Are you overlooking an important function of you garden?
Are you taking full advantage of the nutritional contributions it has to offer?
If you are like most gardeners, you are probably only getting half of the nutritional value out of the garden that you would if you were “growing for maximum nutrition.” I am quite sure you grew wonderful tomatoes last season and they tasted fantastic, but were they as full of vitamin C as they could have been?
I am also sure that your carrots you grew were sweet and crunchy, but did they supply you with as much vitamin A as possible? Also did you know that a well-maintained backyard food factory yields about 1 pound of produce per square foot per growing season, according to the National gardening Association. So, a 600-square-foot garden, the American average on which households spend maybe 200-300 dollars per year, could create 300 pounds or more of fresh nutrient dense produce worth about $700 or more annually. Also, this important fact …. what you can grow correctly in your food factory is not even available in the supermarket!
The current pandemic has showed us how import the growing of food is and how important immunity is in the prevention of human disease. We suggest the only type of food production we should be doing is “nutrition oriented urban agriculture.” Whether you are a well-seasoned gardener of just beginning starting off your thinking process about growing food correctly and intelligently is the best way to go. Even as separate subjects gardening, and nutrition are complex in their own rights. There are many points of view for each, including controversy and debate. However, there are basic principles in each field that can be applied to one’s life, health, and gardening situation. Understanding immunity in depth is best left to the Nutritionist, like my colleague Dr. Miner at, www.thesmarteater .
Our intent at Earth and Food Systems Inc (EFSI) (www.earthandfood.org) is to inspire you to make a conscious choice in the way you grow food so that the vegetables and fruits you grow are high in nutritional value. The key phrase here is conscious choice. We at EFSI believe that the way you choose to grow your food is vitally connected to the nutritional value of the crops you grow. In a sense that means growing highly nutritious crops is a direct outcome of high-quality seeds and plants growing in healthy soil that fosters a rich diversity of microbiological life (i.e., worms and other microorganisms). Added to this knowledge are also the basic principles of good crop production: how to enhance the soil, how to care for your plants, how to attract beneficial insects and how to protect your crops from pest and diseases, something many gardeners sometimes neglect. Well, I am sure many of you hopefully are familiar with the USDA Food Pyramid which gives you examples of what foods you should be consuming for good nutrition. Well, we thought it would be good to create a “Growing for Maximum Nutrition Pyramid, (GMNP).
The GMNP shows a cyclical process, just like the many other cycles in the biological world. The GMNP is a cyclical process initiated by good site selection and garden design. It seeks to nurture the soil, plants, beneficial insects, and other wildlife, and to maintain the overall health of the garden from initial planting to harvest. In this way, natural gardening stewardship mimics nature by promoting diversity and balance, helping to regenerate and sustain a healthy food production system.
Starting at the base of the (GMNP) would be:Soil EnhancementOrganic matter/compostCover cropsNatural fertilizersPlant Management Companion plantsCrop rotationRight plant /Right placeWildlife HabitatStewardship of placeIntegration of beneficial insectsGood Production Practices Weeding and garden sanitationPest and disease managementWateringMulching Harvesting your Garden IntensivelyTiming your harvest for optimal nutrition. (Did you know Broccoli leaves contain 16,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A?)Seed-saving & replanting.
In this one-of-a-kind food production course, we will teach you how to be a successful intelligent grower, no matter if you grow on a large scale, or on your balcony or patio. We will even show you how to become a successful apartment farmer if you choose to do so. Its all about nourishment home grown.
IN THIS ESSENTIALLY IMPORTANT MASTER CLASS YOU WILL LEARN:
- WHY YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT GROWING FOOD SUSTAINABLY.
- WHY THE PSYCHOLOGY OF GARDENING IS IMPORTANT.
- HOW TO PRACTICE SPIRITUAL GARDENING IN A COMMERCIAL WORLD.
- SOIL SCIENCE FOR GARDNERS.
- HOW TO CREATE AN EDIBLE LANDSCAPE
- HOW WELL CAN YOUR GARDEN PROVIDE NUTRITION FOR YOU?
- WHY OUR FOOD TODAY LACK THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS AND WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOOD.
- TIPS FOR SITE AND BED DEDIGN.
- HOW TO GROW A COMPLETE VEAGEN DIET IN 1000 SQUARE FEET.
- BULDING SOIL FOR NUTRITION AND HOW TO CREATE HEALTHY SOIL.
- HOW TO AND WHAT TO FEED YOUR SOIL FOR MAXIMUN NUTRITION GROWING.
- HOW TO TEST YOUR OWN SOIL.
- ADVANCES IN HIGH-NUTRITION CROPS.
- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT? CHOOSING WHAT TO GROW.
- BEST GARDEN SOURCES OF SPECIFIC MINERALS AND VITAMINES.
- WHICH TOOLS ARE NEEDED FOR A SUCESSFUL BACKYAHRD FOOD FACTORY?
- HOW TO GROW PERENNIAL VEGETABLES AND FRUITS.
- WHICH CROPS GROW BEST IN CONTAINERS.
- HOW TO GROW THE HERBS WHICH HAVE THE HIGHEST ANTIOXIDANT CONTENT.
- THE WAY TO CORRECLY COMPOST AND WHY ALL COMPOST IS NOT CREATED EQUALLY.
- WHEN AND HOW TO HARVEST FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR MAXIUM NUTRITION
- FOOD CROPS YOU CAN GROW IN THE SHADE.
- HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GROWING AREA FOR WILDLIFE.
- HOW TO EXTEND YOUR CROP PRODUCTION SEASON TO ALLOW YOU TO EAT FROM YOUR GARDEN 356 DAYS PER YEAR.
- WHICH CROPS TO GROW FOR STORAGE.
- HOW TO MARKET YOU PRODUCE FOR PROFIT
