Welcome To The Garden!

The Need

One of the challenges of poverty is poor nutrition. Urban poor (both working and unemployed) who live in an environment of food-insecurity suffer the affects of a diet that is low in vitamins, minerals, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meats. Both a lack of monetary resources and a limited geographical access to these necessary foods are problems the urban poor face; grocery stores in impoverished areas are scarce and those that do exist rarely offer clean, fresh produce. With a lack of access, the habit of eating high calorie, low nutrition foods develops over generations and leads to diabetes and heart disease at a much higher rate among the poor. This is the case in parts of the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood.

The Vision

Shared Harvest Project (SHarP) is a collaborative gardening effort including parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Common Ground Christian Church, and neighborhood residents to address nutritional needs in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. The first SHarP garden in 2010 is in development and will be located at the southeast corner of 46th & Illinois. We have a fivefold mission for 2010:

1. Provide fresh produce to support the efforts of neighborhood food banks
2. Provide gardening-related and nutritional educational opportunities for the community 
3. Build relationships amongst the garden team, neighborhood, and food bank patrons 
4. Provide fresh produce to individuals who serve in the garden 
5. Serve as a place for joy, respite, reflection, and reminder of our Creator

How Our Garden Will Grow

The success of SHarP will be solely dependent upon volunteers.  Assembling and organizing a group of individuals to accomplish any task can be challenging, especially a garden project that at times involves physical labor under the hot sun. But for those willing to take on the challenge of working the soil, the rewards are great and sense of achievement is unique and hard to match with any other endeavor. A basic plan for SHarP in Year 1 has been established to ensure:

• Ample growth of produce for local food banks
• Efficient coordination of work and equitable sharing of the workload and harvest 
• Participants with various interests and experience-levels will improve their gardening skills 
• The garden becomes a valued part of the neighborhood
• Flexibility for future growth and retooling the garden plan, if necessary

In Year 1 , the SHarP garden will be approximately 500-750 sq. ft. and will be divided between growing beds dedicated for local foodbanks and beds for garden volunteers to share.  The space may seem small, but research and experience show that $750-$1,000 of produce can be easily grown in 100 sq. ft. throughout the warm months in Indiana.  Water will be available in spigoted barrels located on the site.  We are close to finalizing a source for filling the barrels on a weekly basis.

Volunteer Covenant (In Development)

We are hoping for 15-20 willing individuals of various backgrounds and gardening experience to set aside time on a weekly basis this summer to help in the garden.  For your efforts, you will undoubtedly learn a lot and make new friends, and of course-- enjoy many helpings of fresh produce from the volunteer garden beds.  Scheduling of each volunteer's work time is TBD and will be dependent on the number of volunteers, but it will be very flexible.   As physical abilities permit, we will all need to help in some way with planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and mowing throughout the season.  To receive a share of produce, volunteers should be prepared to:

• Uphold the mission of the SHarP Garden and be an active participant.
• Provide 1-2 hours/week of service (on average) from mid-May through the end of October.
• Participate in 2 of 6 Saturday workdays. The workdays are tentatively scheduled for the second Saturday of each month from May through October from approximately 9am until 1pm.

** SHarP will gladly accept volunteer labor throughout the growing season from individuals whose schedules do not allow a regular commitment.  Please contact sharedharvestproject@gmail.com with any questions.  Come and join in the fun in whatever way you can!


Help! I have some questions.

Everything I have ever planted in a pot or in the ground has immediately died. Do you still want me? Why yes, of course! The best way to make your thumb greener is to surround yourself with other gardeners, but most of all, keep trying!


Will the garden be organically grown and maintained? Most likely. This will be an issue to discuss in detail with the volunteer team. We will not be using synthetic pesticides/herbicides, especially common glyphosate weed sprays that may spread and harm your beans while they kill a thistle.

I have a physical disability or cannot perform strenuous work. Is there a place for me to serve? Certainly!  Many gardening tasks can be adapted to suit your needs.


How will the growing areas for volunteers be divvyed up? They won’t be, at least in the traditional sense of a rental/allotment community garden. These spaces will most likely be shared collectively. Decisions regarding plant selection and sharing the harvest will be made as a group, so we all feel a sense of ownership and involvement and share fairly in the rewards.

How will we water the garden? Very mindfully, from watering cans filled from barrels onsite.

Who owns the land? The land is in the process of being deeded from a private owner to Common Ground for use as a green space.  We are grateful to God for his provision!

Where are the tools? TBD.  Some tools and watering cans may be stored in an accessible walled area by the dumpsters behind the Common Ground building. Whenever possible, please bring necessary tools from home.


Who is in charge? The garden was initially developed by a few members of Common Ground and St. Thomas Aquinas. Over time, we will likely seek a small team of individuals to oversee the garden in the future.

I am not a member of either church, but I live nearby.  Can I help out?  Sure!