Gardeners urged to Plant a Row for the Hungry

Gardeners in Oklahoma are being encouraged to donate their excess produce to charity, it has been reported.

With fruit and vegetable crops often maturing around the same time, growers can find themselves with excess food, the Edmond Sun explained.

According to the newspaper, those who find themselves in this situation are being asked by TV programme Oklahoma Gardening to give their food to the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign, started by the Garden Writers Association of America in 1995.

"This season on the show we are encouraging gardeners to plant an extra row of produce and donate their surplus to food banks, soup kitchens and other service organizations in their communities," Kim Rebek, who presents the show, told the newspaper.

She added the programme has a new vegetable garden, growing lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini and other foods – with extra being sent to local organisations in Stillwater.

According to Garden Writers Association of America, 33 million people live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger in the US.