Community Garden Sponsored by St. Peter Claver Parish

The Community Garden was established by the parish social justice ministry in 2011 as an outreach to the surrounding Fairfield community. It is located directly across the street from the church on the corner of 9^th Ave. and 15^th St. Fresh fruits and vegetables are provided at no cost to the residents of what had been identified as a “food desert.”

The garden has twelve 3-foot-tall beds and ten 1-foot-tall beds. The taller beds have a ledge that can serve as a seat while harvesting or weeding.

While a team of parish and community volunteers plant and maintain the garden, the produce is free for anyone to harvest and enjoy. The only request is that each person picks only what can be eaten that day and that the rest can be left for others. A message board communicates what is ready to harvest at various times during the growing season. Each planter has a sign describing what is planted in the box and what the produce will look like when it is ready for harvest.

The St. Peter Claver parish community is honored by the dedicated volunteers who maintain the garden for the benefit of the Fairfield community. Further information about volunteering or harvesting in the garden can be obtained by calling the garden coordinator at (304) 315-2695.

Notes from the St. Peter Claver Community Garden Meeting

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at 10:30 am in the Parish Hall

1. The meeting opened with a prayer offered by Liz Hoffman.
2. Members present: Brad Clements, John Cornell, Shelley Hart, Liz Hoffman, Clarence Martin, Helen Zublic-Fain
3. Members absent: Eileen Chwalibog, Jack Deakin, Sally Eckhart, Henderson Fullen, Dan Hartmanstorfer, Jessica Hensley, Matt Hensley, Luke Justice, Jeannie Kalonick, Steve Kalonick, Sara Loftus, Joe Williams, April Ziegler
4. All members of the committee are required to be Virtus compliant.  Details are listed inside the front cover of the weekly parish bulletin.
5. Things to differently from the 2024 season:
   1. Brad, Clarence, Dan, Henderson and John will use lumber purchased last season to replace the two perennial beds, two remaining tall beds and all the short beds that haven’t yet been replaced.
   2. Once the frames are replaced, the perennials will be removed, soil added if necessary, and a fraction of the perennials will be replaced.  The remaining perennials will be donated to anyone who is interested in them.
   3. John and Helen will investigate purchasing “Herd Dirt” compost to be used in some beds on a trial basis.
   4. Once the beds are weeded during spring clean-up, straw purchased last season will be placed over the soil in the beds in which transplants will be added in May.
   5. Luke is donating strawberry plants that will be added to the bed as soon as the weather permits.
   6. John will ask his wife Meredith, who is a master gardener, for suggestions for keeping the deer out of the garden.
   7. Liz will purchase a four pack of tomato cages from Texas Tomato Cages.
   8. Brad will check with Mary Terrell about the possibility of raffling the quilt donated by the Piecemakers last year at the Piecemakers quilt show this year. 
6. Schedule of events:
   1. Infrastructure maintenance: by the end of Feb
   2. Perennial division: as soon as possible after planters are replaced
   3. Spring clean-up: Mar. 15 and 22 at 1:00 pm
   4. Spring planting: First week in April (Liz and Luke)
   5. Special collection: May 4 if raffle isn’t conducted.
   6. May planting: May 17 at 10:00 am
7. Eileen will donate the plants and seeds.
8. Last year’s special collection totaled about $1,300. A budget proposal of $500 was submitted to and approved by the parish finance committee.  Since the only purchases anticipated are tomato cages, some soil and compost, the sale of the quilt may cover all the 2025 expenses instead of having a special collection.
9. Jack will post information about the schedule on the parish website and Facebook and send emails to parishioners.  Liz H. will send bulletin announcements to Mary Terrell and emails to committee members.

1. Tentative 2025 Garden Stewards Schedule:

Crop Examples

Community Garden Planting

Community Garden Clean-up

Community Garden Planter Box Rebuilding