Photography by Carmen Troesser
Julia Woodard (left) and Lee Cagle
On his frequent walks to work, Arthur Culbert, passed a large vacant lot on Waterman. He often thought to himself, What a great place for a community garden. After he mentioned the idea to his staff one day, an intrepid intern located the name of the lot’s owner. Within minutes, Culbert had called him with a pitch. “There was complete silence on the other end,” he recalls, but the next day, the lot’s owner called back. Not only did he agree to loan the land, but he also offered to provide water for the farm.
Within weeks, Culbert and his wife, Nancy Culbert, along with a small crew of volunteers, got to work digging in the soil and building garden beds. Their goal was to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for neighbors who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them. In 10 growing seasons, the CWE Farm, in partnership with Second Presbyterian’s Good Ground Pantry, has provided more than 20,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables to more than 10,000 families. Last year, however, when the Culberts decided to move to Florida, it looked as if the farm’s mission might come to an end.
“I couldn’t let that happen,” says Lee Cagle, another CWE resident. She recruited neighbor and friend Julia Woodard, and together they managed their first growing season in the midst of a global pandemic.
As the farm’s co-managers, how do you divide your responsibilities?
CAGLE: In March, when we got started, the pandemic had just hit St. Louis and we didn’t know what was safe, so Julia and I, and our kids, did the bulk of the work. Julia’s super organized and a more experienced gardener than I am. I just get in there and do it.
How do you decide what to grow?
CAGLE: We ask our food pantry clients what they want. Everybody loves tomatoes. Mustard greens, okra, eggplant, onions. Collard greens are really nutritious and such good growers; we can harvest those all season. Peaches, apples, Asian pears, plums are other favorites. We found out people don’t want radishes, so no radishes next year.
What makes the farm so special?
CAGLE: The many ways that the neighborhood looks after it. One woman who lives across the street [from the farm] refinishes the benches and picnic tables every spring without ever being asked. The neighbor who provides us with unlimited water from his nearby building also mows around the perimeter of the garden and keeps an eye on things.
WOODARD: The farm is a gathering place for the community. Families have picnics in the garden and wander through the beds to get some outdoor time. One man who lives nearby can get Wi-Fi from his house, so on nice days he sits at our picnic tables and works.
Tell us about the kids who volunteer.
CAGLE: In New City School’s fourth-grade citizenship class, the kids learn about inequalities in St. Louis and why having fresh produce is so important to people who live in a food desert. The kids plant, weed, harvest, and deliver food to the pantry. We grow popcorn and the kids shuck, pop, and bag it. They learn what making a difference really looks like.
WOODARD: A lot of people in our city go to bed hungry. The food pantries we support are physically close to the garden, and when the kids walk to the pantry, it’s very clear: These are our neighbors we are serving and working with.
What is the most rewarding part of working at the garden?
WOODARD: Working with my hands feels good to me, but on the farm, that same work helps to care for people in the community. Arthur and Nancy used to organize big work days with volunteers, but I’m not sure when we will get back to those. Serving people with fresh produce is absolutely our mission, but another part is bringing people together. I can’t wait for that to happen again.
This story appears in DesignSTL’s “The Power of Neighbors” feature. Read more of those stories here.
