Plant a Row needs produce

This has not been an easy vegetable growing year. Gardeners have replanted stuff several times because it was too cold for seeds to sprout. Cutworms, slugs, beetles, aphids and other assorted unidentified leaf chompers did their best to chew our gardens to nubbins. Now the heat of summer is upon us and keeping things watered is a major challenge.

In spite of this, though, our gardens will probably end up producing more than we could use, anyway. That’s part of the challenge and fun of gardening here.

This year, a number of groups and individual gardeners are joining the efforts of the Plant a Row for the Hungry projects and growing produce to donate to local food banks.

Beverly Hawker and the Young Women’s Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Later-day Saint’s 17th Ward in Newman Lake planted a large patch of corn at Hawker’s home in Otis Orchards. The girls, from 12 to 18 years old, planted the corn in early June and have been meeting periodically to weed and water the garden.

They realize that even the small amount of time they spend caring for the garden will yield large dividends for those in need. Several girls said that getting dirty and pulling weeds in the hot sun was a small price to pay for what someone else will get out of their efforts.

Fresh produce is almost always in short supply at area food banks, so even if you didn’t plan for it any extra crop, it is sure to be appreciated.

At Plantland Nursery, Bill Coye and Jan Love used a space at their retail nursery at Sprague and Sullivan to grow extra produce. They used a 30-foot by 6-foot space on top of a sunny wall, after building it up with several loads of compost. to make a growing bed.

Carrie Burnett, a Plantland employee, took on the challenge of deciding what to plant and then getting the garden in. The garden is now ready to produce beans, squash, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers and much more, well into September. Bill Coye said the garden has given new meaning to his nursery.

“We just felt is important to give back to the community,” he said, as he pulled a few weeds out of the garden.

Last year, Spokane gardeners donated 44,651 pounds of produce as part of this national effort to raise hunger awareness. Since each pound of vegetables is the equivalent of four servings, this translates into 178,604 servings of produce that still had most of its nutritional value.

The efforts of Hawker’s young women and the staff at Plantland will provide just a small amount of produce really needed by the nearly 44,000 people who, every month, use the emergency food outlets run by Second Harvest Inland Northwest. People on marginalized incomes have a difficult time putting food on the table in the first place, but it’s even harder for them to afford the veggies needed to build a balanced diet.

So here is a challenge for all you vegetable gardeners out there: donate your extra produce to a food bank near you. Together, let’s challenge ourselves to donate at least 60,000 pounds of fresh nutritious fruits and vegetable by the end of October.

It’s very easy: Every pound counts so there are no minimum amount. Any vegetable or fruit is welcome, but sturdy vegetables and fruits that are commonly available in the grocery store are the most popular.

Herbs and fragile greens should be brought in fresh from the garden the day of distribution or donated straight to agencies that cook meals.

Don’t forget fall crops, like tree fruit, squash and potatoes. These often store well for later use.

Please don’t donate anything you wouldn’t eat yourself. That canoe-sized zucchini is best in the compost pile.

You can access a list of food banks at the Second Harvest Web site: www.2-harvest.org under the program-resource section. A list can also be requested by calling Second Harvest at (509) 534-6678 ext 600 and leaving your address.

Remember to check when the food outlet you want to donate to is accepting donations. Many operate only one day a week and can only take things at that time. Try to deliver the produce early enough to be available when they open their doors to clients. Vegetables should be cleaned and ready to go in bags for distribution.

This will be Plant a Row for the Hungary’s fifth year in Spokane. Over those five years a total of more than 100,000 pounds has been donated by community gardeners. Come join us this year. Let’s add another 60,000 pounds to this total and brighten the day for a family in need.