Plant a Row for the Hungry Gardening Event

The Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign in the Denver Metro area kicks off on Saturday, May 15 with free starter kits for gardeners.

Gardeners, farmers and other growers have a long tradition of sharing their harvest with others.

Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of a bag of home-grown tomatoes from a co-worker or an armful of squash from a neighbor. Maybe you were invited to glean after an end-of-season harvest at a nearby community garden.

Since 1995 the Garden Writers Association Foundation has organized a people-helping-people program called Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR). Plant a Row encourages home gardeners across the country to plant extra produce and donate it to food agencies in their communities.

This year I’ve volunteered to coordinate a Plant a Row effort in Denver as part of the Denver master gardeners’ annual Plant-A-Palooza plant sale.

The kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, May 15, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the CSU Extension-Denver Office located at 888 E. Illiff Ave., Denver, CO 80210.

Gardeners wanting to grow for Plant a Row will receive a free starter kit with vegetable or herb seeds donated by Botanical Interests seed company in Broomfield. The kit will also include a special row marker, plant coupon from Echter’s Nursery and Garden Center, planting information and other gardening goodies.

Denver’s Plant a Row effort is sponsored by the Food Bank of the Rockies. Fresh produce can be donated at any of the organization’s agency sites during the growing season. Click here for a list of PAR sites.

Plant A Row is about gardeners of all ages helping others by making room for a few extra plants in their gardens, no matter what its size. Whether planted in rows in a garden bed or a tomato plant in a container, the extra produce makes a big difference to hungry families.

These are especially trying times for many families in our community and every pound of extra produce helps.

Click here for more information about Plant a Row for the Hungry.

I hope to see you at the kickoff!

 

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