Seeds for Seniors

Okay, second time I post identical posts. Sorry, but this one is important, to me.

I want to suggest an idea to everyone, and since I like to dream big, to everyone in the world. Okay, if it spread in the US, it would make me happy.

I like to garden but have always just planted enough to keep us, in tomatoes, hot peppers and green onions. This year I added my watermelons to the mix and I do have about five but I do not know if they will ever get big enough to eat before the weather gets too cold. When mom moved in with us, I threw in an extra tomato plant or two for her.

Now that she lives in an income based senior’s apartment building, I have been taking a box of tomatoes to her and she picks what she wants out of it. I planned on putting the remainder on the table in the entertainment room. Some stores will bring over breads and such and leave them there, so I figure whoever wanted tomatoes could have some fresh garden ones.

But, I only get as far as the elevator, from mom’s apartment. The ladies on the second floor are all over me for my tomatoes. I never saw them move so fast. It’s almost like Christmas to them. A lot of these seniors are totally alone in the world and they do not eat that balanced of a diet.

So, next year, besides starting seeds indoors, I am going to plant as much as I can take care of and take the extra to their building. Without having a lot of money to give, it’s a way I can feel like I am contributing to society and enriching their lives. Not only does it help them to eat a better diet (and believe me, they need help with that) but it lets them know someone cares.

So, how about it? Do you have income based senior housing in your town? Do you have a garden plot? You will bring joy and nutrition to an elderly person by just planting a couple extra tomato plants and donating the leftovers. And, when you see the delight in their faces and how fast those tomatoes disappear, I bet the next year you add more to your garden too.

So, what can we call this? We need a catchy name, like Seeds for Seniors or Tomatoes – no, never mind, that’s not a good one. Hey, and maybe someone is doing this already. It is along the lines of planting a garden in your front yard for the neighborhood to enjoy, like CrazyAuntPurl: The edible lawn...? talked about.