St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and School members and staff are seeing a longtime dream come true.
The church and school at 500 Meramec Blvd. in Eureka now has a garden.
“St. Mark’s School has had a dream of building a garden for years, and this was the year that the dream came to fruition,” St. Mark’s member Joan Salters said. “Longtime members of St. Mark’s Church took the idea and ran with it.”
Debbie Armbruster, a retired St. Mark’s teacher and church member, said Salters led the garden project following her retirement from Maritz in January. Salters said her husband, Steve, and fellow church members Andy Bates, Alice Brassie, Laura Falls, Cathy Frazier, Angela Montgrain, Kevin Schaeg and Martina Kunzler helped install the garden behind the school building.
“Joan’s husband, Steve, did all the construction for the beautiful, raised beds,” Armbruster said. “Kevin Schaeg delivered the gravel and dirt to fill them up.”
Armbruster said St. Mark’s funded the project through donations.
“Two Thrivent Action teams, an anonymous donor who gave $1,000, and some additional loving members covered the cost of the materials and supplies,” she said. “Other key supporters involved in the planning and fundraising were Andy Bates, Alice Brassie, Cathy Frazier, Laura Falls and Angela Montgrain.”
Members of the church and school held a dedication ceremony for the garden on May 9.
“It was very nice,” Salters said. “Pastor Bob (Liebmann’s) message talked about how God can take something as simple as a seed and turn it into a plant.”
School resource
Salters said the garden allows students hands-on experience in cultivating nutritious food using organic and sustainable practices. She said chemical fertilizers or pesticides will not be used in the garden.
Salters said students planted lettuce, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, onions, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, marigolds and sunflowers.
“The students are planning to have a salsa party later this summer using ingredients sourced directly from the garden,” Salters said.
Salters said the garden’s U-shape allows for multiple students, teachers and volunteers to work in the area at the same time.
She also said the garden beds are elevated to minimize back strain, and the area is protected by fencing and hardware cloth underneath the beds to keep animals away.
The St. Mark’s crew also built arched trellises out of cattle panels to take advantage of vertical space and installed soaker hoses on a timer to provide water on a regular schedule.
The position of the garden allows students to keep an eye on its progress. Salters said teachers and students can look out windows to see the garden’s progress.
“They are very excited to watch the garden grow,” Salters said.
Garden will grow
Salters said there are plans to add more features to the garden and a second gardening area may be constructed on St. Mark’s property.
“Plans for the garden include composting and even the use of rain barrels to collect rain to provide water for the plants,” Salters said. “St. Mark’s Church would love to expand this concept to a community garden in the future, and Pastor Bob has identified the space. We just need to solve getting water to this area.”
Armbruster said students will help with weeding, watering and care during the school year, and children attending St. Mark’s summer camp will help. She said church members also will pitch in, especially during the summer months.
“This has been an exciting endeavor for St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and School,” Salters said. “And we are excited to see how God grows it.”