It's so Paleolithic! The Digging Stick

"When Adam delved and Eve Span
Who then was the gentleman?"

Please don't laugh at me, I've been praying about this. What if the most down and out people in the world could grow some of their own food? Not a new idea? But people make it so complicated, especially companies. There is money in complication.

At this ending stage of my life I have time to really look into things. A lot of these things are so bad that people don't want to talk about them, or even think about them. But if you were not tough-minded and open, you would not be reading this.

What is the most basic way people could raise food? Grow weeds that farmers cannot eliminate, and the relatives of these plants. The so-called weed form is called Palmer Amaranth. It has many relatives. Some of them are beautiful flowers, but they produce tons of edible seeds.

Imagine a totally down and out homeless person or a newly released prison inmate who cannot get a job. A church says, although we don't have much space, we will ask our members if they do. Even a front yard flower bed could be used.

A flower form of one of the great plant families in the world can be grown in towns and will produce a lot of seeds. No tools? Make a furrow with an ancient digging stick. After all, who plants weeds? They grow by themselves. Leaves can be used as mulch, if you want.

Suppose no one wishes to donate garden space? Then let the church pay the property owners a little from church funds. Almost everyone would appreciate a little money.

A tiny space the size of a table top could produce a million seeds or more. These could be used by others. This Garden Plan could flow from a church and benefit so many. This too could be a missionary project, one literally in your own backyard.

People don't just hoard money. Some of us hoard land, in the form of garden space. These gardens, once planted would be labor free. Once watered the amaranths will grow on their own without watering or weeding. Some of them grow 2 to 3 inches per day.

The project would be a two day project--planting day, and harvest day. Surely someone has a little space that is not being used. I would like to help a little by providing seeds.

See Survival Skills: How to Make a Digging Stick.