We're following Denver gardener McKenna as she grows from seed to donation. McKenna will be donating homegrown produce to Kaizen Food Share through the Fresh Food Connect app, and is excited to share her garden adventures with our community!
" I never had large produce amounts to share with each donation, and they usually had some imperfections, but that's ok! We are not aiming to get our produce into a supermarket, but into the hands of a community member."
October Garden Update: Sharing harvests large and small
As the days grow shorter and the garden production begins to slow, I am starting to reflect back on how our original vision for donations compared to reality. I’ve written extensively about those pesky grasshoppers and how they caused havoc, so I will definitely be adding more netting and other deterrents when I prepare for next year.
We had fun planning our garden this year and planted a couple of cucamelon (aka Sandita Cucumber) plants. I had no idea what they would turn into but they were a hit when I brought them as a donation. Picture a tiny watermelon the size of your thumb that tastes like a tart cucumber when you bite into it. They are quite prolific but I’ve never had a large amount to harvest each week so didn’t think to donate them until recently. I brought a small bag to the Kaizen Food Share and (full disclosure) none of them made it to donation - the volunteers were so intrigued we ended up having a little cucamelon snack. It was fun to introduce people to a new item and lots of folks took a cucamelon home so they could save the seeds for next year. If you want to learn more about seed saving, check out Fresh Food Connect's Seed Saving 101 post.
I’m still a fairly new home gardener and learning more about my style each year. I love the look of chaotic gardens but I know myself well enough to realize that I need a little more structure in my garden than that. Now comes the time of year to document what worked, and what didn’t, so I can prepare for next spring. I never had large produce amounts to share with each donation, and they usually had some imperfections, but that's ok! We are not aiming to get our produce into a supermarket, but into the hands of a community member who deserves access to fresh produce.
No matter what your gardening style or how prolific your garden is, it’s not too late to sign up to be a Giving GNOME and start preparing for next year’s garden. Simply complete three of the activities listed on this page to join a community of dedicated garden-givers!
More about McKenna
Check out the amazing list of plants McKenna's growing this year
June: Why I'm planting with intention to share my harvest
July: Volunteering at a food distribution event
August: Adding variety with unique homegrown produce
September: How individual donations of homegrown produce come together to make a difference
McKenna is also a Fresh Food Connect "Giving GNOME"! Check out her G.N.O.M.E. chat and Join our Giving G.N.O.M.E. program here.
