A Giving Garden sign at the Magnuson P-Patch

As P-Patch Giving Gardeners from around the city reported back on their food bank gardening efforts this past growing season, it wasn’t hard to spot some recurring themes. Some described “disastrous” crops. Others experienced sudden, inexplicable plant deaths. Many were overwhelmed with green-and only green-tomatoes. Almost everyone blamed the weather.

But all of these gardeners grew something. And when you put all those harvests together, even if they seemed small or not worth recording, they add up. In 2010, those harvests from 37 P-Patches across Seattle added up to 20,889 pounds of fresh, organic produce grown locally for food banks and hot meal programs around the city. That’s a lot of high quality, nutritious food!

So thank you for all the gardeners who worked with Lettuce Link to grow, harvest, and deliver food for low-income families this past year.

This year ten P-Patches donated 500+ lbs of produce:

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to measure success!

To see how all 37 reporting P-Patches contributed, check out the full set of charts here. And if you’d like more information about food bank gardening, check out our Giving Garden Tips or email mollyw@solid-ground.org.

Not a P-Patch gardener? Food banks can still use extra produce from your garden. No amount is too small! Click here for a list of food banks in your neighborhood and their favorite crops.