Garden Details
Garden Details
Our vegetable garden is eleven 3’X4” raised beds on the church
campus. The beds are located between the back parking area and the school
playground. The garden is planted by members of the Creation Care Ministry at Nativity
along with members of a local garden club. The Nativity 4 th graders plant the “3 Sisters”
(corn, beans and squash) during their Colonial Day in May for the last 3 years. All
produce we harvest is donated to the food insecure in our local community.
Garden Practices
Garden Practices
We have raised beds that were built by Eagle Scouts and the “Work
Camp” teens over the last few years. Each spring, we refresh the beds with organic
compost before planting. We lightly mix the compost into the surface of the soil. We
also use an organic fertilizer at planting and during the growing season. We do not use
any chemicals: fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, in our garden.
In the fall and spring we grow greens: spinach, kale and swiss chard in
one or two beds. We also plant radishes and carrots in half of one bed. For summer,
we grow cherry sized tomatoes, bush cucumbers, squash, pole beans, and several
different peppers. Last fall we planted seed garlic and it is growing well (see picture
below). This spring we are also trying eggplant and tomatillos.
We are grateful to have community involvement in our
garden. The two leaders of the garden are also members of a local garden club, Laurel
Garden Club of West Springfield/Burke, VA. Several members of the club are also
members of Nativity. Some of those members, along with others not affiliated with
Nativity, as well as members of Creation Care Ministry help maintain and harvest the
beds. As mentioned, we also partner with Nativity School’s 4 th grade teacher so the
students can plant during their Colonial Day. And we partner with the Knights of
Columbus, Teen Work Camp, Eagle Scouts and a Girl Scout Brownie troop.
All produce we harvest is donated to a parish ministry, No Hands But Yours, and to a
local special education teacher in a Fairfax County Title 1 school. She gives the
produce to her students’ families. When we have a particularly large harvest, we
donate to Ecumenical Council for Helping Others (ECHO), a food bank in our area.
