Garden Talk: Food Bank accepts flowers, too!

by: Marisol Novak, Garden Coordinator

Row of Marigolds lining the edges of the garden

Who doesn’t like the sight of towering sunflowers in the summer? This year, Ecology’s Food Bank Garden accepted a generous donation of sunflower starts to brighten up the fallow side of the field. The cheerful sunflowers not only dazzled those passing on their lunchtime walks around the meadow, but the topic of flowers in the vegetable garden raised a few questions. “What are you going to do with the sunflowers? Will the Food Bank even accept flowers?”

The answer to the latter is yes; the Thurston County Food Bank happily accepts flowers. Trader Joe’s grocery store regularly donates the bulk of fresh cut flowers to the Food Bank, so Ecology’s garden team decided to follow a similar model. After the sunflowers grew tall and healthy, the team donated the flowers for others to enjoy. Garden volunteers clipped and bundled the flowers before delivering them to the Food Bank.

Flowers are lively and fun, but they also create diverse and successful ecosystems necessary for healthy gardens. Flowers attract a variety of pollinators and pests. Ecology’s garden planted a row of Marigolds, which are known to attract slugs and other pests, leaving vegetables to thrive. Come check out Ecology’s flower varieties!

What’s happening in the garden?

On October 5^th, from 9:00-2:00, the garden team is hosting the annual Potato Harvest. Lunch is included! Contact Laura at lino461@ecy.wa.gov with questions.

Not partial to potatoes? Don’t forget to visit us in the garden on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00-1:00 for weekly work parties.

Buckets of sunflowers donated to the Food Bank

Tall sunflower stalks in Ecology's garden

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