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
TSC first-year architecture student Adrian Larrasquitu also joined the effort and now serves as club president. He helps coordinate schedules for students tending to the garden and greenhouse and represents the club at campus events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At those events, members share information about the club\u2019s mission and demonstrate the plant-growing process through displays such as germination stations, where visitors can germinate their chosen seeds and are invited to plant and harvest in the greenhouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to give back to the community,\u201d Larrasquitu said. \u201cSomething I\u2019ve wanted to do is help other people. It\u2019s good knowing that eventually one day we\u2019ll be able to help support people that need to go to the food pantry to get some food. They\u2019ll have fresh produce and foods to pick from.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That sense of doing something positive for the community, along with interactive displays at campus events, has helped the club attract members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have members who have a lot of passion for this,\u201d Galvan said. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018Oh yeah, I\u2019d love to help out.\u2019 We want to build a stronger community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Avalos said club members come from a variety of academic backgrounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have students here with different kinds of interests and majors,\u201d Avalos said. \u201cMy class that I taught over the summer was Biology for Non-Science majors. While this is not a science club, agricultural and botanical research interests will be pursued, particularly as we move towards exploring the potential for growing medicinal plants, which are the source of approximately 40% of our pharmaceuticals.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
As they tend to the growing plants and work to restore the greenhouse, students and faculty hope their efforts will ultimately provide fresh food for those in need, allow exploration of botanical medicinal research, and create a lasting resource for the college and surrounding community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Club members meet every Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., and at various times throughout the week accommodating members’ schedules, to cultivate and maintain the garden and greenhouse.\u00a0 Students and faculty are invited to come by and visit, pick herbs for seasoning or tea leaves for brewing.\u00a0The Garden Club welcomes all visitors and looks forward to soon hosting homegrown garden tea parties open to the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TSC students and community members interested in joining the club can reach out to Dr. Melva Avalos at melva.avalos@tsc.edu or to club president Adrian Larrasquitu at adrian.larrasquit100@student.tsc.edu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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