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Suncoast Pasco News
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Victory garden
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Published: September 13, 2008
NEW PORT RICHEY - A new type of garden has taken root at a food bank to aid people struggling with the high cost of food.
The Volunteer Way food bank will grow its own produce using hydroponics. The first harvest of tomatoes and lettuce will be ready within a couple of months.
About 150 people a day are seeking free food at the organization at 7820 Congress St., according to Martha O'Brien, assistant CEO of Volunteer Way. The nonprofit group is straining to keep up with the demand.
The pilot program will give food bank officials a chance to test their green thumbs, O'Brien said.
About 1,800 plants are packed into a compact space roughly 25 feet by 50 feet in the plot behind the food bank warehouse.
The plants can grow year round. They grow faster, and the garden requires far less labor.
"That's the beauty of them," O'Brien said about the stackable pots. The pilot garden behind the food bank warehouse was set up within the past week.
An irrigation system squirts water into the pot on top, trickling down to the other pots in the stack.
"We'll figure out what plants grow better," O'Brien said about the experiment.
By next year, Volunteer Way hopes to relocate and enlarge the garden on a separate site, O'Brien explained. Crews are clearing the land now on 6.8 acres on the west side of Congress Street north of Pine Hill Road. The bigger garden might expand to 1 or 2 acres, O'Brien said.
Before that can happen, though, Volunteer Way hopes to get some grants to help pay expenses for the garden. The small test plot cost close to $8,000 to set up, O'Brien said.
In the meantime, food bank officials are seeking permission to expand the warehouse on the existing site, filling the space where the test garden now stands.
People who wish to volunteer their time or to donate can call the Volunteer Way office at 727-815-0433. For more information, go online at www.thevolunteerway.org>.
Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.
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