Mother's Day Kicks Off the Unofficial Start to the Outdoor Gardening Season

Families can come together this spring to grow a GroGood garden for the greater good 


MARYSVILLE, Ohio, May 7  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One great way to celebrate Mother's Day is for families to spend time together to grow a garden for the greater good. The national GroGood campaign - a partnership between The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Plant a Row for the Hungry and Feeding America - is asking families to plant an edible garden this spring and donate their extra produce at harvest time to help feed the one in eight family households in the United States at risk for hunger.(1)

As part of its commitment to the GroGood campaign and those who take the pledge, ScottsMiracle-Gro is donating 1 million pounds of produce to food banks around the country and is challenging Americans to double this amount by planting an extra pot, plot or row.  It's easy to make a difference starting this Mother's Day - and more important than ever - visit http://www.grogood.com/ to:

  --  Take the GroGood pledge to garden for the greater good
  --  Get tips on how to plant and maintain your vegetable garden
  --  Find a local program to support Plant a Row for the Hungry
  --  Locate your local food bank through Feeding America, the nation's
      leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

  Reap the benefits of gardening


It doesn't take a big investment of time or money to make a difference this Mother's Day and throughout the year.  In fact, approximately $50 worth of seeds and fertilizer can produce about $1,250 worth of groceries otherwise purchased in the average supermarket. A single cucumber plant can yield up to 15 to 20 cucumbers,(2) while a single bell pepper plant can yield six to eight peppers.(3)

In addition, planting an edible garden for the greater good will provide you and families at risk for hunger, with the ingredients for healthy, nutritious meals.  Donating even a tiny percentage of your garden's harvest, will go a long way toward helping other moms put food on the tables of families that need help the most.  Visit http://www.grogood.com/ to get growing.

About The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

With nearly $3 billion in worldwide sales and more than 6,000 associates, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well.  The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry.  In the U.S., the Company's Scotts(R), Miracle-Gro(R), Ortho(R) and Smith & Hawken brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup(R) brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., the Company operates Scotts LawnService(R), the second largest residential lawn service business.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol(R), Pathclear(R), Evergreen(R), Levington(R), Miracle-Gro(R), KB(R), Fertiligene(R) and Substral(R). For additional information, visit us at http://www.scotts.com/.

About Plant a Row for the Hungry

Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is a public service program of the Garden Writers Association Foundation founded in 1995 by Jeff Lowenfels, a former president of the Garden Writers Association, newspaper columnist and radio/television host based in Anchorage, Alaska.  PAR helps create local volunteer committees to support charities and relief programs designed to help feed the hungry by providing a focal point to connect the gardening community with food pantries, churches and other civic organizations. With over 27,000 volunteers in 50 states and an affiliate in Canada called Grow a Row, PAR has helped donate more than 14 million pounds of produce, representing 48 million meals, to local organizations.  For more information about Plant a Row for the Hungry, visit http://www.gardenwriters.org/.

About Feeding America (Formerly America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network)

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks operate 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/.

1. Household Food Security in the United States, 2007; U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Report (ERR-66), November 2008

2. http://www.dicla.com/faq/index.asp

3. http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/peppers.html 

DATASOURCE: The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company



CONTACT:  , [phone]; or

Fallon.O', [phone], both for The Scotts Miracle-Gro

Company, or Consumer Inquiries Only, http://www.grogood.com/, or [phone]-GRO



Web Site:  http://www.scotts.com/ 

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