Nursery offers free plants for growers who donate veggies

A cold front that took the Greenhouse Garden Center by surprise recently may prove to be a coup for hungry Carson residents.

Owner David Ruf said a forecast of 36 degrees turned into 28 degrees, and his vegetable plants fell victim to frostbite.

More than 1,000 cucumber, squash, pepper and tomato plants were affected.

"The plants are not really salable, but they are viable," said Ruf.

So after giving some to area schools and churches, Ruf decided to offer the remainder to Carson City residents willing to "Plant a Row for the Hungry."

Launched in 1995, Plant A Row is a public service program of the Garden Writers Association and the GWA Foundation. People are encouraged to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America's hungry.

Ruf said Wednesday anyone willing to participate need only show up at his Curry Street nursery, pick up some vegetable plants free of charge, and tend to them at their homes. All he asks is that once the plants are harvested, the bounty is donated to Friends in Service Helping, or some other charitable organization.

"Last fall there was a bountiful harvest of apples so anyone that came, we fed them apples as well," said FISH Director Jim Peckham. "A can of spaghetti is one thing, but fresh fruits and vegetables are much better."

Ruf said he'll gladly suffer the financial loss if it turns into the community's gain.

"I've worked at trying to clean the plants up and we've fertilized them," he said. "Now I just need people willing to also help those who are less fortunate."