Plant One More logo. Text "Plant One More" with various illustrations of vegetables around the text. Green and orange bell peppers, snap peas, carrots,red tomatoes, cucumber, and a purple onion.

Plant One More

Growing Food. Sharing Harvests. Strengthening Communities.

Plant One More (POM) is a national gardening and produce donation initiative from Kelly’s Kitchen that encourages gardeners to plant one extra fruit or vegetable plant and share the harvest with their community.

Launching in spring, Plant One More connects home gardeners, community gardens, and food access organizations through a simple but powerful idea: when each person grows just a little extra, communities can share abundance.

Through this program, gardeners are invited to grow food for their households while also donating a portion of the harvest to local food pantries, community fridges, and food distribution programs.

Why Plant One More?

Across the United States, food access organizations are experiencing increased demand for fresh food while facing rising food costs and uncertainty surrounding assistance programs like SNAP.

At the same time, many home gardeners grow more produce than they can use. Plant One More bridges this gap by encouraging community members to grow an additional plant specifically for donation.

Even one plant can make a difference.

When multiplied across neighborhoods, gardens, and communities, those extra plants become an important source of fresh, locally grown produce for people experiencing food insecurity.

Rooted in Accessibility

At Kelly’s Kitchen, our work centers on making the food system more accessible for people with disabilities and historically underserved communities.

Plant One More builds on the work of the Food Security Network (FSN), a national coalition of more than 700 food pantries, urban agriculture programs, co-ops, and culinary education initiatives working toward food sovereignty and equitable food access.

Through this program we aim to:

  • Increase the amount of fresh produce available through community food distribution

  • Strengthen local and regional food systems

  • Support inclusive and accessible gardening opportunities

  • Foster community connection through growing and sharing food

Partnership with Utopian Seed Project

For the inaugural Plant One More season, Kelly’s Kitchen has partnered with the Utopian Seed Project, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainable farming, seed stewardship, and resilient foodways.

Together, we have sourced twelve heirloom seed varieties grown and stewarded by farmers and growers in Western North Carolina.

These seeds represent a diverse mix of vegetables and culturally significant crops that thrive in many regions of the United States.

Seed varieties include:

  • Blue Goose Southern Peas

  • Ashe County Pimento Sweet Pepper

  • Monticello White Sesame

  • North Carolina Candy Roaster Winter Squash

  • Wandering Tomatillo

  • Grace Lahman Pink Tomato

  • Blue Ridge Butternut Squash

  • Cherokee Purple Cherry Tomato

  • Ventura Celery

  • Purple Ultracross Collards

  • Puerto Rico Everblush Okra

  • Suyo Long Cucumber

A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe
A collection of twelve heirloom seed packet images featuring vegetables grown by farmers and seed stewards in Western North Carolina. Each packet displays a close-up photograph of the crop variety and its name. The varieties include Blue Goose Southe

Pilot Program

During the first year of Plant One More, six Food Security Network member organizations across the United States will participate in the pilot program by invitation.

Each participating site will receive:

  • Heirloom seed packets from Utopian Seed Project

  • Educational materials about each crop variety

  • Promotional materials to share with their communities

  • Access to Kelly’s Kitchen’s Virtual Community Garden

Organizations may distribute seeds directly to community members or grow them within their own gardens or growing spaces.

Virtual Community Garden

All Plant One More participants are invited to join Kelly’s Kitchen’s Virtual Community Garden, a free online resource hub and interactive forum.

The Virtual Community Garden provides:

  • Growing guides and educational resources

  • Community discussions with other gardeners

  • Seasonal planting tips

  • Opportunities to share photos, harvest stories, and gardening knowledge

We envision the Virtual Community Garden as the heart of the Plant One More movement, connecting growers across the country who are working together to build strong, local food systems.

A Growing Movement

Plant One More is more than a gardening program. It is a reminder that community resilience often begins in small spaces — backyards, raised beds, balconies, and neighborhood gardens.

By planting one extra seed, gardeners help nourish their families, their neighbors, and the broader community.

Together, we can grow a future where fresh food is accessible to everyone.

For questions and to inquire about Plant One More (POM), contact Plant One More Director, Ruby Elbert at ruby@kellys-kitchen.org.

QR code that leads the Kelly's Kitchen Patreon and Plant One More Virtual Garden resources.