Garden Details
Garden Details
Saint Isidore’s Garden is a parish community garden at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia. Cared for by volunteers, the garden grows fresh vegetables and herbs for the OLQP Food Pantry, helping provide nutritious food to hundreds of local families each week.
Named in honor of Saint Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, the garden brings people together through gardening, service, learning, and care for creation. Its raised beds are arranged in a design inspired by traditional cloister gardens, with a rose tree at the center honoring Our Lady Queen of Peace. A dedicated native plant and pollinator bed adds beauty and supports biodiversity.
The garden’s surrounding fence draws inspiration from the biblical image of Abraham’s tent. Its four gates symbolize hospitality and welcome to people arriving from every direction.
Garden Practices
Garden Practices
Saint Isidore's Garden uses approximately 30 raised beds and sustainable gardening practices, including composting, crop rotation, companion planting, and cover crops. The garden avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. A dedicated native plant and pollinator-friendly bed provides habitat for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
The garden grows a variety of vegetables and herbs, including tomatoes, jalapeño and other peppers, green beans, Swiss chard, radishes, tomatillos, kale, garlic, and basil. A dedicated native plant and pollinator-friendly bed features plants such as coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, swamp milkweed, New England asters, Joe Pye weed, butterfly weed, garden phlox, and bee balm. In 2026, the garden added a cut-flower bed outside the fence, featuring zinnias, gomphrena, and cosmos, to grow flowers for the church altar and parish fellowship gatherings.
Parishioners and community volunteers help plant, water, weed, harvest, and maintain the garden throughout the growing season. Regular volunteer sessions take place on Saturday mornings (8:00-10:00 AM) and Tuesday evenings (5:30-7:00 PM).
The garden also provides opportunities for children, youth, and adults to learn about growing food, caring for creation, and serving neighbors. Activities include an annual spring Garden Blessing on the feast of Saint Isidore, hands-on gardening experiences, and participation in parish events such as the Faith Formation Kickoff, where children help plant seeds, harvest vegetables, and learn how the garden supports the OLQP Food Pantry.
Additional Information
Additional Information
Like many community gardens, Saint Isidore's Garden faces challenges related to weather, pests, seasonal maintenance, and volunteer availability. Its surrounding fence helps protect crops from deer and rabbits, while volunteers work together to maintain healthy soil and productive growing spaces.
Saint Isidore's Garden welcomes volunteers of all experience levels to help with planting, watering, harvesting, composting, and seasonal maintenance. Donations of gardening supplies and materials also help sustain the garden and its mission of providing fresh produce to the OLQP Food Pantry.
In 2024, Saint Isidore's Garden tripled its growing space with the support of $15,000 in grant funding. That year, volunteers harvested 613 pounds of fresh produce for the OLQP Food Pantry. In 2025, the harvest grew to 642 pounds, all shared with neighbors through the pantry.
Beyond its harvests, the garden has become a gathering place for parishioners and neighbors, offering live music, educational activities, and opportunities for prayer, fellowship, and service.
