Femme au foyer: St. Francis Community Garden

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

St. Francis Community Garden

It’s that time of year again, when in other parts of the US our friends are getting snowed on, but here in Greenville we are harvesting peas, radish, lettuce and strawberries, not to mention drowning in kale. Our work with the student garden at Lauris’s school and in our backyard is taking us on some urban farm adventures, most recently the Bon Secours St. Francis Community Garden.

We were invited to dig up some plants in a bed surrounding the garden that were slated to be replaced with a cut flower garden. Since beginning work on a butterfly garden at the school early this spring we’ve been on the lookout for native flowers that can tolerate the hot and dry summers, and several of the hardy perennials they were looking to remove fit the bill perfectly. We transplanted some lyre-leaf sage, a bit of bee balm, pink yarrow and even some lemon balm, and in the coming month we’ve got some big plans for our space – stay tuned for more on that later this month.

Not only were the folks at the St. Francis Community Garden kind enough to share their surplus with us, but we also got a great look at the garden, taking away not just plants for the butterfly garden, but also knowledge and ideas – all things that only get bigger when shared…

Developed in the spring of 2009, the garden is a partnership between St. Francis and Leadership Greenville’s Class 35. This community garden on the corner of Andrews St. and Highway 123 is almost 1,000 square feet, with 16 plots averaging about 50 square feet. In addition to the raised beds, members have access to a tool shed, compost bins, a work table, potting shed, running water and irrigation. The garden is fenced in, and parking is available adjacent to the garden. On our visit the garden was a hum of activity as members worked on their plots, and volunteers helped clear the beds and ready the garden for spring planting.