Reply #186: Those sound like good programs.

[amandabeech]

Here in the DC area, there are a few community gardens in MD and DC. The biggest problem is keeping the deer away from the veggies--they're really yummy deer food.

In Detroit, in my home state of Michigan, churches have been able to put together plots of several acres. They grow alfalfa, a legume, which is good food for rabbits. They sell the skins and can the meet for their food bank. They then compost the rabbit droppings, which are full of nitrogen from the alfalfa, and use it for fertilizer for the veggie garden.

Nearer to my home town, which is in a rural farming area, local veggie gardeners bring their surplus to the local food bank. There are always tomatos and squash left over even after they are offered to neighbors, friends and co-workers in addition to other things. Some even plant an extra row or two just for the food bank. I think that the project is being looked at by the state because it could be used in many rural areas of the state.