Your garden might be dormant, but plans for next year's gardening season are taking root. Plus, read about the amazing impact your Scattered Garden has had!

With 2024 behind us, we’re looking back on an incredible year of community generosity and collaboration in the garden! Together, we provided more than 10,000 pounds of fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables to low-income families.

The Neighborhood House Garden contributed nearly 1,000 pounds of fresh produce, while local commercial farms like Barn Frog, Baind Family Orchard, Martinez Family Farms, and Zweifel Farms added another 3,700 pounds. And you, our amazing Scattered Gardeners, donated 10,500 pounds of produce.

Altogether, more than 15,000 pounds of healthy, homegrown produce were shared with our neighbors through the Free Food Market. 

Thank you to everyone who made this possible – your dedication nourished not only bodies but also hearts. We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store! 

Photo Credit: Ariel Wisch-Schute

It may be winter, but we're already excited about the big Plant Starter Give-Away in the spring!

Last year we gave away hundreds of plant starts for vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more. Many people used the plants to feed their families. Others donated back the extra produce to the Free Food Market. And still others taught their children about gardening and healthy eating.

Whatever the reason, whatever the gardening space, anyone and everyone can be a Scattered Gardener.

With some seed trays, seeds and the handy-dandy Veggie Calendar from Portland Nursery, you can grow plant starts of your own over the winter. Please consider planting some extras and donating them to the Plant Starter Give-Away in April(ish). We did a simple Google search and it resulted in some very thorough information on seed starts (AI overview for the win!).

Garden Guy Dan Simchuk recommends eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash (summer and winter) as easy plants to start. Smaller seeds (carrots, beets, and radishes) are best started in the ground once the soil has warmed.

Garden Volunteer Debra Vu says February is a great time to seed lettuce, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, chives, kale and broccoli.

"I have a lot of slugs in the spring so I tend to plant my tender greens in pots along with my flowers," Debra says. "The red lettuces make a nice contrast  to flowers or any foliage. Just plant your lettuce any place where there's space in your flower pots!"

Stay tuned for information on when the plant start give-away will be - sometime in April most likely!

Veggie Calendar from Portland Nursery. Click on the image to download a version of the Veggie Calendar that's easier to read.

Your produce will not only be used in the Free Food Market, but will also be part of our Food Box Delivery Service.

The main goal of the Scattered Garden Program is to encourage community members to donate produce from their at-home garden. Scattered Gardens come in all shapes and sizes! In fact, any set-up you have could be a scattered garden. Any support you can offer will help a neighbor.

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