Garden

The St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden was founded in 1991 in response to the denominational priorities of Hunger Relief and Integrity of Creation, Justice and Peace. Today, the St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden is the primary supplier of in-season, fresh produce to the food bank at Phoenixville Area Community Services (PACS). Anyone in the Phoenixville area who wants to grow their own food organically can join the community garden. We ask only that gardeners use organic growing techniques and donate 10% (the Biblical tithe) to someone in need or to a local agency which works on behalf of others (Phoenixville Area Community Services ["PACS"], Philibundance, etc.)

There are no required fees to join St. John's Organic Community Garden -- only a desire and a willingness to grow one's own food organically and return to the community at least 10% of the produce. St. Johns United Church of Christ remains the largest in season provider of fresh produce for the food bank administered by the Phoenixville Area Community Services, located on Gay and Church Streets in Phoenixville.

Thank you to Renninger Farms at 924 Second Avenue in Royersford for the generous 8 flats donation of annuals and perennials for our Garden, Labyrinth and the front of St. John’s. Renninger’s has wonderful plants and in season produce…..best summer corn in the area. Please patronize them.

The St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden, is located behind the Fairview Housing Complex at 412 FAIRVIEW STREET in Phoenixville.

It keeps raining on Tuesday nights, so we’re a bit behind on the weeding, but the lettuce is loving these cloudy skies and cool temperatures, so even though it’s June, we’re still making lettuce donations to PACS. If the sun shines soon, we should have a decent pea crop and of course, the garlic will be coming in by mid-month. “The garden looks really nice after the rain. Everything is growing so fast.” one of the new Fairview residents told me last week. “It’s so nice to have something pretty to look at here.”

Donations: Irene Yanchek donated 15 tomato plants which found an immediate home with one of our newer gardeners. Renninger’s Farm donated 6 tomato plants to the B’nai Jacob Bar Mitzvah youth

Schuykill Canal Association Herb Garden Additions: In May, SCA folks divided many of our herbs to add to the Locktender’s House Herb Garden. By Canal Day (June 28), these baby plants should be nicely settled into their new home. For details about Canal Day, go to http://www.schuylkillcanal.org/canalday09

Stepping Stone Education Center’s Day At Their Plot: Here’s what Janet Hunter, Stepping Stone’s Director, had to say about a recent day at the community garden:

We had a great day at the garden today. We planted tomatoes, peppers, basil. pumpkins, carrots, lettuce and watermelons. The children had a good time walking the labyrinth and we let our painted lady butterflies go at the garden too. I told the children that they can ask their grownups about starting a garden in their own yard. I encouraged the children to take their grownups to the garden and walk the labyrinth together.

100 Hyssop Seedlings: One ancient donated packet of hyssop seed had an amazing germination rate, so we ended up with 100 tiny hyssop seedlings. Over the years, I’ve gathered enough 4-inch pots to be able to transplant that many seedlings, so with the Bottenfield’s peat moss donation, our St. Gabe’s helpers learned to mix their own seedling mix and transplanted at least 15 seedlings each. We only lost 6 seedlings initially (a few seedlings were speared when the boys used their trowels, rather than their hands, to press the soil mix around the plants!), another 5 during the week (probably root damage), donated another 4 to St. Paul’s UCC in Birdsboro for their new community garden and gave another 3 to local gardeners for home use. That leaves 82 hyssop seedlings that need a home! If your yard just wouldn’t be the same without a hyssop plant or two, e-mail me directly – we have plenty!

Labyrinth Grass Harvest: The dwarf turf-type tall fescue ($60/pound specialty seed!) grass on the labyrinth is ripe, so if the sun shines and our St. Gabel’s volunteers are able to come this week, we’ll be harvesting the seed. In the past, the seed always bred true and remained a dwarf (so it doesn’t need cutting much of the year). However, this year, HACC has not been cutting the grass in the field and since grass is wind-pollinated (and dwarfism is a recessive trait in turf), grass from this year’s seed will probably have to be cut more often than in the past. It should still be a superior grass for full-sun, dry areas with poor drainage. So far, this year’s grass seed harvest will go to Reservoir Dogs! Park and two North Side residents, but if you’d like seed from this year’s harvest, either e-mail me directly or come to the garden while St. Gabe’s is there this Thursday or Friday.

