An April visit to the CWE Farm
On the occasion of the CWE Farm’s 15th anniversary, in mid-April, co-founder Arthur Culbert, above, returned from his new home in St. Augustine, Fl. to help New City School 4th graders with spring clean-up and vegetable planting.
Culbert created the citizenship program for New City School which started this wonderful cycle where each year a new crop of 4th graders experiences first-hand how to grow food for less fortunate neighbors. The exposure to growing food for others has led some students’ families to start vegetable gardens of their own.
When Culbert moved to Florida, Julia Woodard and Lee Cagle, who had children at New City at the time and had been volunteering at the garden, took over as co-managers. Woodard, above right and below, is photographed with 4th grade teacher Mary McDevitt, above left.
Since 2021, vegetable starts have generously been provided by the CWE’s Bowood Farms.
Lee Cagle in red jacket, lower right, is photographed with Israel Collier who manages a Community Garden at the 178-year-old Central Baptist Church located at 2842 Washington. Culbert launched a Go Fund Me campaign for CWE Farm in December 2019, and donated $4,000 of the $12,000 raised to start the community garden in mid-town.
Lee Cagle reported that over the past 10 years the CWE Farm has produced one ton of produce each year for Second Presbyterian Church’s Food Pantry, which is located at Westminster & Taylor.
When I reached out for a comment from food pantry volunteers Karen Buckey and Nancy Quigley, they emailed that: “The produce is the cherry on the top of the Saturday morning offerings. The guests love to pick out their own vegetables, especially the greens. New City School’s Farm brings such a beautiful and healthy variety of food to the pantry.”
One of my favorite posts about the CWE Farm was published during the pandemic. Here’s the link.
At Bowood Farms:
With its huge selection of plant materials, there is lots of inspiration to be found at Bowood Farms, 4605 Olive. Early last week, proprietor Lizzy Rickard shared some ideas of annual combinations for containers that you might want to consider.
The stone containers at the entry—which get full sun—are planted with from left: Lantana Trailing Pink, Portulaca Lemon Twist, Sunpatiens, Gomphrena Truffula Pink, annual Pennisetum Grass, and Angelonia (summer snapdragon). Annuals range from $5.50 to $9.50.
The idea of plucking a strawberry now and then from your own stash sounds lovely, doesn’t it? I was tempted but refrained from taste-testing the selection of strawberries hanging in the herb section. They come in three varieties, Summer Breeze Rose, Berry Hill Montana, and Beri Basket Appleblossom, a white variety, and require full sun, $26. 
A beautiful sun-loving planter features a combination of Petunias, Trailing Verbena, Yellow Lantana, and Pennisetum Grass Rubrum, $68.
A shade-loving planter contains red-and-white begonias, $68. These are just a few of the many, many ideas you’ll find in every corner of this beloved garden oasis in the middle of the city.
Bowood Farms, 4605 Olive St., 314-454-6868. Open 9 to 5 everyday.
A look at Maryn Blanco’s Garden Party Collection, below
Artist Maryn Blanco, above, was scheduled to show her Garden Party paintings in friends’ CWE garden on Saturday, April 27, but the forecast of rain clouded that plan, and the exhibition was moved indoors.
Blanco and her husband moved to St. Louis—which they love—from the Phoenix area when he entered W. U. Medical School. The artist describes herself as having been a chronic doodler since childhood. Her parents spent years looking for the right art teacher, and when she was 12 she took private lessons from an art school graduate of Arizona State University. Her teacher started her out using oil paints, and that has remained her favorite medium ever since, though she has at times dabbled in gouache as well.
Blanco attended undergrad at Brigham Young University on a talent award scholarship. She continued her art education there and earned a BFA in Illustration in 2021, focusing on figurative oil painting. 
Blanco’s inspiration for the oil painting above, came from the lily pond in front of the Jewel Box in Forest Park.
Maryn Blanco teaches classes at the Artist Guild in Clayton (a class is scheduled for this fall), and she also offers private lessons to children, adults, and groups. She is also available for commissions. Over the past year, she’s painted pets, homes, landscapes and, of course, flowers.
More info about classes or the paintings in the photo above can be found on the artist’s website.
Beautiful story, thanks to all!
Nicki thank you for being there from the beginning. I can remember that cold winter day walking down Waterman with the children from New City and you just being one of the kids! I so appreciate how you have shined your light on the issue of food insecurity and food desserts and what we as a community can do about it.
A huge shout out to Lee Cagle and Julia Woodard who begin their fifth year as farm managers. A special thank you to Tom Hoerr and Alexis Wright who as Heads of NCS have embraced the farm over these 15 years realizing how the experience exposes students to social justice outside the classroom. I have loved my time with the fourth graders!
Finally a genuinely felt thank you to the dozens of volunteers who have helped
make,this farm such a cusses.