One of my most memorable garden mistakes was the year I planted four zucchini plants in my garden. Because it was my first vegetable garden, I was filled with boundless enthusiasm and excited at the prospect of finally being able to grow my own food. It turns out that was the summer I coined the saying, “Four zucchini plants can feed the world.”
A few extra
tomato,
pepper and
cucumber plants added to the garden means local food agencies will have fresh produce to help feed hungry households.
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
A row of
herbs isn’t limited to the garden bed.
Basil is easy to grow from seed and will keep producing throughout the gardening season if you keep harvesting it.
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
Cherry tomatoes ripen quickly and provide a continuous harvest throughout the summer until the first fall frost.
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
Pole beans are prolific producers, especially if they have a trellis or other
support for the vines to climb. Keep beans productive by picking at regular intervals at harvest time.
Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey
If only that were true.
It takes much more than a few plants to feed the hungry in communities across the country, and the need for fresh fruits and vegetables never goes away. Millions of Americans depend on community nonprofit organizations, churches and food service agencies to help feed their hungry families on a daily basis.
That’s one reason why the Plant a Row for the Hungry program has become such an important communications effort of the Garden Writers Association. Since 1995 this national campaign has encouraged gardeners to donate extra produce to help feed those most in need.
As home gardeners, we understand the value of growing our own delicious and nutritious produce. This year, let’s all resolve to plant more fruits, vegetables and herbs than we need so the extras can be donated to local food banks and soup kitchens to help feed the hungry.
Gardeners everywhere can become involved and make a difference in their communities by just taking a few minutes to plan to participate. Simply add a few more plants to your vegetable garden this growing season, then make a commitment to contribute the harvest to a local community food agency.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Contact a food bank or soup kitchen in your community to gauge what’s needed.
- Select vegetables and herbs that have multiple uses in the kitchen.
- Choose hardy, disease-resistant plant varieties that grow well in your area.
- Consider varieties that mature early and that will produce throughout the entire season.
- Start seeds early to get a jump on the growing season.
- Recruit family, friends, neighbors and garden club members to join in the effort.
Plant a Row for the Hungry is based on the time-honored tradition of gardeners sharing their harvest with others. Can you imagine the numbers of hungry people who could be fed if every one of the country’s 70 million gardeners planted one extra row of vegetables this year? With this kind of effort, I know that four zucchini plants really can help feed the world.
