Garden News 10-2-24

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Oct 032024
 

Planting and Harvesting Update:
30,362 Pounds Produced and Donated!!!

This year’s production has finally pulled ahead of last year’s, largely because of our wonderful potato crop. The garden gave us 7,300 pounds of potatoes this year compared to 1,800 pounds last year.

And hats off to okra. It’s great fried or in soups. The food pantries are clamoring for it. This year we harvested 254 pounds, versus 65 pounds in 2023. Some of the plants are 6-7 feet tall! Next year we will plant even more of it.

By the end of September, we produced and harvested 30,362 pounds of produce! This compares to 26,782 last year. Okra as high as a volunteer’s eye. (Or higher!) – To the Left

PRODUCE           POUNDS
Apples                        1,050
Beets                             270
Blueberries:                     10
Bush Beans:               1,290
Broccoli:                            5
Cabbage:                    3,489
Cauliflower                      90
Collards:                        562
Cucumbers:                  286
Edamame:                       30
Eggplant:                       348
Garlic/Garlic Scapes:    273
Ground cherries:             43
Kale:                              262
Kohlrabi:                          55
Lima Beans:                    45
Lettuce:                         225
Okra:                             254
Onions:                          160
Peas:                              380
Peppers:                      1,049
Potatoes                      7,315
Radishes:                         75
Summer Squash:           370
Sweet Corn:                   680
Swiss Chard:                  407
Tomatitoes:                    194
Tomatoes:                    9,200
Turnips:                             60
Watermelon:                 1,400
Winter Squash                  15
Zucchini:                         470
Total:                          30,362
DONATION SITES/POUNDS
Clive Food Pantry: 455
Drake University: 230
Fresh Start: 1,160
Lutheran Services: 79
CFUM: 4,823
Joppa: 160
St Theresa: 90
St Marks Community Fridge: 1,595
Trinity Los Americas:  5,830
Johnston Food Pantry:  3,912
WDM Human Services:  12,028
Total Donated: 30,362

We Always Need Volunteers!

Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering that fits your group’s schedule.

 Posted by at 12:13 am

Garden News 9-4-24

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Sep 042024
 

Meet St Mark’s Neighborhood Fridge
https://www.stmarkwdm.org/ministries/st-mark-neighborhood-fridge/

Established on June 1 of this year, St. Mark Neighborhood Fridge is a ministry of St. Mark Lutheran Church, 1105 Grand Avenue in West Des Moines. It is dedicated to rescuing usable food from local sources and making it available to those in need and is open 24/7 and is handicap accessible.

Produce from the Faith & Grace Garden is also available at the Fridge. The produce is picked up from the Garden on Wednesdays around noon by Fridge Team members and usually available the same day to the community.

Anyone can stop by and take the food that they need, no questions asked.

A successful Community Fridge reduces food waste, builds stronger bonds within the community, and promotes equal access to nutritious food. The Faith & Grace Garden is very pleased to be partnering with the St Mark’s Neighborhood Fridge in feeding local people.


Planting and Harvesting Update

Our production at the end of August totaled 20,061 pounds compared to 21,991 pounds in 2023, due primarily to excessive rain and heat. We are 1,930 pounds behind where we were last year at this time. Still, we have donated an impressive 20,000 pounds to feed our neighbors.

Below is an update on our donations through August 31.

PRODUCE           POUNDS
Apples                        1,050
Beets                             270
Blueberries:                     10
Bush Beans:                  695
Broccoli:                            5
Cabbage:                    1,897
Collards:                        397
Cucumbers:                  286
Edamame:                       30
Eggplant:                       208
Garlic/Garlic Scapes:    273
Ground cherries:             38
Kale:                              217
Kohlrabi:                          55
Lima Beans:                    35
Lettuce:                         225
Okra:                               88
Onions:                          160
Peas:                              380
Peppers:                         500
Potatoes                       5,430
Radishes:                         75
Swiss Chard:                  327
Tomatitoes:                     165
Tomatoes:                    6,285
Turnips:                             60
Watermelon:                   790
Zucchini:                         110
Total:                         20,061
DONATION SITES/POUNDS
Clive Food Pantry:  455
Fresh Start: 955
Lutheran Services: 39
CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 3,103
Joppa: 160
St. Marks Community Fridge: 1,040
St. Theresa: 90
Trinity Los Americas: 4,645
Johnston Food Pantry: 1,741
WDM Human Services: 7,833
TOTAL: 20,061 pounds

We Always Need Volunteers!

Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering that fits your group’s schedule.

 Posted by at 11:36 pm

Garden News 8-6-24

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Aug 062024
 

The Blessing of the Garden

St. Timothy’s Episcopal and Covenant Presbyterian held a joint service July 21 to celebrate the bounty of the garden that grows between the two churches and is their joint mission. Following the service, Rev. Kyle Carswell and Rev. Nathan Williams blessed the garden. For the first time in several years, it didn’t rain, so the blessing was actually outside in the garden. Afterward, parishioners from both churches met for a meal and fellowship.


Planting and Harvesting Update

Vegetables seem to be taking longer to ripen than last year, possibly due to extreme weather and an overabundance of rain. That means our numbers are still impressive, but they are down from last year.

This year, we harvested 7,510 pounds of produce compared with 9,605 last year at the same time. Most of the difference is in tomato weights, which totaled 1,335 pounds this year, almost a third of last year’s count of 3,880.

Below is an update on our donations through August 3.

PRODUCE POUNDS

Beets 210
Blueberries: 10
Bush Beans: 120
Broccoli: 5
Cabbage: 912
Collards: 272
Cucumbers: 196
Eggplant: 98
Garlic/Garlic Scapes: 273
Ground cherries: 25
Kale: 157
Kohlrabi: 55
Lettuce: 225
Okra: 10
Onions: 160
Peas: 380
Peppers: 75
Potatoes 2,495
Radishes: 75
Swiss Chard: 237
Tomatitoes: 15
Tomatoes: 1.335
Turnips: 60
Zucchini: 10

Total: 7,510

DONATION SITES/POUNDS

Fresh Start: 560
Lutheran Services: 39
CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 925
Joppa: 30
St. Marks Community Fridge: 435
Trinity Los Americas: 1,175
Johnston Food Pantry: 866
WDM Human Services: 2,880

TOTAL: 7,510 pounds


We Always Need Volunteers

Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering that fits your group’s schedule.

 Posted by at 1:36 am

Garden New 7-15-24

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Jul 152024
 

Old Friends Return to the Garden Ashworth Road Baptist Church!

For many years, a volunteer team from Ashworth Road Baptist Church was a fixture in the Faith and Grace Garden on Wednesday nights. Now the garden volunteer team from is back! Shown below, the team planted sweet potatoes and pulled weeds last week before the rain came.


This Week In The Garden

Now is an ”in between” time in the garden. We are harvesting a little of everything and waiting for the peppers and tomatoes to ripen. After that, our production weights will soar. This week we will mulch the sweet potatoes planted last week and might do some watering, depending on rainfall.

Below is an update on our produce deliveries.

PRODUCE POUNDS

Beets 135
Blueberries 10
Broccoli 5
Cabbage 232
Collards 167
Cucumbers 71
Eggplant 13
Garlic/Garlic Scapes 193
Ground cherries 5
Kale 71
Lettuce 225
Onions 160
Peas 380
Peppers 5
Radishes 75
Swiss Chard 162
Turnips 60
Zucchin 40
Total: 2,064

DONATION SITES

Lutheran Social Services: 39
CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 640 pounds
Joppa: 30 pounds
Trinity Los Americas: 510 pounds
WDM Human Services: 845 pounds

TOTAL: 2,064 pounds


We Always Need Volunteers

Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering that fits your group’s schedule.

 Posted by at 1:30 am

Garden News 7-9-24

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Jul 092024
 

Garlic, Garlic, Everywhere!
Thanks to the 12-person team from Revision Church, we harvested more than 6,500 garlic bulbs on Sunday, June 30.  Revision Church has helped us in the garden several times each season for the past 6 years. We really appreciate their partnership! Mark Marshal holds garlic harvest bottom left – Revision Church Volunteers bottom right.


Planting and Harvest Update:
We are planting sweet potatoes and melons and are harvesting turnips, some squash, and lettuce. Soon we will be harvesting potatoes.
We dig potatoes with our potato harvester, which is pulled behind the garden tractor. Volunteers then follow behind, picking up the potatoes and putting them in wheelbarrows.
We continue mulching the garden to control weed growth.

