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GARDENING OUTREACH
Proposal for Food
Gardening, Harvesting and Cooking Instruction
for Seniors at a City Multiservice
Center.
(Contact info for the volunteer guide running the
project)
Goals : The initial goal of this
two year project, would be to help participants successfully grow and
harvest at least one food plant at their home. This initial success
would encourage growing additional food plants. There are a variety of
herbs and greens that are very hardy, nutritious, delicious, easy to
grow, and maintain! Additional plant materials and gardening support
would be provided in the second year of this project.
Methods : Utilize the gardening and
cooking resources at the multiservice center to teach people how to
grow at least some of their own food at home. This will immediately
increase the nutritional value of food consumed in the home. In
addition, the example of food growing at one home can serve as an
example of technique and as a source of additional seeds and
plants/cuttings for the surrounding homes.
The
first year of this project can be broken into three phases:
Phase I
- Meet
with participants/seniors to determine if there is interest in learning
more about this topic.
- If
so, discuss what space and location options exist for home food
growing.
- Discuss
simple inexpensive and/or free methods for improving soil fertility,
provide some free materials if needed.
- Parallel
deployment of food plants at the multiservice center and to
participants to plant at their homes.
Phase II
- Weekly
monitoring and discussions with the participants about the development
of their food plants at the center and discussions comparing their
duplicate plant’s development at
their homes.
- Demonstration
of harvesting and plant care techniques on the plants at the center.
Participants can then duplicate these practices at their homes.
- Simple,
nutritious cooking demonstrations at the center with harvested food
plant materials.
Phase III
- Simple
seed saving and plant propagation (through cuttings) would be taught
and practiced.
- Develop
simple written care instructions and recipes for the deployed plants
that can be easily shared physically or electronically.
- Encourage
participants to share information and resources with their neighbors.
- Deploy
additional plants and seeds to experienced participants.
The
multiservice center would not be expected to provide any money or
materials beyond the use of the premises. With a volunteer guide, cost
of the entire program could be kept well under $100.00.
Prototype
for a
Small, Low Cost, Quick Start, Home Food Garden
Summer planting, Manna House, Houston, TX
Installation date:
July 9, 2010
Size:
4 x 12 ft
Time and manpower required to install:
2 hours, 2 people: a 14 year old male, and a 52 year old female
Materials and cost:
Leaves------------------------one yard bag full ------------------- free
Newspaper------------------one paper grocery bag full----- - free
Mushroom compost-------------------------------- 3 bags------- 11.91
Manure compost------------------------------------ 2 bags--------- 2.70
Texas native hardwood mulch (shredded)---- 4 bags------- 11.92
______
TOTAL COST = $ 26 .53
The amounts and composition of the materials can vary a lot and could
include other dead organic materials such as compost, grass clippings,
other dead plant material etc. It is good to have composted manure (any
animal) as part of the mix. It is also important to keep the percentage
of dead plant material and manure very high (~80%), i.e. not too much
sandy material. As the dead plant material breaks down over time it
feeds the plants and the beneficial soil organisms that also feed and
protect the plants. No external source of commercial (organic or
nonorganic) fertilizer is needed.
Methods:
The starting ground was covered in grass and was mostly clay. Most of
the area was broken open to ~half a shovel depth and most of the grass
removed. The grass was saved in one of the emptied mulch bags and saved
for later use as compost. Parts that were too difficult to dig were
just covered over with the materials. The leaves and sandier materials
were spread on top of the broken (or unbroken) ground. Newspapers (~3
pages thick) were spread over this. When planting plants or seeds make
sure to break through this newspaper under the place you are planting.
Then the mushroom compost was spread over the newspaper, leaving the
edges of the newspaper on the perimeter of the bed uncovered. A very
thick edging of newspaper was placed over the previous layer of
newspaper around the perimeter to act as a grass barrier between the
bed and the surrounding grass. A thick layer of Texas native hardwood
mulch was placed on top of the mushroom compost and over most of the
edging newspaper.
Irrigation method:
Hand watering with water transported in gallon jugs from the adjacent
building. After a week of getting the plants established (~5 gallons
per day), the amount of water will be reduced to 5 gallons per week for
the summer when it hasn't rained recently. The water is delivered to
the base of each plant or over the seeds. A heavy layer of mulch, and
the high percentage of organic material in the bed, helps to hold the
water and reduce evaporation losses.
Maintenance:
Weeding, watering, harvesting. Additional organic materials will need
to be added as they become available. This will continue the process of
feeding the plants and keeping them healthy. No external source of
fertilizer is needed. Manure or compost can be mixed in the soil as new
plants and seeds are added to the garden. Dead leaves, dead plants,
grass clippings, mulch, shredded newspaper etc., are just piled on top
of the bed between the plants. They can be pushed around to make room
for new plants or seeds.
Summer Plants:
Plants were obtained from cuttings, or extra sprouting, or leftover
seeds from another garden for free.
Greens and herbs are the best plants to grow in gardens with limited
space. They are extremely nutritious, delicious, and can be continually
harvested throughout the growing season.
Herbs:
Mexican mint marigold (tarragon flavor, perennial) 5
plants
Basil (save seeds for next year) 3 plants, one from a cutting
Greens:
Lambs quarters (reseeds easily, save seeds for next year ) 1 plant
Sweet potato vine (perennial) 4 plants from cuttings
Egyptian spinach (save seeds for next year) ~7 plants
Cholesterol spinach (perennial) 1 plant from a cutting
Bottle gourd, Lau (save seeds for next year) 6 seeds
Other:
Cherry tomato (can reseed, or save seeds) 2 plants
Cucumber 8 seeds
Other great summer plants: okra, Thai eggplant, long beans, mint,
oregano, ….
