Oscar Deaver, of Purcellville, is going to spend his summer in a 6,000-square-foot garden plot.

With the help of a few volunteers, Deaver—a junior at Loudoun Valley High School—planted rows of beans, onions, lettuce, beets, turnips and potatoes. The goal is to grow and harvest 1,000 pounds of vegetables by the end of the summer.

“That’s what we projected roughly. Very roughly,” Deaver said, who planted the garden as his Eagle Scout project. “I don’t know if we’ll have anywhere close to it, but it’ll be a significant amount of food.”

Deaver is working with Plant a Row for the Hungry, a Loudoun organization that works with local gardeners and asks them to plant a couple of extra rows to donate to Interfaith Relief in Leesburg. He said he doesn’t have a particular interest in gardening, but thinks that his garden will have a small but positive effect on the community.

It represents “better nutrition, [it’s] better for everyone around us,” Deaver said.

The biggest challenge has been getting volunteers to help out once a week, said Monica Deaver, Oscar’s mom.

While Oscar Deaver has done some yardwork, he has never gardened on this scale before.

About three or four volunteers help him every weekend, weeding and watering the rows of vegetables. There’s a bit of rotation among the volunteers, but Deaver estimates about eight or nine help out in total. He’s found volunteers among his friends and fellow Scouts.

Deaver isn’t planning on studying anything related to agriculture in the future, but he’s glad he’s had the chance to do this project.

“For charity work, you can fundraise or throw money at stuff, but I feel like with this, I’m actually doing a material thing,” Deaver said.

For more information on Loudoun Plant a Row for the Hungry, call 540-338-0388 or visit http://www.vpclc.com.