Waldo County Bounty Provides Material Support for Home Gardeners to ‘Grow a Row’ in 2023

WALDO COUNTY, MAINE, March 28, 2023 -- Waldo County Bounty, a food security organization, is calling on home gardeners to “Grow a Row” in support of the Give and Take program in 2023. Waldo County Bounty works to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food by collaborating with local farmers, organizations, and community members towards an equitable food system. This spring, it is providing donor gardeners with free seeds and onion plants to assist them in growing nutritious, in-demand crops for Give and Take tables and sheds.

“We know there are a lot of talented home gardeners and small farmers in Waldo County and we want to encourage them to donate,” says Viña Lindley, Garden program advisor at Waldo County Bounty and Food Systems and Home Horticulture Professional at UMaine Cooperative Extension Waldo County. “If you have extra space in your garden, you can put it to good use by growing nutritious vegetables for your neighbors experiencing food insecurity.”

Waldo County Bounty Give and Take tables and share sheds provide a place for gardeners to give surplus homegrown crops and for anyone lacking access to fresh foods to take them at no cost. Waldo County Bounty launched the program in 2020 to help more people obtain fresh nutritious foods in a way that was anonymous, accessible, and socially distant. In 2022, Waldo County Bounty’s amazing team of Give and Take volunteers established 15 tables and sheds in such locations as Lincolnville, Belfast, Searsport, Frankfort, Unity, and Palermo. See all of last year’s sites and learn more about the program here. 

The free gardening materials are first-come, first-served. To reserve seeds and onion plants, home gardeners must fill out this form by April 23, 2023. The materials will be available for pick up during the first week in May at the UMaine Cooperative Extension Waldo County office, located at 992 Waterville Road in Waldo. Extension staff will be happy to answer questions when gardeners drop in to pick up their materials. Additionally, Viña is available at vina.lindley@maine.edu or 207.342.5971 to answer gardening questions and help troubleshoot common gardening challenges.

Gardeners can also take advantage of the comprehensive educational resources on waldocountybounty.org, made possible through partnerships with UMaine Cooperative Extension Waldo County and MOFGA, for tips on how to plant and care for their crops. Additionally Waldo County Bounty will put out excess seeds and occasional gleaned vegetable seedlings, dependent on availability, at Give & Take tables and sheds throughout the spring that gardeners can utilize. 

Follow Waldo County Bounty on Facebook and Instagram for updates on seedling availability and other resources as they become available. Individuals seeking another way to support the program can do so by making a donation to Waldo County Bounty.