I learned about a great new website this week and wanted to share it with you. The Farmer’s Garden is a free resource for sharing and locating local produce. Maureen Farmer, who created the site, agreed to answer some questions for us.

What prompted you to start The Farmer’s Garden web site?

I am a Master Gardener and for the past four years I have been growing as much of my own food as possible. Most growing seasons, I harvest more produce than I can eat, freeze and give away. I realized that when I give a zucchini or a bag of mixed greens away, the recipient seems genuinely happy and their happiness reflects back onto me.

This spring, I taught myself the PHP programming language to supplement my existing programming skills. Home gardening is more popular than ever this year. I combined my profession and passion to create The Farmer’s Garden website so everyone can have access to locally grown food.

How does the site work and how much does it cost?

To find surplus produce in your local area, go to The Farmer’s Garden, enter your US zip code, select the radius that you are willing to travel, click the submit button and see what people in your area have to offer. You also have the option of refining your search by transaction type, category and/or key word.

Registration is required to post a classified to sell, trade, or give away your surplus produce. Food pantries and individuals can also register to post wanted classifieds. There is no charge to use The Farmer’s Garden because registration, posting and searching are all free.

It looks like a great idea. Have people been receptive to it?

Thanks. I have received positive feed back from many individuals and non-profit organizations. My site went live four months ago and I’m happy to already have registered users in almost every State.

Do you have any advice for people interested in growing (and perhaps sharing) some of their own food for the first time?

Gardening is very rewarding and easier than many people think. It is wonderful to plant seeds or seedlings, watch them grow and then actually be able to reap the rewards. Gardening is also fun, educational, and very economical. If you don’t have space where you live, research community gardens or try growing herbs or salad greens near a sunny window.

If you have the space, grow a little extra food to share with others. You’ll be surprised how good a small act of kindness will make you feel.

Any thing else you’d like people to know?

Many backyard gardeners also grow varieties of produce not found in your local grocery store. This is a terrific opportunity to taste new foods. If you don’t know how to prepare something, ask the grower. He or she will probably offer you several tasty recipes to try. You might even make a new friend in the process.

The Farmer’s Garden is new, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for at first, try again next week. We’re growing every day.

Beth’s Note: I encourage you to visit the site. As you know, we grew our own organic garden for the first time this year. We plan to do it again next year and I’m thrilled to know there’s a place where I can easily share our excess food.