Sprouting in Third Ward

Ron McFarlane is doing remarkable work at the Third Ward Multi-Service Center Gardens. All

across the community, Mr.McFarlane helps promote food education and healthier food options for all

ages and demographics by providing access to fresh produce through the use of the Third Ward

Multi-Service Center Gardens. “I've been gardening since 2019, but I adopted the growing spaces at the

Third Ward Multi-Service Center in 2021.” He grows vegetables like mustard greens, beets, spinach,

and kale. Mr.McFarlane especially likes to grow rare greenery, like bloody butcher corn and

purplewave mustards. Mr.McFarlane produces some of the hottest Peppers North of Hell under the

brand name “ Hot Ass Peppers.”Mr. McFarlane has been living in the Houston area since 1998.

Originally from Teaneck, New Jersey, which is also the hometown of the Isley Brothers. Mr.McFarlane

knows how important it is for the community to have fresh new produce because “it allows individuals

to get fresh things compared to going to a grocery store, and it stops the spread of chemicals and

pesticide sprays on vegetables.”

Working within the community has allowed Mr.McFarlane to engage with several organizations,

including Texas Southern University's organizations, like HER and the TSU Delta Gamma Chapter of

Delta Sigma Theta. Allowing students to help in the garden sheds light on how important it is to give

back to the community by planting seeds and seeing how far they can grow. Mr.McFarlene deals with a

non-profit organization called D.A.W.N. (Diabetes Awareness Wellness Network). Where anything he

grows, he donates it to the organization. As prevalent as diabetes is within the POC community, it is

nice to see people working to decrease the odds for the general public. He grows some vegetables in

10-gallon fabric bags to show that “the benefit of what we are trying to do is show people that even if

all you have is a porch or a balcony in your apartment, you can grow those bags, put some plants in

their harvest. If you have two or three plants, you can create your bags once a week and save money

instead of going to HEB”. “The more you harvest, the more it grows.” He is adamant about his duties to

the citizens of the Third Ward, showing how tolerable and affordable it is to start a garden. “As the

price of everything food-related goes up, it's going to be imperative that we learn how to grow our

own.”

A greenhouse is inside the Third Ward Multi-Service Center to ensure fresh produce. Where shallots,

ginger, peppers, tomatoes, turmeric, hibiscus, and aloe vera are grown. The plants were moved inside to

ensure longevity, especially during the winter freeze. Within the Multi-Service center, a germination

room is 82 degrees; cultivating a plant starts in the germination room. There are tomatoes, okra, and

carrot seeds inside the germination room that will be moved outside once they sprout. Mr.McFarlane is

informative on how to maintain a garden through composting. Growing for fifteen multi-service

centers, “various service centers pick up what they need, take it to their location, and put it in the

ground.” Helping out other centers to ensure everybody has access to produce speaks volumes about

the work Mr.McFarlane is doing and has done.

Mr.McFarlane takes an extra step to ensure that the Third Ward's senior citizens are well cared for,

especially with healthy vegetables. Working with an organization to repurpose things around the

center, like a fountain, and use them for plants. Seniors can “use this area for fresh air.” He takes extra

care of those senior citizens through various activities, keeping them healthy in the stomach and

nourishing the mind. ”Everything we grow, we give to the seniors; that's the first thing we do.”

Dropping gems, well, more like seeds in the community. Mr.McFarlene established a reputation for

looking out for communities, from seniors to students, and ensuring and enhancing the community one

seed at a time, sprouting knowledge, health, and learning opportunities in the Third Ward community.

Written By: Johnjuana Fisher

Reported By: Jamarion Owens

Photography By: - Eliah George