St. Jude Garden provides fresh produce to patients, staff

Harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs at the peak of freshness is a recipe for good taste, but it also offers higher nutritional value which is important to the patients and staff at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Springing from the ground like a new sapling, the idea to start a garden St. Jude started out small. Currently the garden has 51 raised beds of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, peppers and herbs.

"A co-worker and I shared the vision of having a garden that we could go to daily for produce and herbs," said Miles McMath, St. Jude executive chef. "It started out as a small herb garden and grew from there with the help and support of fellow hospital employees."

In early 2010, the St. Jude Garden flourished. Lumber arrived, planter boxes were built and painted and items like seeds, a tiller, weed eater and hoses were gathered. The garden currently has about a dozen volunteers who plant, mulch, weed, water and harvest crops seven days a week.

Produce from the St. Jude Garden replaces some of the large amounts of purchased produce, which saves the hospital money. Having a garden on the St. Jude campus makes the time between harvesting and serving much shorter, keeping the nutritional value of the food high and healthier for the staff and patients.

"The fresher the produce, the better the taste," McMath said. "But, it was also important to me to show a cost savings for St. Jude. By the end of this season, I want to show that this really did give us better produce and saved the hospital money."

The St. Jude Garden will provide a continuous supply of fresh vegetables during the growing season.

"We chose items to plant that we knew would grow well in this climate, we knew how to take care of and we used most of in our cafeteria," said Mary Schuchaskie, St. Jude cafeteria manager. "As the season and needs change, the garden can change with it."

St. Jude is also composting fruit and vegetable trimmings from the cafeteria kitchen to help enrich the soil for future plantings.

"This garden means a lot to our staff and patients because the idea really was born here. It was and continues to be a grassroots effort that has been immeasurable," McMath said. "This is also a relationship-building opportunity for the community because it not only provides a chance for people to volunteer their time; it brought together individuals who have given us items as small as gloves, shovels and even compost. They all feel a part of this garden."