(upbeat music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.

For some Washington families, gardening starts with food benefits.

Many people know that food stamps make it possible for more people to buy food at the grocery store.

But fewer people know that these benefits can help them grow their own fresh produce.

The opportunity to use government assistance for gardening has been around since 1973.

Supplementing your diet with homegrown food can be inexpensive.

For same price as a large tomato, someone could buy a packet of seeds or a plant start that would ultimately yield more fruit.

King County residents can use food stamps at food banks, grocery stores that sell seeds, convenience and drug stores, as well as that farmer's markets, where they can use the market match program to double the value of their SNAP benefits.

They can also use their benefits at online retailers.

I'm Starla Sampaco.

Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.

(upbeat music)