About us
Established in 2001, the Faith & Grace Garden is located on the north side of Ashworth Road between 24th Street and 28th Streets in West Des Moines and is one acre in size. The garden plot is located here (provide GPS coordinates) on the grounds of Covenant Presbyterian Church and St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church. The Faith and Grace Garden is a donation garden which means all of the on average 15,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables grown there are donated to local food pantries. Over the years, fruit trees and pollinator beds were added in front of the garden.
The Faith & Grace Garden is a community-wide effort. Volunteers include neighbors, schools, church, civic and corporate groups. Please see the Volunteers tab for details.
In 2021, we donated a record 20,019 pounds of produce to feed the local hungry.
Our garden season begins in early spring when we set out some cool weather crops. In May, planting the rest of the garden gets underway. Here is what we typically grow in the garden:
Apples | Cabbage | Lima Beans | Spinach | ||||
Asparagus | Cantaloupe | Lettuce | Summer Squash | ||||
Beets | Cauliflower | Onions | Sweet Potatoes | ||||
Bush Beans | Cucumbers | Peas | Potatoes | ||||
Blue berries | Eggplant | Pears | Tomatoes | ||||
Broccoli | Garlic | Peppers | Turnips | ||||
Brussel Sprouts | Kale | Radishes | Watermelon | ||||
In 2020, we were able to add a 48’x26’ greenhouse beside the garden.
Now we grow about 40,000 vegetable seedings annually in the greenhouse. We start tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, broccoli, squash and melons in the greenhouse. About 3,000 of these vegetable starts are used in our garden. The rest are given away at no charge to other local donation gardens and to refugee farmers.
To become a garden volunteer, please see the Volunteers tab.
To make a donation to the Faith & Grace garden, please see the Donations tab.