The Miracle Tree

Denis Ortega seems to have a green thumb. He is growing Moringa. It won’t be long before he is planting in neighbors’ yards and creating a reforestation program. His interest in gardening started during remote learning when his teacher gave a class assignment to plant a garden. With some added funding, this young man will have meaningful income. Moringa is a miracle tree. It provides necessary nutrition for those who are malnourished.

Teach the children. You can follow on Facebook – Sustainability Project – Honduras

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Teach the Children

We live in an affluent community. Composting for many seems to be too time consuming, too not cool, too many other things to do like workout at the gym. I think we can skip the adult generations so let’s teach the children.

Recently I did a workshop with a k to 5 Green Team in our Town. The students were truly engaged. They filled two Earth Machine composters with leaves in twenty minutes. And they are smart. Those kids knew about carbon footprints, molecules and photosynthesis. Teachers at the Foster School seem to be doing a great with environmental education.

The time is now to carbon sink.

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Food Security

Some think food security is overstated. Check out the lines at food banks in 2020.

Industrial farms release the most toxic elements to the environment – nitric oxide. It contributes in a big way to global warming. Yet there are many opportunities to live more holistic lives.

Are you horticulturally ignorant? There are internet and you tube resources available. You should not be afraid to fail. It all starts with composting. Be the first in your affluent, middle class or poor neighborhood to make a food source difference. We can save the planet but we need more than talk. We need you.

Marge and Joe do it. You can too.

Just Do Compost!

Venus and James are enjoying their new home. Venus was a member of our Quincy High School tennis team. They both want to do their environmental part. They just installed a simple compost container in their backyard. They had plenty of materials to fill the composter when I arrived. We added leaves, shredded paper, food scraps, starter compost, ash and red wiggler worms.

It appears that young couples understand that it is the little things that will make an environmental difference. James comes from Queens New York. He studied dentistry at Tufts Medical School and that is what brought him to Massachusetts. He mentioned that his parents composted in Queens.

Parents, you can influence your children by thinking that we all play a role in a sustainable future. Compost, compost, compost.

Garden Art

Sometimes it is difficult to get members of the family involved in our gardens. Julia posted on her blog an interesting idea from the Children’s Museum. https://anotherjsblog.wordpress.com/category/kids/art/

I would enjoy seeing gardens from the creative minds of children. When you send the photos to me, I will post some of them to exhibit the “Lens of a Child”. You might share with the child ideas as a stimulus for this project. Or, just give them your cell phone. Try to learn what your child sees: germination, pollination, seed development (seed savers), flowers just before the vegetable develops, harvesting, the family garden or the vegetable on the dinner table. You can teach your child a lot of science in a garden.

What is Land ?

This is a photo of Manuel. Cristian has told me that Manuel is a hard worker. Notice that Manuel is having his picture taken in back of a Square Foot Garden. The reality: the soil in Honduras is depleted, chemicals are too expensive for poor people to afford and weak plants are vulnerable to pests.

Yesterday, Manuel and Cristian planted yellow squash. It will be interesting to see the results when comparing the squash being planted in depleted soil as opposed to the composted mix.

Carrots ?

I think the Mel’s Mix may be too rich. My Dad had great carrots (sandy soil). Cristian in Honduras is growing carrots on the worst land that I have ever seen.

In Honduras American and international companies took over the land. They gave people jobs but at pennies on the dollar. When the fertile soil was gone they moved their fields. That is why it is so essential for the people to learn about composting. That is why Square Foot Gardening will work so well as Cristian develops a new horticulture brand through composting.

In the photo those are carrots growing. Terrible soil. But those are growing and my carrots are pathetic. We has wealthy Americans throw away the carrot tops. Did you know that there is the same amount of vitamin C in the tops as in the carrots? The way to use them in cooking is to blend them in soup, stir fry or smoothies. With so much hunger around the world we need to teach about nutrition. That is what San Yves is all about.

Seeds for Honduras

For several years I used to be able to get left over seeds from garden stores to take to Honduras. Now the stores are required to send them back to the seed companies. I hope that some of you will send me your left over seeds. I will take them to Honduras for planting next year. Message me if you need my address.

The people’s diet consists of rice, beans and corn. The malnutrition stems from the fact that they are not eating enough vegetables and fruits with micro-nutrients. Right now we have people teaching others to plant, grow, harvest and cook nutritious vegetables. This is a opportunity for you to partner with us. Message me and I will send you my address.

Art Work

I met Andrea Mohr at Motor Cycle week in New Hampshire two years ago. She bought a pine needle basket to support the women that my wife works with in Honduras. She was moving to Maine from New York City.

I think that we talked a little about Square Foot Gardening. She just posted pictures of her new garden design. Truly amazing.

Just think, you could be enjoying something like this in your life.

1 S….. F… a. a Time

When I chose the title for this blog I was not thinking of gardens. I was thinking of people. Maureen has a beautiful garden to enjoy in her yard. The garden is truly beautiful.