Master gardeners grow food at Green Spring for the needy

The Master Gardeners at Green Spring Gardens.

The Green Spring Gardens Extension Master Gardeners are hoping to donate 2,000 pounds of produce they are growing in the Edible Garden at Green Spring Gardens.

Last summer, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the Master Gardeners donated 1,000 pounds to food pantries operated by the Annandale Christian Community for Action and a church in Reston. 

The gardeners are growing a variety of crops, including tomatoes, cabbage, bok choi, peppers, leeks, onions, spinach, broccoli, peas, beans, potatoes, herbs, delicata squash, summer squash, zucchini, and Swiss chard. They also plan to harvest fruits, such as figs, persimmons, pawpaw, and hardy kiwi.

As part of the Master Gardener program, the 25 volunteers work with the public to encourage environmentally sound horticultural practices through sustainable landscape management.