A small vegetable garden and orchard inside the Vatican walls—once cultivated to supply the papal household—are now being farmed entirely with organic methods. The plot at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery is tended by cloistered Benedictine nuns, who eat part of the harvest, make jams and preserves, and send surplus food to a community kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity.¹

Vatican officials frame the change as both a return to the gardens’ original purpose and a practical response to Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’. Stefano Giampaolo, who heads the Vatican’s Gardens and Environment Service, said the cultivated space “always was a defining feature of the Vatican Gardens” because the gardens were initially intended “to provide sustenance for the [Apostolic] Palace.”²

The gardeners’ account, however, underlines the trade-offs behind that ambition. Gilberto Bianchi, responsible for the orchard and vegetable garden since 2008, said a fully organic plot is difficult to manage because insects can be aggressive. Rather than using industrial treatments, workers introduce natural predators into the soil; “no chemical fertilizer or insecticide is used,” he said.²

Water is another constraint. The site’s soil drains quickly, so gardeners add coconut fibre to retain moisture and use targeted drip irrigation to limit waste. Planting also follows seasonal cycles and relies on organic seeds rather than laboratory-grown plants.¹

Late-summer crops include tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, beans, cucumbers and peppers, while broccoli, spinach, lettuce and pumpkins are planted for colder months. The garden also contains basil, garlic, kiwi plants and roughly 15 old citrus trees. The wider 57-acre Vatican Gardens are cared for by about 35 staff, and officials say the longer-term aim is to eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilisers across Vatican City.²