WHAT TO KNOW WHEN PLANTING PRODUCE FOR THE HUNGRY.

Byline: Joan Jackson Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

The old garden wisdom, ``Plant only what you can use,'' doesn't apply anymore.

The new rule: When buying vegetable seeds and transplants, plant everything, and then put in extra for Plant a Row for the Hungry.

This spring marks the third year of Plant a Row for the Hungry, a nationwide project of Garden Writers Association of America. The goal of this grass-roots project is to encourage every person who plants a vegetable garden to grow an extra row or more for food banks, soup kitchens, day-care centers and homeless shelters.

``Plant a Row really makes a difference in the kind of produce we can offer each summer. God bless our gardeners for all they do to help others,'' says Marge Albaugh, executive director of St. Joseph's Family Center in Gilroy, Calif.

As you get going with your spring garden, here are some tips:

Whether you plant a big garden or a small one, plant something extra. If you plant one package of beans, put in two. No space? Use containers to plant compact vegetables and add herbs. Fresh herbs improve the flavor of food and are healthy.

Double your productivity by planting more closely and by intercropping. After you harvest one vegetable, plant a second crop. For the last sowing, plant root vegetables such as beets, parsnips and carrots, which are great in winter soup.

Fruit trees provide a wealth of good eating. Harvest apples, pears, citrus, Asian pears, firm peaches and plums - they all travel well to food banks.

Don't waste fresh fruit by letting it fall to the ground or rot on trees. If you can't reach the fruit yourself, ask young people in your neighborhood to climb the ladder and harvest it for you to share.

Some produce travels and keeps better than others. Plant vegetables that withstand handling as they move from your garden to the food kitchen to those in need.

Good bets are broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peas, snap beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, eggplant, watermelons, summer squash, pumpkins and winter squash. Wash the produce and stack it in a box or sturdy bag. Deliver while it is fresh and at its peak.

Flower donations are a little harder to handle, but they are welcome, too. Make prior arrangements with a food kitchen or homeless shelter to accept your flowers. Cut and arrange them in empty coffee cans, or a container that can be left at the location.

How to get food to the people who need it most: Check with local soup kitchens, homeless shelters and neighborhood churches. Individuals who don't know a local soup kitchen can call the nationwide network of food banks, Second Harvest, at [phone].Their communications department is able to refer callers to a qualified relief organization in their immediate area.

Community advocates say there are 30 million Americans in danger of going hungry, and many of them are children and elderly. The contributions from our gardeners can make a difference.