San Isidro Labrador Community Garden

San Isidro Labrador
Community Garden

"The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof;
the world, and all they that dwell therein."  (Psalm 24:1)

Contacts
Bob Weickert
Loren Mitchell

Mission Statement/Purpose
To cooperate with God, nature, and each other to produce organic food in a environmentally sustainable way, then distribute that food to persons needing it.

Goals

• to share good gardening practices, helping all members become competent organic gardeners.
• to share our good, locally-grown food as an alternative to mass-produced food. It is hoped that this experience will provide both incentive and skills for members to develop healthy and sustainable food habits, perhaps starting their own gardens.
• to build community within St. Thomas More by working together with a common purpose, by learning together, by having fun together.
• We want the garden to be developed and maintained so that it is productive, peaceful, and attractive.

Major Activities
Gardening is our major activity. This leads to harvesting, cleaning, and distributing. Several members also start garden plants from seeds in the weeks before they can be safely transplanted.

Major Accomplishments
We celebrated our 10th anniversary this year with the annual blessing by Fr. Dan Oschwald on May 15, the Feast Day of San Isidro Labrador. We continue with our mission to sustainably grow vegetables and distribute them free to Latino parishioners.

We use no chemicals, no fossil fuels and we sustain a rich soil and a healthy environment for plants, insects and birds, and people. We also create a community of gardeners, working part of one or two mornings each week.

In 2023, we provided over 2500 lbs of fresh vegetables and extended our pollinator bed of native flowers.

Meeting Frequency

We gather weekly, on Saturday morning, from approximately 9:00 – 12:00 or any part thereof.  At times weekday work is needed, for example to water or to harvest.

Meeting Venue
The “meeting” is actually a work event in the garden.

Estimated Time Commitment for Volunteers
The anticipated time commitment is something like 25-30 hours per year.

Special Skills
All skill levels are welcomed. Volunteers need only a love of gardening or the desire to learn how to grow vegetables organically.  We think this is a wonderful activity for families!