We apologize for the inconvenience, but due to the tremendous response to the giveaway today, the event is cancelled for tomorrow, Sunday, April 12.
This morning we had 3-4 times as many people visit the Plant Giveaway than we had in any previous year.
We appreciate your support of the Faith & Grace Garden and your efforts to let others know about the cancellation of the event tomorrow.

Become a Garden Volunteer in 2026

We are seeking volunteers to help in the garden starting now and continuing through October.
Individuals can volunteer in the garden from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. To schedule your visit and help us plan for your volunteer experience, please text Mark Marshall at 515-988-5381.
School, church, civic, and corporate groups are also welcome to volunteer by appointment.

Copyright (C) 2026 Faith + Grace Garden. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Faith + Grace Garden 1020 24th St West Des Moines, IA 50266-2107 USA

Annual Cool Weather Vegetable
Giveaway April 11 and 12

Our annual cool weather vegetable plant giveaway will be Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon and on Sunday, April 12 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Faith & Grace Garden Greenhouse.

Park in the lot north of St Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 1020 24th Street in West Des Moines. Come by and select from the following free vegetable starts: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, kale, onions, spinach and Swiss chard. Donations are welcome but not required. Please bring a box to put your plants in.

Experienced volunteers will be on-hand to help you with your gardening questions.

Our warm weather vegetable plant giveaway will be in May. More details soon.

Final Tally – Garden Produce 2025

We didn’t send a newsletter with our garden results last year, so here it is now. In 2025, we grew and donated a total of 32,370 pounds of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to feed hungry people in Polk County.

2025 was our best year ever for peppers!

2025 Donation Sites

Become a Garden Volunteer in 2026

We will need volunteers to help in the garden starting in April and running through October.
Individuals can volunteer in the garden during set volunteer times. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment.

Volunteers – Please Note Parking Change
Please park in the Covenant Presbyterian Church parking lot on the corner of 28th and Ashworth through August 17. During this time the parking lot at St Timothy’s will be closed for resurfacing.

Growing Season Accelerates
Thanks to Sun and Rain

Whew! It’s hot but our vegetables love it! We are now harvesting hundreds of pounds of vegetables most mornings in the garden, and soon we will be harvesting over a thousand pounds of vegetables each harvest day. Please come out and join in the fun!

Who is hidden in the tomato patch? Volunteer Celeste Egger is dwarfed by rows of tomato plants that are now six to eight feet high. We typically harvest about 10,000 pounds of tomatoes each year in the Faith & Grace Garden. We expect to harvest that much or more this year.

Volunteer Mary Bartusek takes a load of weeds to the recycling pile.

Ugh! The weeds are growing fast in the garden, too. The Faith & Grace Garden is an all-organic operation, so weeds are part of life in some places in the garden. But more than half the garden is relatively weed-free due to the use of ground fabric and mulch that inhibit weed germination.

Produce Donated through July 8, 2025 (LBS)

Arugula 30
Beets 115
Bitter Melon 5
Cabbage 1,265
Collards 220
Cucumbers 90
Eggplant 185
Garlic 215
Kale 195
Lettuce 280
Onions 240
Potatoes 470
Peas3 50
Peppers 50
Radish 185
Spinach 92
Sw Chard 255
Tomatoes 900
Zucchini 715
Total 5,857

Donation Sites
CFUM 1,020
Johnston 292
LSI 210
St Marks Fridge 325
Trinity 2,035
WDM 1,975
Total 5,857

Become a Garden Volunteer
Beat the Heat with an Early Start

Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available Monday through Friday, starting around 7:30 a.m. (note our new earlier start time) with time out for lunch and then again in the afternoon. No experience necessary. Text Mark at 515-988-5381 to let him know you are coming and to volunteer and aid in our planning.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. A hat and water bottle are good to bring with you. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise, we can provide them. We have the tools you will need.

Thank you, Deloitte Volunteers!

A hardy group of energetic volunteers from Deloitte spent a summer Friday working in the garden, planting sweet potatoes, mulching peppers, pulling thistle and clipping garlic scapes. They took a much-needed lunch break, with sandwiches and other lunch treats provided by Sandra Marshall. Thank you, Deloitte pros, for your help! And thanks to Sandra for the sustenance.

Garden Update

We’ve had some good rains and great volunteers to help the garden along, and it is already producing nicely and helping feed our neighbors. As of June 8, 2025, we have harvested and donated 777 pounds of produce. The numbers are below:

PRODUCE POUNDS
Arugula 30
Garlic 35
Lettuce 280
Onions 240
Radish 100
Spinach 92

DONATION SITE POUNDS
Johnston Food Pantry 107
Trinity Los Americas 455
West Des Moines Human Services 215

Warm Weather Vegetable Plant Giveaway May 3 and 4

Hello again gardening friends! We are giving away warm weather vegetable starter plants again this year at the Faith and Grace Garden Greenhouse:

Saturday, May 3—10 a.m. to noon.
Sunday May 4 — noon to 2 p.m.

Park in the lot north of St Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 1020 24th Street in West Des Moines.
Come by and select from the following free vegetable starts: tomato, pepper, eggplant, squash, melons and herbs (mainly parsley, thyme, basil, fennel, dill). We apologize for not having cucumber this year, but the mice ate them. Please bring a box to take home your plants. Donations accepted, not required.

Experienced volunteers will be on-hand to help you with your gardening questions.

In March, the warm weather plants we’re giving away were in the greenhouse covered in plastic trays.

Planting Update

The Faith & Grace Garden is now humming with activity. So far, we have finished planting potatoes, peas, radishes, and lettuce. The garlic planted last fall is growing well. We are in the process of planting cabbage.

We received about two inches of rain last week. Thanks to the large amount of organic material worked into our soil, the garden soaks up rain like a sponge. Rainwater tends to sink deep.
Can You help? We Are
Always in Need of Volunteers.

Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available Monday through Friday, starting around 9 a.m. with time out for lunch and then again in the afternoon. No experience necessary. Text Mark at 515-988-5381 to let him know you are coming and to volunteer and aid in our planning.

When volunteering in the garden, wear clothes that can get dirty and dress for the weather. Bring garden gloves if you have them; otherwise we can provide them. We have the tools you will need.