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Monica Knudsen is the
Garden Coordinator for The St. Charles Borromeo
Community Garden
You may
contact Monica by e-mail at:
stcharlesgarden@cox.net
To view garden
pictures click here!
To
read community garden rules click here
Gardening and
sustainable living articles click here
News from the St. Charles
Community Organic Garden
by Monica Knudsen
Our garden is located next to
the Dorothy Day center, and is part of our food
sharing ministry. Volunteer grocery deliverers can
pick from it, and bring food to folks who have
little or no access to garden-fresh vegetables.
It is also part of our parish. Stop by after Mass
and choose a few things for your own table!
It is in a neighborhood. We never know where
there is need, and no child of God should be denied
food.
Our garden serves many communities.
Obviously, five raised beds cannot comfortably feed
this many people. That brings us to another
important role; to demonstrate and teach. You, too,
can use the design of our community garden for your
own back yard. It is low-maintenance, easy to
water, requires very little weeding, and fits in
compact, sunny places. We hope to offer free how-to
build seminars and garden Q&A’s with local experts
next spring.
Rising food prices and an awareness of the
superior nutritional value of home-grown foods make
this a ministry whose time has come. Our
grandparents and great grandparents knew it. In the
days when most Americans lived on farms or in small
towns, kitchen gardens were commonplace.
New this season is a compost bin, and apple
and pear trees, which will produce in about three
years. In the meantime, come by to pick a few
tomatoes, pull a few weeds, relax, and admire the
Creator’s handiwork.
Finally, as spiritual people, our little green
oasis is much more than a collection of plants and a
food source. God created the first garden, and His
Son suffered in one at Gethsemane. Gardens can be
a place of holy significance, where we can bring our
joys and sorrows, and spend time in prayer and
reflection. We hope to soon have a bench or two for
this purpose, and for workers to rest.
Volunteers are always needed and time involved
is minimal. Jobs include watering, weeding,
fertilizing, and plant staking. Watchful eyes are
also needed to spot sick plants or insect
infestation, and implement organic remedies. In
spring and late summer, we meet to till the soil and
start new crops.
The garden is located next to the Dorothy Day
Center, 4909 State Street, one block south of 50th
and one block east of Grove.
“Let us press on to know the Lord. . . He will
come to us like the rain, like spring rain that
waters the earth.” Hosea 6: 3
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