Time Bank Annual Member’s Meeting: Each year, the Phoenixville Area Time Bank gets together to elect new officers and set priorities for the next year. This year, the meeting will be on June 15 at the Phoenixville YMCA. Food, door prizes, and stories from members and non-profits (like the community garden and dog park!) For more information on the Time Bank, go to http://www.pa-timebank.com/

St. Gabe’s Day Change: During Ed’s radiation treatments, our helpers from the Mitchell Program of St. Gabriel’s Hall will be helping out at the garden on Thursdays (instead of Wednesdays) and Fridays. Thanks to St. Gabe’s for changing their schedule – the boys really enjoy helping Ed and he enjoys spending time with them. Also.

Soap Fundraiser: Pat Dillon of “Soap by Pat”, available at the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market and www.soapbypat.com , has created, then donated a batch of “Community Garden Soap.” 100% of sales of these soaps go to St. John’s United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth. For just $4.50/bar or 3 bars for $12, these specially formulated garden soaps will keep even the most dedicated gardener dirt-free when going out to dinner and smelling citrus-fresh for the enjoyment of everyone around them. Check out these all natural ingredients:

Coconut oil, rice bran oil infused with calendula herb, palm oil, canola oil, water, lye, shea butter, grapefruit, lemongrass, rosemary, and lavender essential oils, spiralina and ground pumice

E-mail me directly or come up to the Perennial Garden Volunteers on a Tuesday night to purchase your “Community Garden Soap” today!

Free Black Goldfish: Sushi, my goldfish from the 2008 Dogwood Festival, needed some friends, so I answered a Craigslist ad from a Norristown pondkeeper. Now, Sushi has too many friends for the size of our pond – if you’d like some stunning looking (and very hardy) black goldfish with fancy tails, e-mail me directly to add to your own pond/aquarium.

Tuesdays, 5:30 pm to dark: Perennial Garden Volunteers, St. John’s United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth, 412 Fairview Street

The Perennial Garden Volunteers meet every Tuesday from 5:30 pm until dark, weather permitting. Join us as your schedule permits for weeding and conversation. Phoenixville Area Time Bank members can receive TimeDollars for helping out on Tuesday nights. For more information on the Time Bank, go to http://www.pa-timebank.com/

If you’d like to join the potluck dinner at dusk under the Hardy Kiwi Pergola, bring a beverage or dish to share, plus your own place setting. We use my cousin Ed’s emergency lantern for light.

Thursdays and Fridays, 3:30 to 5:30 pm, Mitchell Program of St. Gabriel’s Hall, St. John’s United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth, 412 Fairview Street

Our helpers from the Mitchell Program of St. Gabriel’s Hall join us each week to learn the basics of sustainable agriculture. Do come to encourage them – they love an audience!

Monday, June 15, 7 to 9 pm: Phoenixville Area Time Bank Annual Members’ Meeting, Phoenixville YMCA, Child Watch Multi-Purpose Room, 400 E. Pothouse Road, Phoenixville

Food, door prizes, election of officers and priorities for the new year. For more information on the Time Bank, go to http://www.pa-timebank.com/

Tuesday, July 14, 6 pm: Phoenixville Borough Council Parks & Properties Committee Meeting, Borough Hall, 140 Church Street

As members of this committee, Shanlee Fisher and I will attend this meeting, then join the Perennial Garden Volunteers in progress afterwards.

Friday, July 17, 1 to 5 pm: SEI Volunteer Day at St. John’s United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth, 412 Fairview Street

SEI in Oaks returns for their “Days of Service.” They always bring the best snacks of any corporate volunteer group, so be sure to stop by and pull up a few weeds.

THE ST. JOHNS LABYRINTH is a turf style labyrinth which was designed and dug by volunteers in 2004 and 2005 as a gift to the community to promote problem solving, stress reduction and spiritual growth through the ancient art of walking meditation. The labyrinth is open year round during daylight hours; guides to using this contemplative tool can be found in the Labyrinth Information mailbox at the labyrinth entrance.

