Family Gardens Part 1

Last year two women's groups and one boarding school started family gardens. It was a great year! The goal of the garden project was to help people have access to fresh vegetables year round. We all learned a lot.
Everyone started a compost pile. Here I am at our house using ingredients from our dry latrine and the dried mango leaves from our mango tree. First a layer of sticks(for air circulation purpupses), then a layer of leaves, then a layer of manure. On top of that, I sprinkled some dirt, and finally water. I continued making layers this way until I ran out of ingredients. A few months later I had a pile of sweet smelling dirt - or organic fertilizer. When we looked at it, Micah wondered where HIS poop was.
We started a drip irrigation garden at our house too, and used the same methods as the women's group. Merideth came over to help us plan and lay the drip irrigation.

Family Gardens Part 2

We meet for workshops once a week. Each week we talked about a different aspect of gardening, such as composting, worm beds, double digging, starting seeds, transplanting, crop rotation, companion planting, drip irrigation, insects, seed collecting and saving....just to name a few. Kiara and I (Liz) worked with the groups from November 2007 through the end of February 2008. Then Merideth came and she and Kiara worked with the groups until the end of June 2008. This coming fall, Merideth and Kiara will be working with three NEW garden groups. I will be accompanying last year's garden groups as they decide what they would like to do next. When I met with them in August, both groups expressed gratitude and appreciation for their gardens and said that now they want to learn how to sew their own clothes. I told them that I can help them make a plan and walk with them as THEY accomplish their goals. It is exciting to watch God in action.
Filling seed trays in Chiaucingo. Isaiah and Micah came along.
Merideth with some children at the boarding school checking out the California worms. Each family built a worm bed. The worms turn donkey manure and kitchen scraps into incredible organic fertilizer for the garden.
From left to right, two daughters and their mother Emilia, who participated in last year's garden group in Teticic

Family Gardens Part 3

This was everyone's least favorite part - Double digging. (No, it's not called double digging because two people are digging!) The theory behind double digging is that "it breaks up the soil and provides soil aeration. It also improves drainage, extends crop-rooting depth and increases the range of soil nutrients availability to plant roots. Finally, it helps deepen the topsoil, which greatly increases soil fertility." (pg 87, The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman.) It was particularly difficult because the ground is made of ROCK where we are trying to garden.
Everyone started their seeds in trays. Here a husband and wife are transplanting.
Kids at a boarding school transplanting.
The method of gardening we are using is called "Bio-intensive" and means that we can grow more in less space. Here, for example, lettuce (which grows up) is growing alongside onions (which grow down). You can also see the drip irrigation tape.

Making Worm Beds

On Friday, November 9, we made worm beds in Teticic as part of the garden project. We used panels with styrofoam, wire to tie the sides together, and cement. The cement beds will hopefully last awhile. Each family now has a worm bed. The California worms turn donkey manure into organic fertilizer that will later be used on the garden. The third picture is of the surprise birthday party the group threw for me after the workshop.

Family Gardens - Filtration System

Remember the family garden project we're working on? Kiara and I (Liz) continue to meet with three different groups each week. These pictures show us making a simple gray water filtration system. We used a big blue barrel and pvc pipe. We fill the bottom 1/5 of the barrel with gravel and the next 3/5 with sand. The last 1/5 we leave for a small metal bucket with holes punched in the bottom - where the gray water gets poured in and falls like rain onto the sand. The plan is that people will filter their water after washing dishes, clothes and taking baths, and use the filtered water for the drip irrigation in their gardens. Step by step. Or this time, drop by drop.
P.S. Isaiah got to go along when we made the filters at one of the communities. He really got into the whole process and helped people measure and cut the pvc. He also marked the "grava" (gravel) and "arena" (sand) levels on the outside of the barrels with marker. It's great to broaden our team.

Family Garden Project Part 1

As many of you know, we recently received funding to start 100 family gardens (over the next 3 years) using drip irrigation systems! Last month, Kiara Yoder joined our team for a one year SALT position. She has gardening experience, we have money, there is lots of sun....so we're ready to go! Oh yes, water is still an issue. Well, along with money for the gardens, we also received money to build more water cisterns and composting toilets. So all three of these together makes it possible to garden year-round.
Kiara and Liz are leading the gardening project. They are working with groups of eleven women in 3 different communities, and one boarding school in a 4th community. Everyone is very excited. (The women come to the meetings, but the whole family participates in the work at home.) We meet all together for a 1/2 hour or so, and then we divide into two groups and get to work. Our intention is that we are not only helping people start family gardens, we are also creating a space for people to talk about gardening and help each other out, so that when we are gone, they will have strong group ties, confidence, and a strong self image.
During the first meeting we gave an overview of the project and what all the "package" contains (water cistern, composting toilet, drip irrigation garden, worm bed, simple water filtration system, basic gardening information, nutrition information...). After the meeting, we visited each person's home to check out the garden space.
During the second meeting we did a simple soil test and talked about the importance of healthy soil. (The quality of the soil here is very lacking. So we also talked about improving the quality by adding organic matter by using worm beds and composting.)
Our third meeting was a field trip to Zacango to visit Hilario and his worm beds. We also checked out the MCC demonstration plot where there are two types of grass (vetiver and cane) have been planted as living barriers. (Erosion is a big problem here.) Everyone was very enthusiatic about the worms and the grass.
Next week each participant will start building her own worm bed.
More to come!
Picture 1: Kiara with two women from Chiaucingo preparing soil test.
Picture 2: Shaking the glass jar for two minutes.
Picture 3: Hilario showing the worm beds
Picture 4: A worm bed
Picture 5: Looking at the living barrier grass