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Growing to Serve in Mason County

By Kellan MacKay

It's been three growing seasons since the ground was broken at the Mason County Fairgrounds to make room for the "Growing to Serve" Food Bank Garden (FBG). The FBG is a partnership between WSU Master Gardeners of Mason County, WSU Food Sense Nutrition Program, and Saint's Pantry Food Bank. The garden site occupies approximately 2,000 square feet of fenced space in addition to two hoop-houses. Inside the garden are ten rows that all vary in length, width, and exposure producing numerous successful crops.

The garden allows people of different abilities to participate with two enabling beds. Enabling beds are garden beds built on stilts so that folks who have a hard time crouching and bending over continuously, or who may be in a wheelchair, can plant seeds, water, weed, and harvest the fruits of their labors.

Volunteers from the Master Gardener program and Saint's Pantry planted and harvested the first crops at the FBG and the project's first AmeriCorps member coordinated all the work. In that first season, the garden received $1,000 through a grant from the Fred Meyer Foundation, which helped to buy start-up materials and seeds to grow 1,200 pounds of fresh produce. In the second growing season, under the direction of the project's second AmeriCorps member, 3,200 pounds of produce was grown, dominated by healthy cabbage-family vegetables and lettuces. Saint's Pantry's clients reaped the benefits of this bountiful harvest. The FBG's third growing season was not as successful due to a rainy summer and the absence of an AmeriCorps member to recruit volunteers and organize work parties.

In the current season, we hope to exceed our record by growing 5,000 pounds of produce through a combination of intensive planting and smart crop selection, choosing varieties that grow especially well in the climate and conditions at the site. Our harvest should increase with strategies such as growing crops vertically, planting successively, and implementing an efficient irrigation system. Another goal for the project this year is to recruit a solid core of volunteers who will be committed to the garden at the end of my service as the third AmeriCorps member.

We are extending volunteer opportunities to folks outside the Master Gardener program, as well as encouraging 4-H clubs in the area to adopt a row. In addition to growing a multitude of fresh produce for low-income people, this year our efforts are generally focused on cultivating personal connections and commitments to this site in order to sustain its productivity in the coming years.

Kellan MacKay is the current AmeriCorps member for WSU Mason County Extension. In addition to coordinating the Growing to Serve garden, she teaches nutrition to elementary school students, and assists the WSU/Mason Conservation District's Small Farms Program. Through her service, she hopes to spread the word of the tremendous value of locally grown vegetables.


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Updated 2015/01/07 21:14:22