Growing A Greener World®

Sustainable Living and Organic Gardening PBS Series


Episode 220: Gardening for the Hungry

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Gardening for the Hungry: Easy ways to Share the Bounty

Jeff Lowenfels, founder of Plant a Row for the Hungry

Jeff Lowenfels, founder of Plant a Row for the Hungry

“Plant a Row for the Hungry” is more than a great idea; it’s a movement started by Alaskan garden writer Jeff Lowenfels that encouraged his readers to plant one extra row of vegetables and donate the harvest to the local food shelter. Later embraced by the entire Garden Writers Association, this movement has produced millions of pounds of fresh produce each year for the last few years.

After finding his garden too bountiful, gardener Gary Oppenheimer gave his excess harvest away to friends and neighbors, and soon that route was maxed out as well. He didn’t want to waste great food, so after donating the rest to a local women’s shelter, the idea grew to figure out a way to connect home gardeners to the food banks who are prepared to handle and distribute fresh produce.

Gary Oppenheimer, founder of AmpleHarvest.org, relaxes between takes

Gary Oppenheimer, founder of AmpleHarvest.org, relaxes between takes

So Gary founded AmpleHarvest.org, with a focus on doing just that, so that surplus harvest can go to hunger relief and not the compost bin. Today, from Master Gardening groups to your friends and neighbors, more people are sharing the bounty and there are some great and easy ways for you to do the same.

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Growing A Greener World is a national gardening series on Public Television that features organic gardening, green living and farm to table cooking. Each episode focuses on compelling and inspirational people making a difference through gardening. This gardening series covers everything from edible gardening and sustainable agriculture to seasonal cooking and preserving the harvest.
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Comments

  1. Jodie says

    Thank you so much for this program! It’s so nice to hear about all the different ways people are making a difference through gardening! I coordinate a garden where high school students and I volunteer to grow vegetables for our local food pantry. It serves so many purposes. First and foremost, we are able to provide hundreds of pounds of produce every summer, but it also give kids some exposure to where their food comes from. We have a garden party at the end of the season so kids get a chance to experience what “fresh from the garden” tastes like. Hopefully they will carry on what they are learning in the garden to adulthood.

    • Joe Lamp'l says

      Thanks Jodie. You’re very welcome! You are doing important work too. Involving kids (of all ages) in gardening can be a life changing event. Who knows where it will take them. Keep up the good work!

      • Stephan says

        Hi. I love the program and have obtained much knowledge from it. My question is in your raised beds you appear to grow organically as much as possible but are those pressure treated Timbers that make up your bed? Why?

  2. OldSchoolBill says

    What a Great idea, like all great ones simple & workable. Think I will call
    Metropolitan Ministries, Inc 2002 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813.209.1000 | Fax: 813.209.1080 which is a mile or two form my place.

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