A Garden with Purpose: USDA Grant Brings New Agricultural Learning Space to Spring Creek Park in Tomball
A new educational garden project is coming soon to Spring Creek Park, thanks to a competitive $240,955 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Set to break ground this fall, the project will transform part of the beloved Tomball park into a hands-on learning space designed to promote food access, community health, and sustainable agriculture.
Harris County Precinct 4 secured funding through the USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) Grant Program, which supports local initiatives that boost food equity and urban growing practices. The program, established under the 2018 Farm Bill, is part of a broader USDA effort to create resilient local food systems and reduce food insecurity.
What’s Being Built?
Located at 15012 Brown Rd, Tomball, TX 77377, Spring Creek Park’s new garden space will include:
- Educational gardens and orchards
- Raised garden beds
- A converted shipping container used as a classroom
- Decomposed granite and concrete walking areas
- Over 48,000 square feet of hands-on growing space
Unlike a traditional park beautification project, this initiative is rooted in education and service. The garden will be used to teach kids, families, and community groups how to grow fresh food, compost, and cultivate healthy habits. Programming will be led in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, which brings a long history of agricultural outreach and science-based training.
According to official permit filings, the project is expected to begin construction in September 2025 and wrap up by the end of October, just in time for the cooler gardening season.
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Why This Matters for Tomball
According to the Houston Food Bank, over 1 in 5 Harris County households struggle with food insecurity. Even in family-focused suburbs like Tomball, access to fresh, affordable produce is not always a given—especially for seniors, low-income families, and households without reliable transportation.
The USDA specifically designed these grants to address those exact issues. As part of its Implementation Project category, the Spring Creek garden was selected to support:
- Local food access
- Youth education
- Public health and nutrition
- Hands-on skill-building for residents of all ages
In fact, similar grants across the country have helped launch urban farms, rooftop gardens, and outdoor classrooms—spaces where people not only grow food, but grow knowledge and self-reliance.
In Harris County’s grant paperwork, officials described the vision clearly:
“Funds will be used to develop programming, curriculum, facilities, outreach efforts and educational gardens, orchards and raised beds to teach the public about growing foods... The program will be used to combat food desert challenges in Precinct 4.”
Why Spring Creek Park?
Spring Creek Park is one of the Tomball area’s most visited green spaces—home to sports courts, hiking trails, campsites, and playgrounds. The new garden will be installed in a previously underutilized portion of the park, divided by the existing parking lot, according to Harris County documents.
The rest of the park’s amenities will remain open and unchanged during construction.
Importantly, the project will not require any local tax match. All funding is provided through the USDA’s OUAIP program, which awarded $7.5 million nationally in 2022–2023 to help build food resilience through innovative community models.
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Who Can Get Involved?
The garden is designed to serve:
- Tomball-area schools and youth groups
- Families and homeschoolers
- Master Gardeners and local volunteers
- Seniors, veterans, and community organizations
Once operational, the space will host gardening workshops, seasonal planting events, composting demonstrations, and educational field trips.
Whether you’re teaching your child where carrots come from, or you’re a retiree with decades of tomato wisdom to share, there will be a place for you in this garden.
A Local Step Toward a Bigger Solution
In a January 2023 announcement, the USDA emphasized that its Urban Agriculture program is about more than planting gardens—it’s about investing in stronger, healthier, and more connected communities. That means supporting things like composting efforts, food waste reduction, and hands-on agricultural learning, especially in places where access to fresh food is limited.
For Tomball, this project represents something bigger. Only a handful of communities in Texas were selected for this kind of federal investment, and Spring Creek Park is now part of a national push to rethink how public spaces can support public health. It’s not just a garden—it’s a step toward a more resilient local food system, built right here in our own backyard.
Stay Tuned
As construction begins, we’ll be following the project closely and sharing details on how you can get involved—whether by volunteering, attending a class, or helping your child dig into the dirt for the first time.
Follow My Neighborhood News – Tomball to stay updated on this story and other grassroots efforts that are making a difference right here at home.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