How
to take care of your Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida).
Loves the Houston summer heat! This plant is a herb that tastes like
tarragon (anise flavor). The leaves (and flowers) are edible. The
leaves are the part that is used as a herb. Delicious fresh, they also
keep their flavor well when dried. The plant is a perennial; it may die
to the ground in the winter, but comes back in the spring. It will get
bigger every year, eventually about 2x2x3feet. It gets yellow flowers
in late summer. Cut branches half way down to harvest when needed and
to help promote new growth. Great fresh or cooked with meat,
vegetables, eggs, and for tea!
How
to take care of your Egyptian spinach (Corchorus olitorius ) and lambs
quarters (Chenopodium album, C.
gigantium, C. berlandieri).
Loves the Houston summer heat! Both are annuals.
For lambs quarters
plant seeds in the spring. Source: Wild or ‘Seeds of Change’. This
plant grows into a bush ~3x5 feet tall. Lamb’s quarters makes very
small seeds from tiny nondescript flowers and can be saved. If you
watch the ground around the plant throughout the year, you will likely
see new plants from seeds that have fallen and reseeded on their own! More nutritious than spinach and contains
all essential amino acids!
For Egyptian spinach
plant the seeds in the spring and early summer. Source : 'Kitazawa Seed
Co.' The plant will grow 3x5 feet tall. Two plants are more than enough
for one family. In the fall the Egyptian spinach will make seed pods
that resemble tiny okra. When the pods are mostly dry you can
harvest them and save the seeds for next year. High in beta carotene, iron, calcium, and
vitamins C and E.
For both, harvest the greens by pinching of ~2 inches of the growing
tips (where they break off easily). The more you harvest, the more the
plants will bush and the more food you will get. You can use the stem
and leaves of the tips you harvest for stir frying or in soups.
How
to take care of your sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas ).
Loves the Houston summer heat! Perennial. Grows best in some shade.
Take some cuttings and root in water inside if it looks like a freeze
in
the winter. This plant grows into a bush ~3x5 feet tall. Harvest
the greens by pinching of ~2 inches of the growing tips (where they
break off easily) or longer vines and just use the leaves. The more you
harvest, the more the plant will bush and the more food you will get.
You can use the stem and leaves of the tip, and all the leaves from the
vines you harvest for stir frying or in soups. High in vitamins A, C,
and calcium.
How
to take care of your cholesterol spinach (Gynura nepalensis).
Loves the Houston summer heat! Perennial. Grows best in some shade.
Take some cuttings and root in water inside if it looks like a freeze
in
the winter. This plant grows into a bush ~3x3 feet wide. Harvest
the greens by pinching of ~2- 4 inches of the growing tips (where they
break off easily). The more you harvest, the more the plant will bush
and the more food you will get. You can use the stem and leaves that
you break off for stir frying or fresh in salads. Studies in rats
indicate it can help reduce cholesterol levels.
How
to take care of your Lau, Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria ).
Loves the Houston summer heat! Sun, afternoon shade ok. Annual. It is
grown for its edible young gourds, eaten as a vegetable, and for its
tender green leaves and stems that can be sautéed. For greens
harvest ~2-3 feet of the growing vine ends. Use ~the first 4-6 inches
of stem, leaves and tendrils and the remaining leaves to
sauté/stir fry. For some of the older, larger leaves you may
want to turn the leaf over and pull off any tough vein fibers. Starting
where the stem meets the leaf, pinch the outer surface of the stem
between your thumb nail and a finger nail and pull outward toward the
tip of the leaf. This is one of the most delicious summer greens! If
you let one of the gourds ripen and dry completely you will have seed
for next year!
Source : Kitazawa Seed Co. ‘Early green skinned’, ‘Long opo’
Some Recipes.
Basic
sautéed greens: Serve with brown rice and raw nuts (or an
egg) for a nutritious and delicious quick meal. Mince ginger or garlic.
Sauté briefly in olive oil, medium high heat. Add greens and
salt.
Stir fry until done to taste. Sprinkle with a little water if needed to
keep from drying out while cooking. These greens are delicious on their
own or mixed with any other greens.
Sautéed
lambs quarters greens : Sauté onions (and a little
paprika)
till soft. Add rinsed growing tips (they may still feel ‘dusty’). Stir
and cook till tender, sprinkling w/ water to keep tender.
Lau and Shrimp
curry: Peel and cube ~5-6 cups of young gourd. Sauté ~
1cup
chopped onion in olive oil and one or two small hot green chilies. When
onion starts to soften add 1-2 tsp of curry powder and a pinch of
turmeric. Stir and cook a few minutes. Add ~1lb of peeled shrimp each
cut in several pieces, cook and stir a few minutes. Add gourd and a
little water. Cover and cook until gourd is cooked (~20 min). When done
there should be some liquid for sauce. Adjust salt and curry powder to
taste. Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro. Stir and let sit covered
a few minutes. Serve with brown rice.
Simple salad:
Slice young cucumbers (leave skin on), salt, lots of freshly ground
black pepper. Sprinkle with a little red wine vinegar (or other). Add a
few cherry tomatoes and/or some raw cholesterol spinach. Enjoy!
Shredded fresh mint, or other herbs, or an
avocado are also good on this salad.
Update
Installation date: July 9, 2010, summertime, Houston TX, ~8 gallons of
water/week when not raining
| Manna House Garden : Day after
planting |
Three weeks after planting :
Seeds sprouted and plants recovered and growing. |
 |
 |
Manna House Garden : Day after
planting
|
 |
Three weeks after planting :
Seeds sprouted and plants recovered and growing.
|
 |
|
