Coordinator’s Column

Hello Gardeners!

As we move through July, we will start to see our veggie gardens come into fruition. Gardeners often joke about being so overwhelmed with zucchini that we sneakily leave some on the neighbors’ doorsteps in the dead of night. Bring your extra produce to our Plant A Row collection at SOREC on Wednesday mornings starting July 16^th! We will be collecting and weighing produce Wednesday mornings in the Gather Garden throughout the growing season. Whether you have 5 tomatoes or 5 pounds of tomatoes, your donations make a difference.

We have partnered with ACCESS Food Pantries to collect fresh produce from gardeners for donation. Last year, the Master Gardeners donated a bit over 1,000 pounds of produce to ACCESS! What an amazing team effort when we all pitch in a little bit here and there. Most of the produce was sent out of ACCESS warehouse on Thursday mornings for delivery to ACCESS housing locations.

ACCESS accepts a wide range of produce but is looking for some key items this year. If you have extras, please donate your spare onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomatillos, and peppers. Consider adding more of these crops to your garden for future year’s donations!

Can’t make it on Wednesday mornings to drop off your produce? You can donate directly to ACCESS’s warehouse on weekdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm at 2205 Joseph Street in Medford. The donation door is on the back side of the building.

Happy harvesting!