Westborough parish cultivates organic garden

By William T. Clew | The Catholic Free Press

WESTBOROUGH - St. Luke the Evangelist Parish’s organic community garden has a waiting list.
And despite the challenge of a wet, very hot summer, the Heirloom Harvest Farm continues to produce vegetables for its shareholders.
The community garden is on parish land behind the parish cemetery off Hopkinton Road. The Heirloom Farm is surrounded on three sides by the Great Cedar Swamp. The farm is on 17 of the 30 acres owned by the parish, according to John Mitchell, who has been farming the land since 2004. The other 13 acres is reserved for wildlife and nesting birds.
According to Mary Andrade, parish facilitator, there are more than 30 families farm plots in the community garden now and, because more people have said they want to get involved, there are plans to add another dozen plots.
Those who farm the 20-by-15-foot plots plant vegetables, and flowers for the most part. There is also a small grape arbor on one plot. Mrs. Andrade said people can grow pretty much what they want, except for trees.
Anne Flynn, a St. Luke’s parishioner, farms one of the plots. She said it isn’t the first time she has has had a garden but it is her first year farming a plot in the St. Luke garden. She said a man with a plot next to hers gave her a hand clearing her land.
“He was a big help, “ she said.
She said she grows “a little bit of a lot of things.”
That includes tomatoes, carrots, chard, basil, peppers and pea pods. And around the edges of the plot she planted a border of marigolds.
Mrs. Flynn said she paid a $25 user fee, which covers use of the land, water from a centrally located pipe and faucet, a wheelbarrow full of organic compost and a bail of straw for mulch.
She said she and her husband enjoy the fresh produce from her efforts. She said she also gives some to neighbors and the “pesky” chipmunks that invade the plot get some.
“I grow enough for everyone,” she said.
Mrs. Andrade said those who use the garden must employ organic methods of farming. It keeps the environment healthy and well as providing healthy food for the families of growers.
She said there also is a bit of an international atmosphere in the garden, because there are a few people from other countries who grow food that is not familiar to people here. There also is a spirit of cooperation; gardeners often help one another.  
Heirloom Farm is a Community Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) farm. People in the community become members, buy shares and collect produce every week. There are different share options, according to the farm website, depending on how much produce the member needs. Membership is open to people in the community and is not limited to St. Luke’s parishioners. Mr. Mitchell said some is sold at farmers markets, some goes to the Worcester County Food Bank and other charities and some goes to St. Luke’s food program.
According to Nan Ford, St. Luke Outreach coordinator, the parish gets the equivalent of two shares “to provide fresh, local produce to families in need.”
The parish takes the food to the Knights of Columbus building where it is washed, boxed and refrigerated. She said it then is distributed to 14 or 15 families. Carmen Lara of St. Luke’s English as a Second Language program and other volunteers help with the collections and distributions.
Mr. Mitchell said the farm produces a wide variety of vegetables, starting in the greenhouse in the spring and continuing into October.

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