Keohane Funeral Home

Plant.Grow.Share.: FREE Gardening Workshops and Seedlings for Garden Enthusiasts

May 1, 2018

Plant.Grow.Share., formerly known as Harvest Helpers, encourages backyard gardeners to grow more food locally with the hope that they will share their bounty with others in need. Local residents can pick up free seedlings and attend free workshops to learn how to grow food at home – all materials provided. This season, we’ve added new composting workshops for anyone interested getting more out of their gardens.

As the summer progresses, local gardeners drop off fresh fruits and vegetables to local food pantries or share them directly with their neighbors. Plant.Grow.Share. is a collaborative effort of Keohane Funeral Homes, the Weymouth Food Pantry and Interfaith Social Services to provide fresh food to local food pantries.

Build Your Own Tomato Container Garden for FREE

Tomato Container Gardening Workshops are being held free-of-charge for anyone interested in learning about container gardening. During this approximately one-hour long workshop led by local organic farmer Jon Belber of Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, attendees will be supplied with all the knowledge and supplies needed to create and grow their own free-standing tomato container gardens.

“Growing tomatoes can be easy and fun and we love to help people learn how through the Plant.Grow.Share. program. If you have a spot of sunshine, you can grow tomatoes,” said Cas Casados Executive Director of the Weymouth Food Pantry. “We would love to provide fresh tomatoes to all our food pantry clients and this program helps.”

FREE Tomato Container Gardening Workshop

Come plant your own tomato container garden and grow tomatoes at home this summer in a free workshop led by local organic farmer Jon Belber of Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset. All supplies will be provided, including a free tomato plant seedling donated by Keohane Funeral Home. Once it’s time to harvest, enjoy your tomatoes at home and donate a portion to your local food pantry.

• Monday, May 14 at 6 pm at Tufts Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth
  • Rain Date Tuesday, May 15 at 6 pm
• Space is limited, so call Tufts Library at 781-337-1402 to RSVP

“For the past few years we have been encouraging local residents to donate fresh produce to area food pantries,” said Rick Doane, executive director of Interfaith Social Services. “Even if you do not have the land or gardening experience, a container garden is a great way to grow fresh produce. That is why we are partnering with Holly Hill Farm for these workshops.”

FREE Composting for Better Gardens Workshops

Come learn how composting will help you get the most out of your garden this summer. During the approximately one-hour long workshop led by local organic farmer Jon Belber of Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, attendees will be supplied with knowledge needed to build their own compost piles and receive a FREE tomato plant, donated by Keohane Funeral Homes.

• Monday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Hingham Library, 66 Leavitt Street in Hingham. Register for this class online at www.hinghamlibrary.org or call 781-741-1405
• Friday, May 25 at 1:00 p.m. at the Kennedy Senior Center, 440 E Squantum St. in Quincy. Register by calling Rick at 617-773-6203 Ext 17
• Tuesday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m. at the Whipple Senior Center, 182 Green St. in N. Weymouth. Register by emailing [email protected] or call 781-331-7682 Ext. 23

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Plant.Grow.Share program this year. People get to learn how to improve their gardens with composting and have fun at the same time!” said Annmarie Coyle, of Weymouth Food Pantry. “These workshops lead to many donations of fresh produce, which can make a world of difference for hungry people.”

Free Seedlings Available to Grow at Home

Local gardeners and food pantry patrons are invited to pick up free vegetable seedlings in our
FREE Seedling Giveaway. When vegetables are ready to enjoy, gardeners are encouraged to donate a portion of their harvest to the Weymouth Food Pantry or Interfaith Social Services to help local residents in need. “We need fresh produce for people in need in our community,” said Doane. “This is not just for gardeners; this is for people who are committed to feeding healthy food to hungry people.”

Seedlings will be available for pick-up beginning the week of May 22nd to May 25 at these locations: Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St. in Quincy; McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, 809 Main St. in South Weymouth; Interfaith Social Services, 105 Adams St. in Quincy; and all the Weymouth Food Pantry’s pop-up sites – call 781-331-7682 for locations.

Vegetable gardens will also be planted at Keohane Funeral Homes locations in Quincy and South Weymouth. Interfaith Social Services will have two gardens, one next to their office at 105 Adams Street in Quincy, and one on their rooftop specifically for growing tomatoes.

“We are very pleased to be a part of Plant.Grow.Share.,” said John Keohane, Co-president for Keohane Funeral Homes. “Something as simple as people planting an extra row of vegetables in their gardens can make a huge difference for our local food pantries.” 

How You Can Help

For those who would like to help in other ways besides gardening, the food pantries are also happy to receive donations of fresh store-bought produce. Donations of fresh produce for the Weymouth Food Pantry are accepted at all of their pop-up pantry sites around Weymouth. Visit weymouthfoodpantry.org for a complete list of times and locations. Donations are also welcome at their food warehouse at 40 Reservoir Park Drive, Unit B, in Rockland from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday-Friday.

Donations from your garden or supermarket for Interfaith Social Services can be dropped off at 105 Adams Street in Quincy from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, and until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Monetary donations are also always welcomed. Donations to the Plant.Grow.Share. program can be made online at interfaithsocialservices.org/donate.

For questions or to volunteer for the Plant.Grow.Share. program, please contact: Rick Doane, Executive Director of Interfaith Social Services, (617) 773-6203; Joe Reardon, Vice President for Community Development and Advance Planning at Keohane Funeral Homes, (617) 773-3551; or The Weymouth Food Pantry, (781) 331-7682, [email protected].