Plant a row.

If you like the idea of sharing the harvest from your garden, consider joining the Plant A Row movement. This is an informal, national movement that encourages gardeners to “plant a row,” specifically to donate to the hungry. If you know a few other people who grow veggies, you could suggest doing it together to combine your efforts. Koether says that food pantries are happy to receive donations of fresh produce, but it’s nice to wash it and package it a bit before donating (she uses plastic bags and upcycled clamshells and berry boxes).

Grow flowers just to give.

When Kelli Pease (@theflowerremedy) began gardening five years ago, she quickly discovered the joy of giving flowers away. Now she’s on a mission to grow and give away 1 million flowers. Pease donates bouquets to be delivered by her Meals on Wheels chapter, offers flowers to her local Buy Nothing Group, drops off mini bouquets at senior living facilities, hosts bouquet-making parties in her garden, and stocks a little free flower library in her front yard (phew!). “People light up when they see them and never can believe that they are free,” she says. “I’ve gained lifelong friends through this project—both through the people I’ve given to and the volunteers who help me put together the arrangements. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in gardening!”

Join a plant society.

You don’t have to have a horticulture degree to join a local plant society. Graham Laird Gardner, the author of Tiny + Wild, describes joining the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society as a “pivotal” experience in his journey as a designer. “Through plant sales, potlucks, and hands-on activities, I not only grew my plant knowledge, but also honed my social skills in a supportive, collaborative environment,” he says. “It’s an intergenerational space where friendships blossom naturally, and I encourage anyone interested in deepening their connection to nature and community to find a native plant society near them.”

Sign up for a garden club.

Likewise, you don’t have to have a picture-perfect garden to join a garden club. Many garden clubs across the country are hungry for members, especially young ones. The Garden Club of America maintains a database of local chapters you can search. If you can’t find one, or the one you do find isn’t quite your vibe, consider starting your own. Köerner is organizing what she calls a “radical gardening club” in her area to find other gardeners interested in ecological gardening, who are also learning as they go. She likens it to a book club in which the meeting rotates every month from garden to garden for a casual gathering.

Open your garden for a tour.

For gardeners who have put the hours in to create a show-worthy garden, consider inviting others to visit it to raise money for charity. Many local nonprofits host annual garden tours as fundraisers, as does the Garden Conservancy through their Open Days program. The gardener simply agrees to let people come snoop around for a few hours. Another option to support a charity is to lend your garden to an organization for a fundraising event.

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