Our History
The garden’s history reflects the revitalization of Soulard, which began in the 1970s. Dating back to the mid-1800s, the block was originally home to predominantly German immigrants who worked in shipping and industry along the Mississippi River.
In 1974, row house apartments were demolished and the property was left to weeds and leftover house rubble. Community Garden operations began in 1992 with a few individual beds, a few shared community beds, and water from a nearby fire hydrant.
Today, the Community Garden property belongs to the City of St Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) and participates in the nonprofit Gateway Greening Land Trust program (joined in 2005). Since Soulard has become a neighborhood for new development, joining the land trust has simplified legal issues and protects the garden from developers.
Current Day Happenings
About 40 members cultivate 26 individual beds and maintain shared beds with community crops, street-side native perennials, and fruit trees.
The garden is also home to countless “volunteer” butterfly weeds and sunflowers, hosting monarch butterflies and honey bees. Late summer is a wonderful time to photograph the butterflies and enjoy the vibrancy of the flowers as much as they do.
We welcome our neighbors to walk through and see what is growing, take a moment to rest on our benches, and learn from the creative gardening that many members utilize in their spaces! Please be respectful and do not harvest what you have not planted, as it is for members only.