The labyrinth can be sued by individuals and groups, either without guidance or as part of a specific program such as dealing with chronic illness or addiction, supporting the cancer journey, relieving grief or loss, resolving artistic/writer’s block, developing a regular spiritual practice or examining one’s priorities.

A labyrinth is an ancient (at least 4000 years) walking meditation tool that follows one circuitous path to the center and out again. Unlike a maze, there are no dead ends or false pathways. If you follow the path, you will always come to the center and once you leave the center, you will always come to the exit.

The Labyrinth at St. Johns United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden site is a 7 circuit turf labyrinth modified from the 11 circuit Breamore turf labyrinth in England. Medieval Christians used labyrinths as a useful walking resource for prayer and celebrations. The most famous labyrinth in the world is the famed Chartes labyrinth in the Cathedral of Chartes.

There is no fee for using the labyrinth. We ask that persons are respectful of the grounds and the garden area beside the labyrinth as well as those persons who are using the labyrinth for meditation and those working at their garden sites. The labyrinth site is a wonderful place to come and sit, read, meditate and walk the labyrinth. Everyone is welcome. St. Johns Untied Church of Christ labyrinth was dedicated to the Glory of God in the name of the Holy Trinity. However, persons of all faith traditions are welcome to use the labyrinth utilizing prayers and meditations common to that faith expression.

Our aim is to provide a safe, quiet, meditative space for persons on their journey of life through meditation, prayer, mantra, introspective work, or just enjoying the outdoor experience.

The St. Johns United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth is located behind the Fairview Housing units at 412 Fairview Street, Phoenixville, PA. Fairview Street is on the north side of the Borough. If you would like directions to the garden site and labyrinth site, please call the church at 610 933-5311. St. Johns United Church of Christ is located at 315 Gay Street within the Borough of Phoenixville, between First and Second Avenues on Gay Street.

THE FOLLOWING was written by Dorene Pasekoff as a summary statement of our garden/labyrinth ministry in the spring of 2006:

St. John’s United Church of Christ Adds Labyrinth to Community Garden As Gift to Community

Since 1991, St. John’s United Church of Christ has sponsored a public community garden (currently located at the Fairview Village Housing Project at 412 Fairview Street) which offers free gardening plots to Phoenixville area residents and a rare plant repository/heirloom seed saving site for Seed Savers Exchange with botanical-garden quality specimens. Through the volunteer efforts of our gardeners, our community garden become the primary source of in-season fresh produce for the food bank at Phoenixville Area Community Services and provides twice-weekly hands-on instruction in organic gardening/seed saving techniques and outdoor community service opportunities for both Chester County youth and the Mitchell Program of St. Gabriel’s Hall.

Our Perennial Garden Volunteers, adults who meet weekly to tend both the plants and our youth helpers, felt that while the community garden was fulfilling its mission to feed the hungry, it was time to bring the natural beauty of the site to those who were overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life, yet did not find that working with plants spoke to them as it does to our gardeners.

As the community garden is open to anyone who wishes to work, feed themselves and others or simply relax with plants, it was felt that creating a labyrinth that was open and available to anyone at anytime they felt overwhelmed by stress and/or a time of difficult decisions would be the proper next step to opening the community garden as a place of healing to the greater Phoenixville community. Since the labyrinth would be created as part of a garden, we choose a standard British turf (grass/herb mounds between a walking path) design.

From 2004 to 2005, our youth helpers mattocked their way through shale create a 48 foot diameter turf labyrinth on the western edge of what is now called St. John’s United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth. The labyrinth structure was dedicated in June 2005 and since that time has been planted with traditional herbs, miniature roses and rare daffodils from the local chapter of the American Daffodil Society. Since its listing on the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator http://wwll.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org/ this structure has inspired daily walkers who use the labyrinth for walking meditation, an alternative to yoga that provides the same mental and stress-relieving benefits, yet allows the body to move.

As our community garden provides food to those who hunger, we sincerely hope that those who hunger in their soul will find rest, peace and guidance on the winding path of Phoenixville’s only public labyrinth.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation are extended to the following for their generous donations of seeds and continued support of our community gardening efforts:

Why Participate in a Community Garden?

Who Can Join the Garden?

When Can I Join the Garden?

What Do I Receive to Garden?