The one-acre Kerr County Jail Garden has yielded more than 6,000 pounds of produce this year, said Kerr County Sheriff W.R. “Rusty” Hierholzer.
“It gets the inmates out and gives back to our community,” Hierholzer explained. “We have anywhere from four to eight inmates who spend approximately seven hours a day in the garden depending on the weather. The inmates volunteer to work in the garden, plus it gets them out of their cells.”
The garden is overseen by jail administrator Sylvia Foraker, and inmates are supervised by correction officer Emilio Vasquez.
The produce harvested daily benefits the Dietert Center, the Meals on Wheels Program, the Kerrville K-Star, and the Kerrville Women’s Shelter.
The recent addition of a 65,000 gallon rain water catchment system is strictly for the garden and will be utilizing the rain run-off from the jail.
“The garden is a win-win situation for all,” declared Hierholzer.
