Garden Ministry Updates - July 2026 -
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
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Thank You for the Support for the Ascension and St. Edmund Parish Gardens - July 2026
BULLETIN UPDATE ON AUGUST 2, 2026- The latest edition of the Chicago Catholic contains a feature about community gardens, interviewing gardeners from Ascension and St. Edmund Parish about our gardens. Coincidentally, gardeners from both gardens came together Tuesday evening for our annual potluck/barbecue, resulting in our largest produce total of the year - 217 pounds for the food pantry of our sharing Parish, St. Simon of Cyrene!
On Tuesdays at 5:30 PM, fresh produce donations may be dropped off at the Ascension Parish Center parking lot. We also welcome volunteers who can help with harvesting and weeding the garden.
The Third Day Garden at St. Edmund added tomatoes and one zucchini to their weekly harvest of beans and cucumbers. The cucumbers were abundant this week. The cucumbers are harvested from the colorful ramp leading to the handicapped door.
BULLETIN UPDATE ON JULY 26, 2026 - The mural at the Third Day Garden of Ascension and St. Edmund Parish is on track for the September dedication. The artists began planning on Saturday, July 18th. Once the design is approved Vanessa and Joe will start painting. Wait a couple of weeks and then stop by to see the progress. The garden is on the north side of the ramp entrance at St. Edmund.
This week, the Third Day Garden at St. Edmund had another harvest of green beans and cucumbers. Some of the okra will be producing in a few weeks. All of the vegetables harvested go to the Beyond Hunger Food Pantry for their Wednesday food boxes.
The Ascension Susan Fleming Garden is about to enter its most productive time. 1,087 pounds of produce has already been provided to the St. Simon of Cyrene Food Pantry during this growing season. On Tuesdays at 5:30 PM, fresh produce donations may be dropped off at the Ascension Parish Center parking lot. We also welcome volunteers who can help with harvesting and weeding the garden.
BULLETIN UPDATE ON JULY 19, 2026 - Temperatures Tuesday were close to 100, but dedicated gardeners and donors showed up as usual. These temperatures contribute to rapid growth in our tomato and okra beds, but without regular watering, our plants would shrivel. Fortunately, we are blessed with hardy volunteers, some even water in the morning and evening during this hot spell. Our year-to-date total of harvest and contributions stands at 937 pounds of produce for the food pantry of our sharing parish, St. Simon of Cyrene.
The Third Day Garden at St. Edmund had the first harvest of the season. Green beans are abundant this season, but the cucumbers are also producing. All of the harvest goes to Beyond Hunger Food Pantry.
BULLETIN UPDATE ON JULY 12, 2026 - Ascension Susan Fleming Garden Update - Tuesday was the busiest garden day of the year. In the morning our team welcomed students from Nazareth Academy and shared observations of indigenous spirituality, Laudato Si’ and the science behind the solar panels of our little library. The students helped us with transplanting and building another level to one of our tomato cages. Toward evening we had our regular session of harvesting and collecting fresh produce, highlighted by the contribution of 88 pounds of kale, radishes, collards and chard.
Please share your abundance with the food pantry of our west side sharing parish, St. Simon of Cyrene, by donating on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM to the garden behind the Ascension Parish Center. Please consider helping out in the garden on Tuesdays, as well.
BULLETIN UPDATE ON JULY 5, 2026 - Ascension Susan Fleming Garden Update - Our watering volunteers are braving this heat to keep our plantings from shriveling. And the plants are responding with robust growth and flowering. Pepper plants are growing and flowering. Beans are sprouting. Okra buds are appearing. Tomato plants are poised to lift themselves upon our bed cages. We are looking forward to larger harvests in the coming weeks, but for now we are having meager harvests but a few really great donors. Please share your abundance with the food pantry of our west side sharing parish, St. Simon of Cyrene by donating on Tuesdays.
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