AMES, Iowa (AP) — Like most cities, Ames in central Iowa takes pains to keep its downtown looking lush in the summer by planting plenty of beds and containers lining the streets. But Ames’ plantings also feed the hungry.

For a second year, Ames Main Street has substituted edible landscaping — including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, kale, cabbage and okra — for the flowers it used to plant. On Friday, volunteers harvested more than 200 pounds of sweet potatoes from 25 planters along the street.

About 200 pounds of the potatoes were donated to Food at First, the local food pantry, said Ames Main Street spokeswoman Cindy Hicks. Downtown residents and business employees are welcomed to pick whatever produce they’ll consume. The rest goes to charity.

Hicks say about 100 pounds of other produce has been donated so far this summer, and more is expected, as many of the vegetable plants are still producing. The vegetable plants this year were donated, and the gardens are maintained by volunteers.