Photo credit:
Plutor, flickr
One in eight American families doesn't have enough food while record numbers of us—their friends, families and neighbors—are busy raising our own backyard produce to save cash.
It's time to ask ourselves: What's one more row? Simply by planting one extra row of edibles, each of us can easily, inexpensively donate fresh, healthy fruits and veggies to our local food bank, soup kitchen or homeless shelter, even to the family next door.
Here’s how you can personally pitch in:
1. Reach out ... to your Garden Writers Association’s Plant a Row (PAR) for the Hungry chapter online or call 1-877-492-2727.
2. Plant extra edible plant seeds, anything from a mass planting to a small bumper crop. Pressed for space? Just think, a single cucumber plant can yield 15-plus cucumbers. One carrot seed packet can produce up to 100 pounds of delicious, nutritious carrots. This how-to should help if you're a gardening greenhorn (like me).
3. Grow it forward. Personally deliver your fresh-picked (optimally organic, pesticide- and herbicide-free) backyard harvest to community food collection sites. Need a ride? Hitch a C02-saving one with ZIMRIDE.
4. Spread the word. Talk up “gardening for the greater good” to your green thumb friends and family, local produce farmers and neighbors who garden. Get your free PAR brochures and starter kit info here.
5. Join forces ... with area gardeners. Why not put your Seeds of Change together and start a community vegetable garden exclusively for growing food bank donations?
6. Adopt a farm stand. Don’t let safe, quality farm stand produce that didn’t sell go to waste. Ask if you can donate leftovers to the local soup kitchen. Surplus from nearby commercial growers counts too.
7. Grow beyond ... fruits and veg. Obviously they're the most critical crops, but homegrown flowers can brighten up shelter kitchens, and fresh herbs add flavorful nutrients to hearty hot meals.
Share Your Bounty
If you’re already growing food for those in need, do tell. We’d love to hear which crops you’re raising. Keep up the goodwill gardening, and may your helpful harvest be abundant.
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Kim, this is such an amazingly good idea, and so simple! Such an inspiration. Thanks for posting this!
I just got home from buying my seeds. Now to dig up the weedy plant beds that have been neglected for two seasons. Wish me luck! Planting an extra row of every veg we're growing (radishes, green beans, green and red peppers, yellow squash, carrots, and more). Whoa. That seems really ambitious/daunting. Does anyone know if I need to do anything special to my (hard, dry, cracking) Southern California soil before planting seeds? Any special mulches or mixes I'll need or just let it rip as is?
We're encouraging faith organizations to organize their communities into yard share gardens. It's often tough to do it on your own but a small yard share group can string a few yards together and grow a lot of food for the hungry. Get in touch - we're here to help you get growing! The site is free and we are organized around small groups forming yard share groups.
Come on by - http://hyperlocavore.com a free yard sharing community