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WEST RICHLAND — Two West Richland gardeners share a problem that's common among successful vegetable growers in late summer. Their gardens are producing bumper crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and peppers.
And they independently found a generous solution. They contribute their extra veggies and fruits to the Richland Food Bank.
George Felton, 81, and Clarence Feser, 78, have been doing it for years. Each is passionate about gardening and puts in a large garden each year. Felton's is 60 feet by 80 feet, Feser's 50 feet by 100 feet.
Their passion for gardening on a large scale must come from a family farming heritage.
Felton was raised on a Michigan farm and remembers helping his parents, mainly his mom, tend the family vegetable garden as a boy.
"I started gardening those many years ago and continued all through my life. I've been gardening at least 75 years," he said. "I'm very active and, thanks to the good Lord, in good health."
For him, gardening is easy.
Contributing to the food bank, Felton said, "makes me feel wonderful. This is my way of giving back to those who don't grow a garden, especially the handicapped."
He estimates he donates 450 to 500 pounds of produce to the Richland Food Bank each year.
"They call me 'The Vegetable Man' down there," he said. "I've been doing this for the longest time, many, many, many years."
Feser's also a regular contributor to the Richland Food Bank. He's a North Dakota farm boy who still likes the feel of dirt under his fingernails. He prefers to grow his produce organically and enriches his garden plot with 50 or so wheelbarrow loads of compost each spring.
During the growing season, Feser's garden feeds his entire extended family with plenty left to donate to the food bank.
"When it turns hot and the plants really start producing, I pick every day," he said. "A week or so ago, I took in (to the food bank) 25 pounds of cucumbers and squash one day and 28 pounds the next."
Contributing to the food bank, Feser said, "is what life is all about. We all just help out, do what we can. Gardening is my interest and donating my extra produce is what I can do."
Bob Zinsli, operations manager for the three Tri-Cities Food Banks, said the fresh produce coming in now is welcome, if a bit overwhelming.
"We have the (volunteer) staff here running in circles trying to keep up with all the donations," Zinsli said.
He prefers that produce donations come in from 7 to 8 a.m. at any of the food banks in Richland, Kennewick or Benton City.
"Then we do our best to process it and move it out that day so our clients have good fresh fruits and vegetables," he said.
Fresh produce comes in to the food banks from many sources. Home gardens are one, grocery stores also donate produce that's edging close to its pull date. Community-supported agriculture growers, who sell shares in the harvest from their truck gardens, are another source.
If the CSA farmers harvest more than their shareholders can use, they bring in the extra produce a couple of times a week, Zinsli said.
Some donations are more sporadic.
"Some people contribute just once in a season. They may have an extra fruit tree in their yard or one that produces more than they can use. An apricot tree produces lots of fruit, and the same with plum, pear and peach trees," Zinsli said.
Over the course of the season, he said, "we see a lot of oddball things, produce that our clients don't necessarily know what they are like beets or kohlrabi. It's understandable, if you've never been around them or don't garden, you wouldn't recognize them in the grocery store either."
"We even get some fresh herbs once in a while," he said.
Most cities in the Mid-Columbia have a food bank. You'll find them listed under "food bank" in the white and yellow pages.
