BIXBY, Okla. — OSU Extension Master Gardener trainees are growing vegetables to donate thousands of pounds of fresh produce to area food pantries.
KJRH
Anastacia Hall was among those planting 100 pounds of seed potatoes at the Seed to Supper farm, with a potential yield of 600 to 800 pounds of spuds.
“We are planting potatoes. Great time to do it. Nice and cool this morning,” Hall said.
The group also planted around 3,000 onions in the weeks prior, along with other cool-season vegetables.
The Seed to Supper farm sits on three acres of the OSU Mingo Valley Agricultural Research Station, where aspiring master gardeners learn how to grow vegetables on a larger scale than a home vegetable plot.
Tom Ingram, with OSU Extension Tulsa Master Gardeners, said the team is currently focused on cool-season crops.
“The cool season would include things like cabbage, broccoli, carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes,” Ingram said.
Tom Ingram/OSU Master Gardeners
At harvest time, all of the produce is donated to area food pantries.
“Some of the smaller ones around, primarily Bixby and Jenks, but we’ve also delivered to Iron Gate and Catholic Charities and a variety of other charities around town,” Ingram said.
The project has grown significantly since launching five years ago.
“With our very first year, we had about 5,000 pounds of produce we got out of here, but then last year we had almost 17,000 pounds of produce, which is quite a bit,” Ingram said.
For Hall, the work is about more than learning new planting techniques. It is a way to provide fresh produce to people who may not be able to afford it.
“I’m enjoying every moment. I feel like I’m with my people, you know, love plants, just, you know, it’s like you, you get life from them, and I enjoy being able to share that with other people,” Hall said.
In the coming weeks, Hall and the others are expected to return to the farm to plant warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, corn, squash, peppers, and cucumbers, which will also be donated to food pantries.
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