This week on WCLK's The Local Take(Saturdays 8am), I reached out to Wholesome Wave Georgia about their partnership to present our community with Plant To Plate. I participated in this program last year with my Dad. We got Green Leaf Lettuce, Scallions, and a Cabbage plants. We ate from the lettuce and scallion plants all fall and winter. My sister's scallions are still growing strong. This morning we're speaking with Susan Desmond, the Development manager with Wholesome Wave Georgia. Susan, about the program, which launches on April 3rd and continues throughout the month at community gardens.
I ask Desmond to tell us about her organization, Wholesome Wave Georgia, and the new local food movement that began some years ago in our state. The organization started in 2009 when there was a renewed interest in local food. She speaks about their motto, which is "Food is Love." She speaks about "Victory Gardens" that popped up in communities during challenging times in our past.
Desmond shares that the Plant to Plate program came into being to assist the explosion of SNAP beneficiaries that resulted from the Pandemic. A focus on home gardening The program is also open to the general public. Plant to Plate allows SNAP recipients to purchase plant starts at 50% off with their benefit dollars. Participants can buy tomato, pepper, lettuce, zucchini, and other food plant-starts for the SPRING planting season. Additionally, the farmers who produced the plant starts are on hand to answer any questions. A list of Plant to Plate community gardens with dates is below.
- Saturday, April 3 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Trefoil Gardens
122 Bascomb Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189
- Saturday, April 10 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at MercyMed Farm
3702 2nd Avenue, Columbus, GA 31904
- Sunday, April 11 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Aluma Farm
1150 Allene Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
- Thursday, April 22 | 4:00 - 7:00 PM with Love is Love Farm at East Atlanta Village Farmers Market | 572 Stokeswood Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
- Sunday, April 25 | 12:00 - 2:00 PM at Narrow Way Farm
275 Stroud Rd, McDonough, GA 30252
- Monday, April 26 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at Good Samaritan Farm
1015 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
When you purchase up to three plant-starts don't forget the "growing kit." I'm a little jealous that my sister used her growing kit correctly, and her plants' had robust growth. Desmond shares that the growing kit fertilizer has a high mix of nitrogen that encourages plant growth.
Desmond says that their ultimate goal is for the Plant to Plate program to go statewide. The program starts April 3rd in Woodstock.
For more information on Wholesome Wave Georgia
For more information on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BokZRkCX1bs">Plant to Plate
