SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ginny Stoliker never has to nag people to pick food in the vegetable garden at Shelters of Saratoga.

Residents at the homeless shelter on Walworth Street readily pick a ripe tomato when they spot one or pull a green pepper off as they’re walking into the house at the end of the day, said Stoliker, the house manager.

“It’s a house project and it’s just lovely. I don’t have to go tell anyone to go do it, because someone is always doing it.”

The garden is a new addition to the shelter, with three long rows in the front yard that yielded squash, green beans, green peppers, habanero peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant this summer.

Since there hasn’t been a frost yet, they’re still getting a tomato here and there, Stoliker said.

The food they picked is still being used in daily meal preparation and some tomatoes and peppers have been put up for the winter, Stoliker said.

The 18 residents have prepared and eaten eggplant Parmesan twice from the harvest, she said.

The garden has allowed residents to eat more healthful meals and learn about growing food, both values that shelter staff emphasize, said spokeswoman Erin Crum.

And for a nonprofit organization where every dollar helps, growing their own food has allowed the shelter to save money. Stoliker estimates the shelter saved between $75 and $100 by not needing to buy as much food this year.

The garden is attractive as well.

“It looks great on our lawn. It’s green and everybody admires it going by,” she said. “It’s really kind of added something to our neighborhood.”

Scot Trifilo, owner of Terrace Homebuilders, decided to build the garden after finding out about the shelter last year and bringing produce from his garden to share last summer.

“I thought I could help out a little bit by bringing them fresh vegetables from my garden,” he said.

He and Windy Wyczawski, who used to work at the shelter, tilled the ground and planted veggies in the spring.

“The soil over there was pretty good,” Trifilo said. He plans to go back this fall to till the dirt to prepare it for spring planting.

Trifilo enjoys working in his own garden and thought the shelter residents might like it as well.

Stoliker said that is the case with some of them.

“I’ve had some guys who enjoy weeding. It’s back to the earth, and feeling the dirt in your hands,” she said.