THE MANY USES > ABUNDANT HARVEST GARDEN SYSTEM to ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY

For the past several years we have been working to develop an efficient micro-intensive gardening system. The goal is to help provide food security in areas of the world where the resources of land, water, time and tools are limited. Hank Bruce and Tomi Jill Folk have conducted trials using various plant materials, growing mediums and gardening techniques. We would like to share some of the preliminary results with you and ask your input, advice, suggestions, comments and questions, about the Abundant Harvest Gardens system. We know that this isn’t a universal or absolute answer to the hunger problem, but this may be helpful in many areas.

What we found was that by using the Cellugro™ structure and drainage system used by commercial nurseries we could grow produce with 20% of the water and less that 50% of the nutrients required by conventional, in-ground vegetable gardening practices. We also found that when using the principles listed below we could raise, in a 4' x 4' space, sufficient fresh vegetables to supply a family of four on a daily basis. This has great potential in urban areas, on rooftops, areas where there is no arable land available or where access is limited. A single person, spending less that 30 minutes a day, with no tools other than bare hands can feed his, or her, family. In some of our trials dishwater and wood ash were the only nutrient sources.

One of our concerns was how the system would perform under diverse growing conditions. We currently have trials being conducted by schools in Arizona and Florida. We tested numerous common and uncommon vegetables in the system and found that it isn’t the best answer for many crops but provides great potential for others.

The following is a brief outline of The Abundant Harvest System:

(1) Environmentally friendly techniques. Because this is an intensive system there is far less environmental impact from cultivation, erosion, excessive water use or the use of pesticides. For more information e-mail us with a request for our AHG Environmental Impact Analysis at tomifolk@mail2.Lcia.com

(2) Crops that make continuous harvesting possible. With the Abundant Harvest System the key is almost daily harvesting to make room for tomorrow’s new growth. This means using plants like Okinawa spinach, moringa and katook. A salad can be much more than lettuce. We can even harvest salads from some shrubs and trees. For more information please e-mail us at tomifolk@mail2.Lcia.com, requesting a listing of the continuous harvest plants tested and currently being researched.

(3) Multi-purpose plants like lablab beans, beets and mauka (a four-o’clock from Peru) that yield more than one edible part. As an example we can eat the beet and radish leaves while the roots are maturing. With the lablab beans we can eat the flowers, leaves, beans and the tuberous root. Click here for a list of multi-purpose plants.

(4) The CelluGRO™ system. This cellular growing structure provides greater space efficiency than "square foot gardening" because each plant is growing in its own space. It uses approximately 20% of the water that a conventional garden does. Any surplus water can be collected for reuse. Peelings, table scraps and vegetable waste that isn’t used to feed livestock can be composted for future use in these gardens.

(5) This is a micro-intensive way of growing plants that utilizes every inch of growing space, no off seasons, no time when any part of the garden is empty. Something is always either being planted, growing or being harvested. The crops will change with the seasons, but no space is even idle. For more information on these micro-intensive techniques ask for our "Growing Tips Report" by sending us an e-mail at tomifolk@mail2.Lcia.com

This system is adaptable for those with physical limitations or the infirmities of age. For more information on this aspect of the Abundant Harvest Gardens request "Gardening with Limitations" from tomifolk@mail2.Lcia.com

If you would like to share your thoughts, suggestions opinions and questions, or if you would like information on our new book, Global Gardening, please contact us at tomifolk@mail2.Lcia.com and take a look at the web site www.globalgardening.info

Thank you for caring about hunger, starvation and malnutrition.

Peace, Hank Bruce & Tomi Jill Folk