Colfax Community Garden nears peak for 2018 season

The Peace Lutheran Church community garden is approaching its top picking time in its sixth summer in operation. So far in 2018, the garden has produced 217 pounds of produce donated weekly to the Colfax Food Pantry and Pullman’s Community Action Center.

The garden is part-private and part-church activity, as Peace Lutheran members tend to plants in half of the 20 wooden beds and four tractor tires.

The church picked 45 pounds of tomatoes last week.

“It’s really starting to produce,” said Kent Miller, coordinator. “Mid-August through September is the peak time for picking.”

Aside from tomatoes, food grown in the plots includes zucchini, cucumbers, beets, green beans, onions and carrots.

“It’s been a good year for cucumbers,” Miller said. “Carrots and onions are not ready yet.”

Last year the church donated 726 pounds after a haul of an estimated 500 pounds in 2016 and 785 for 2015.

For this year, with ripening hitting a stride, Miller estimates the total year’s harvest donated will be between 600-700 pounds.

“This year, we don’t have as much zucchini, and zucchini weigh a lot,” he said.

Deliveries of donations begin in July each year, with a car taking boxes up the street to the Colfax Food Pantry every other week. In off weeks for Colfax, a car goes to Pullman.

Miller expects another four to five weeks of harvest.

“Up until the first frost is usually pretty good,” he said.