For the second consecutive year, some Texas County Jail inmates are doing a little crop farming.
Thanks to a joint effort between the Texas County Sheriff’s Department and the county’s University of Missouri Extension Master Gardeners Club, a garden is once again in place on the north side of the Justice Center. Texas County Sheriff James Sigman coordinates the garden’s operation, and selected inmates do the planting, caretaking and harvesting of its crops.
“The trusties we use are light offenders,” Sigman said. “Anyone we feel might run or be a risk to the public isn’t out there. It’s mainly people in here on misdemeanor stuff.”
MU Extension Master Gardeners Verlin and Doris Altom are in charge of the Justice Center garden program again this year. They said crops planted this year include broccoli, kale, cabbage, radishes, peppers, tomatoes, basil and more. To help deter deer and insect activity in and around the garden, oregano and marigolds have also been added to the mix.
The county jail is equipped with kitchen employees who do much of the cooking, but inmates sometimes cook, too.
“What we found last year is the garden made for better communication between the inmates,” Verlin said. “This year, we’ve added a few surprises to give more of an aroma quality while they’re cooking. It kind of changes the overall atmosphere in there when you’re smelling something good being cooked.”
Sigman said the garden is by no means a huge money-maker, but along with several changes to the jail’s menu, last year’s version did contribute to a $35,000 reduction in jail food-related expenditures in 2013 compared to 2012.
“Having this garden is more an incentive to give inmates something to do and work toward,” Sigman said. “They enjoy getting out there and working in it and they seemed to enjoy the fresh vegetables last year. We didn’t hear any complaints.”
Plans for the garden include the addition of a high tunnel by late summer or early fall of this year. The high tunnel project is being funded through a USDA Rural Development grant obtained by Downtown Houston Inc.
“That will lengthen our growing season by two or three months,” Sigman said. “It’ll make a huge difference.”
Sigman sees the garden as a means of simultaneously addressing more than one issue.
“It allows the trusties an opportunity to give a little something back to the county, and it saves us a little money at the same time,” he said. “It’s a win-win situation for everybody. There isn’t really a downside.”
It allows the trusties an opportunity to give a little something back to the county, and it saves us a little money at the same time. It’s a win-win situation for everybody. There isn’t really a downside.”