Community Garden Sponsored by St. Peter Claver Parish

In 2011, the parish social justice ministry established the Community Garden as a vital outreach initiative for the Fairfield neighborhood. Situated conveniently across the street from the church on the corner of 9th Avenue and 15th Street, the garden directly addresses the issue of food access by offering fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost to residents of what had been identified as a “food desert.”

The garden features a variety of planting spaces, including twelve accessible 3-foot-tall raised beds, thoughtfully designed with ledges that can serve as convenient seating during harvesting or weeding. An additional ten 1-foot-tall beds provide further growing space.

The Community Garden offers a variety of planting spaces, including twelve accessible 3-foot-tall raised beds – some thoughtfully equipped with ledges for comfortable seating during harvesting and weeding – alongside ten 1-foot-tall beds.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of parish and community volunteers who plant and tend the garden, its fresh produce is freely available for everyone to harvest and enjoy. To best serve the community, we kindly request that individuals harvest only what they can use that day, leaving the rest for others. A helpful message board keeps everyone informed about what’s ready to pick throughout the growing season, and each planter features a sign detailing the plant and what its mature produce looks like.

To learn more about contributing as a volunteer or enjoying the garden’s harvest, please feel welcome to call the garden coordinator at (304) 315-2695.

May 17th Update: The 2025 Community Garden was planted! ere are the 2025 Garden Stewards:

Sunday – Available

Monday – April and Helen

Tuesday – John and Shelley

Wednesday – Jeannie and Steve

Thursday – Clarence and the Hensley family

Friday – Henderson and Luke

Saturday – Available

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