Below is an update on our donations through July3:

PRODUCE POUNDS

Beets 35
Blueberries: 10
Cabbage: 65
Collards: 105
Garlic/Garlic Scapes: 70
Ground cherries: 5
Kale: 40
Lettuce: 225
Peas: 380
Radishes: 75
Swiss Chard: 100
Turnips: 60
Zucchini: 10

Total: 1,215

DONATION SITES
CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 350 pounds
Joppa: 30 pounds
Trinity Los Americas: 300 pounds
WDM Human Services: 535 pounds

TOTAL: 1,215 pounds


We Always Need Volunteers

Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering that fits your group’s schedule.

 Posted by at 1:13 am

Garden News 6-21-24

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Jun 212024
 

Many thanks to the Deloitte Des Moines Corporate Service Team who volunteered in the Faith & Grace Garden on Friday, June 7! This high energy team did a wonderful job mulching the tomato and pepper plants, harvesting peas, and erecting a fence.  There are still lots of volunteer opportunities in the garden. We need help mulching, planting and harvesting. Please see the end of this message to volunteer in the garden.


Planting and Harvest Update

We are now planting sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and melons. Soon we will plant sweet corn.
We are continuing to harvest salad bowl crops; we will harvest white potatoes and garlic soon.

Below is an update on our produce deliveries through June 20, 2024:

PRODUCE POUNDS

Blueberries: 10
Collards: 45
Ground cherries: 5
Lettuce: 210
Kale: 20
Radishes: 75
Peas: 350
Swiss Chard: 45
Turnips: 10
Total: 770

DONATION SITES

CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 245 pounds
Joppa: 30 pounds
Trinity Los Americas: 235 pounds
WDM Human Services: 260 pounds
TOTAL: 770 pounds


Volunteer hours changed June 1.

Starting June 1, our new volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m, Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon. No experience necessary. Please sign-up for morning hours HERE. No experience necessary.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering as fits your group’s schedule.


 Posted by at 12:59 am

Garden News 5-25-24

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May 252024
 

Kids in the Garden

The youth group from Covenant Presbyterian Church planted onions on Wednesday evening.

Planting Update

We now have 950 tomato plants growing in the garden. Thanks to the help of students from Waukee High School, most of these plants are also mulched and placed in tomato cages.

We need to make about 300 to 400 more tomato cages to finish work in the tomato patch. If your business, civic, or church group is looking for a service project, here it is!

We are in the process of planting peppers. We have about 150 plants in the ground and hope to have 700+ hot and sweet peppers growing in the garden by the end of the month.


Storm Report
The greenhouse sustained minor damage from the storms this week. We are very thankful that the hail and tornadoes missed the garden.


First Harvest

The first deliveries of cool weather crops started this week.
Totals through May 22, 2024:

PRODUCE
Lettuce: 80 pounds
Radishes: 50 pounds
TOTAL: 130 pounds

DONATION SITES
CFUM (Children and Families Urban Movement): 65 pounds
West Des Moines Human Services: 65 pounds
TOTAL: 130 pounds


Faith + Grace Garden Welcomes New Donation Site – Joppa.
This year we will start making regular produce deliveries to Joppa.

Joppa’s mission is “to create communities of unconditional love, support, and hope for the homeless as we work together to prevent and ultimately end homelessness.”

Joppa’s work includes collaborating with community partners, helping homeless people access existing resources, and mobilizing private donations from families, churches, and organizations to fill unmet needs in homeless services, housing, and education.

To learn more about Joppa, visit their website here


Can You Help? We Always Need Volunteers

Volunteer opportunities in May are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. No experience necessary. Please sign-up HERE.

Volunteer hours to change on June 1.

Starting June 1, our new volunteer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.  Afternoon volunteer hours are available by appointment. Please sign up for morning hours HERE.  Please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381 to volunteer in the afternoon.  No experience necessary.
Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.
When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have all the tools you will need.

Thank you for your help!

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn how volunteering can fit your group’s schedule.

Thank you for reading!

