This is Your Sign: Garden

Were you looking for a sign that it was time to form a new healthy habit, spend more time outdoors, have a new activity with your family, develop a new skill, or maybe use old skills to help others in need? THIS IS YOUR SIGN: Grow a garden this year with Neighbors Nourishing Communities (NNC).

NNC is a Tualatin-based non-profit in its 11th year. We assist local residents who would like to grow their own vegetables during the summer months. We provide free seeds, plants, and information on how to garden. Your garden could be a single pot or a whole backyard. Any size is better than no garden at all.

So, how do we help others in need? Collectively, we pledge to give 20% of what we grow to local food pantries like the Tualatin Schoolhouse Pantry, where we will have our seed and plant handout this year. We are very excited to team up with Tualatin Schoolhouse Pantry because the need is so great, and it is only growing with higher food prices, rents, and the sunsetting of some of the food and housing measures instituted for the impact of COVID-19. In other words, our neighbors need our help. Whether you grow a single tomato plant or a large garden, we ask that you donate 20% of what you grow for those in need and, in exchange, we will give you the free plants, seeds, and education to be the best gardener you can be. And you keep 80% of what you grow to be the healthiest you and your family can be.

Top 10 reasons to grow a garden with NNC this summer:

Produce picked and eaten at the peak of ripeness is the most nutritious for your health.

Fresh air and seeing things grow is good for mental health. (Trust me, I’m going to coin the term Garden Bathing. It’s like Forest Bathing but with more food involved.)

1. Produce picked and eaten at the peak of ripeness is the most nutritious for your health.
2. Fresh air and seeing things grow is good for mental health. (Trust me, I’m going to coin the term Garden Bathing. It’s like Forest Bathing but with more food involved.)
3. You can be an introvert and still belong to an amazing volunteer organization.
4. You control what goes on your produce. In a garden, it can be nothing but water.
5. You can eat vegetable varieties you can’t get in the store. (North Georgia Candy Roaster?)
6. You can save money on what you eat.
7. You don’t have to worry about the climate impacts of farming and long-distance trucking. You are the plow and the delivery vehicle.
8. It’s a great way to get your family excited (especially kids) to try a new food.
9. You can start small and gain confidence until, one day, you decide to buy a farm.
10. You will be a community hero for helping others (capes and tights not provided by NNC).

NNC will hand out free seeds and plant starts to NNC gardeners on Saturday, May 11. To get the details on the location and time, sign up today at www.neighborsnc.org.  

For any additional questions about joining and getting your garden started, please contact Chad Darby at (503) 523-7142, neighborsnc@gmail.com or visit www.neighborsnc.org.