It’s harvesting time at the Garden of Giving.
Volunteers work all summer to produce squash, tomatoes and much more.
Their bounty is then donated to five food pantries in Monroe County.
Abbey David is the vice chair for the nonprofit that was founded by Tammy Graeber in 2008.
“It’s completely volunteer-run, there is no paid staff," she said. "Everything goes back into growing food to donate to the community.”
They have made a difference with help from organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and local church groups.
Sarah Masker from Snydersville is a regular volunteer. She homeschools her three daughters and brings them along to help.
“It gets them outside,” she said. “[Tammy and Abbey] really make it possible for the kids to help, too.”
Summer season winding down
Summer crops at the Garden of Giving include green beans, cucumbers, squash, peppers and a variety of tomatoes.
David says she expects to still be harvesting tomatoes for a few weeks. They plant them in May and expect to harvest through most of September.
They also grow a lot of basil.
“We love to plant it near our tomatoes because it’s a beneficial companion plant,” she said. “It helps bring beneficial insects, and it wards off some of the pests that might hurt tomatoes.”
They also grow cilantro, chives, dill and parsley in the garden.
“Fresh herbs in cooking do wonders. It helps you cut down on salt so you can still have flavor in your food,” she said.
Fall crops
While the summer plants are slowing, David says there is still time to plant fall crops.
“It’s a common misconception that at the end of summer, growing food stops,” she said. “But there are so many things you can continue to grow in the fall, even in a colder climate like the Poconos.
“You can be planting lettuces, spinach, arugula, kale, collards, turnips, carrots, beets, scallions, peas,” she said.
Here at the Garden of Giving, they planted beets, carrots, lettuces, scallions and radishes in early September.
The salad greens only take a few weeks to grow from seed, while the carrots and scallions will grow until the end of the season in late October.
They have a few techniques to help them prolong the season, including using raised garden beds.
"Being up off of the ground like that, raised beds warm up earlier in the spring and stay warmer in the fall," David said. "The sun beats down on the sides and provides that warmth."
They also use row cover to protect plants from frost.
"A night that is 30 degrees and below freezing, with that row cover is now 35 or 40 [degrees] and you can continue growing for weeks or even a month or more," she explained.
In October, they will plant garlic. That will be ready to harvest next summer.
Still growing
Depending on the weather, the garden donates up to 10,000 pounds of produce from spring to fall. The nonprofit feeds about 3,000 people each year.
New raised beds will be installed for next year's gardening season to provide more accessible gardening space.
David says more than 200 people have worked in the garden this year, and more than 4,000 since it was founded 16 years ago.
The Garden of Giving has two board positions to fill and is always looking for volunteers to help with administrative work and handy work.
Volunteer days in the garden are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Nov. 1.
The Garden of Giving will host a Face Painting and Storytime event for kids Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