 Posted by at 8:17 pm

Garden News 5-9-24

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May 092024
 

More Than 100,000 Vegetables Starter Plants Have Been Given to our Neighbors

Thank you to all who participated in the vegetable plant giveaway —more than 100,000 plants were given to home gardeners last month.  That’s not a typo – 100,000!!!! We wish you a bountiful year in your garden! And remember to plant an extra row to feed hungry people by donating some of your produce to your local food pantry.


Planting Update

The Faith & Grace Garden is now humming with planting activity. So far, we have finished planting potatoes, peas, shallots and onions and lettuce. We are in the process of planting cabbage. We plan to have 2,000-3,000 cabbages planted by the end of May. Tomato planting will also start in the next week or so.

The Faith & Grace Garden received about 2 inches of rain on Monday night. Thanks to the large amount of organic material worked into our soil, the garden handles rain like a sponge. Rainwater tends to sink deep. We are in the garden planting most days and really appreciate your volunteer help!


Can You Help? We Always Need Volunteers

Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. No experience necessary. Please sign-up HERE.

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation. When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise we can provide them. We have the tools you will need.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering as fits your group’s schedule. Thank you for your help!

Faith + Grace Garden 1020 24th St West Des Moines, IA 50266-2107 USA

 Posted by at 7:23 pm

Garden News 4-16-24

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Apr 162024
 

Rain and Volunteers Make the Garden Grow

It’s Tuesday and a wonderful rain is falling in the Faith & Grace Garden. That’s good because we are making great progress in planting this spring. So far, potatoes, lettuce, peas, and garlic are in the ground. We are starting to plant onions. Then comes the brassicas family: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale, and Swiss chard.

Warm Weather Plant Giveaway
April 27 & 28 and May 4 & 5

We will give away a wide variety of plant starts, including, tomato (red splicer, paste, cherry, and yellow low acid varieties), peppers, (hot and sweet), cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash, melons, and herbs (basil, thyme, dill, and rosemary). Bring a box to carry your plants to your car.

WHEN
Saturday, April 27 and Saturday, May 4 – 10 a.m. until noon
Sunday, April 28 and Sunday, May 5 – Noon until 2 p.m.
Donations accepted but not required.


“Name That Vegetable”
Each year we plant something new in the garden and have fun as people guess what it is. The vegetable may be one suggested by folks at the food pantries we serve or perhaps by a garden volunteer.

Below is this year’s new garden vegetable and this year’s prize. Let us know what you think our mystery vegetable is. The first person to correctly “Name That Vegetable” will receive a deck of Famous Plants of the Bible playing cards.

Hints: This vegetable is a native of South and Central America. Eaten raw, this vegetable has the crunch of an apple but it’s not as sweet. When cooked, it can be used in any dish as a low-starch substitute for potatoes.


Plants of the Bible Playing Cards

Famous Plants of the Bible Playing Cards include 54 beautifully illustrated plants, trees, and flowers along with their common and Latin names and corresponding Bible quotation.


Who Doesn’t Like Sun & Fun?
Be a Garden Volunteer

We continue working in the greenhouse transplanting and, weather permitting, in the garden planting onions. Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available Monday through Friday, 9–11a.m. and 1– 3p.m. No experience necessary. Please sign-up HERE

Why sign-up? By signing up, you help us plan ahead to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them, otherwise we can provide them. We have the tools you will need.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about how volunteering fits your group’s schedule.

Thank you for your help!

 Posted by at 4:24 am

Garden News 4-2-24

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Apr 022024
 

Community Plant Giveaway this Saturday

We’ll be sharing cool weather vegetable starter plants with the community again this Saturday, April 6, from 10am until Noon. We will giveaway cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, collards, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, onions, seed potatoes and cauliflower. Drop by the Faith & Grace Garden Greenhouse, pick up plants for your home vegetable garden, and visit with other gardeners.

Garden Season 2024 is Underway
Volunteer Now

We are working in the greenhouse transplanting and, weather permitting, in the garden planting onions. Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available Monday through Friday, 9am – 11am and 1pm – 3pm. No experience necessary. Please sign-up HERE

Why sign-up? By signing up we can better plan to make your volunteer experience more enjoyable. We are also able to notify you in case of a cancellation.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them, otherwise we can provide them. We have the tools you will need.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Send a message to info@growthefood.org to learn about volunteering as fits your group’s schedule.

Thank you for your help!

 Posted by at 9:39 pm