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.

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The Organic Key

Making compost is a sustainable process.  Students at our Honduras Hope Dorm are developing organic gardens.  They make compost and are growing food to be used as a nutritional base.

Their next project will be to bring this technique to their mountain village and teach their families to grow without chemicals.  The students at the Dorm are champions.

Water

Popular Science dedicated the entire March/April issue to water.  When people plant Square Foot Gardens there is a minimum amount of water needed for the plants.  The concept is to grow in the minimum amount of concentrated space in order to produce the maximum amount of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

There are many great segments to these articles and be assured that a numbers of facts presented will surprise readers.  In Honduras we just purchased supplies to fix leaks in the water system in San Jose.  Students at the dorm are also making rain barrels to save water and build awareness for water conservation in Yoro.

Super Food

Moringa is now found in health food stores.  The nutrition comes from the leaves, flowers and roots.  It has 7 times the vitamin C of an orange and 4 times the vitamin A of milk.  For the poor villagers of Honduras, moringa is a supplement that came be grown, harvested and infused into people’s diets.

The students at the Honduras Hope Dormitory are growing moringa to be shared with people who have deficient food sources.  We distributed 150 seeds in January with an incentive to give the plants away in April and instruct others how to maintain, harvest and cook moringa.

You might want to visit your local health foods store and inquire amount the nutritional value of moringa.

Like Talking to Bricks

When it comes to organic gardening I often feel that the key for success is our children.  They are open, enthusiastic and have fun growing things.  We are teaching math, science and technology through horticulture in Honduras.

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The two pictures are almost identical.  One picture shows the best pepper crop that I have ever grown.  I use worm casting and the children at our Honduras Hope Dorm use worm castings.  The gardening technique is called Square Foot Gardening.  We are headed back to Honduras in November and our next project at the Dorm will be growing and the distribution organic Moringa.

Moringa – Honduras Hope

“A Path Appears” by Kristof and WuDunn states that “vitamin A deficiency leads to some 670,000 child deaths annually and is also the most common reason for child blindness”. Doris, the young woman in the photo, was instrumental in developing Square Foot Gardens at the dorm in Yoro that supports middle school and high school students. I am confident that Doris will help us grow moringa plants which has four times the vitamin A as milk.

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Zika – Mosquito Control

In Yoro, Honduras as well as a home we are trying to control mosquitoes using plants that are natural repellents.

http://www.ecosnippets.com/gardening/plants-to-keep-mosquitoes-away/

The url above shares with us the plants that can make a difference in our lives as well as in the lives of others in countries where the zika virus is a real threat to especially unborn children.

Students at the Honduras Hope sponsored dormitory are propagating plants which will be shared with people whose homes are one room buildings without screens.  Our goal is to turn the land adjacent to the dormitory buildings into a place to propagate these plants.  The students are already growing food there.  With their skills they will be able to  grow useful  mosquito repellent plants to distribute to people in other under served communities.  The target homes will be those of expectant mothers.

Venezuela -Starvation

Why should you set an example?  The story in this link tells an interesting story.

http://thegrownetwork.com/long-take-grow-food/

That is why we are teaching the children in Honduras to grow organically.  I often tell people that trying to convince adults about scientific gardening is like talking to a brick wall.  We are all vulnerable based on drought, GMOs and conflict.  Where does you food really come from and how far does it need to travel in time?

Food Sources

Genetically modified organisms, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides.  They are probably all used to grow tomatoes in Honduras.

This little boy will probably eat whatever he is fed.  The dilemma comes down to something that is very simple: hunger.  What would you tell that little boy about  eating that tomato?

Zika Virus – Garlic

Recently I have read that spraying liquid garlic in the yard will keep mosquitoes away for thirty days.  Articles state that mosquitoes have a sensory mechanism that is ten thousand times more sensitive than that of humans.  A gallon of liquid garlic sells for $ 84.00 on Amazon.

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People in Central and South America are currently vulnerable to the Zika virus.  Our students in Honduras will have an opportunity to grow garlic and place the plants in their houses at night.  Once we have stems on the garlic plants, we will be able to grind them up and produce a liquid which may help protect the people from mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus.

If anyone has more insight into this subject it would be helpful for me to better understand the potential of various techniques.