Becoming Producers Sure Feels Good

After almost a year of volunteering and learning about the process of growing organic produce at the Glover Family Farm in Douglasville, GA, Melvin was beginning to feel it was time for him and his students to learn about the financial side of farming. At the urging of Skip Glover, on March 12th and 13th Melvin participated in a Growing Power workshop in Milwaukee, WI, at which he learned about vermaculture, aquaponics and growing organic micro-greens as a cash crop.

Melvin returned from Milwaukee with the vision that micro-greens might just be the missing element to sustainable growth for which Kid Cultivators has been looking. They can provide students who need financial assistance with a work-study scholarship opportunity. They can provide staff a supplemental income opportunity. And they can also serve as a fundraising project for persons wanting to contribute to Kid Cultivators' efforts.

It only took a day before Melvin was hard at work building the micro-greens growing system he learned about in Milwaukee. After a little trial-and-error, he and the boys are up and running. After 2 weeks they already have more market than they have product. May blessings of abundance accompany their efforts.

Melvin learned the hard way that he had to pre-drill every whole before driving in the screws to avoid splitting the wood.

"Why guess? Just mark where you want the hole to be."

After measuring and marking, things come together so nicely.

Getting all the pieces screwed together was a bit of a balancing act.

"What is he trying to do?"

"If it falls, I had nothing to do with it."



Like father, like daughter.

"Whalah! Our first growing crate."

"See they're stackable!"

It only took one watering for Melvin to recognize that although the growing trays fit perfectly (after some minor adjustments) and the crates stacked neatly and the lights worked properly, Leslie (Melvin's wife) was going to beat him to death for having water all over the floor as it drained out of the plants.

Back to the drawing board.

Melvin designed a drainage system.

As the trays drain...

...water hits the plastic tarp under each crate, flows to a drain and drips through to a bucket.

"Isn't it nifty!"

This is our first crop of sunflower sprouts.

"This is our first crop of Daikon radish."

The radish was ready for havest first. It took about 8 days. Sunflower takes 8 to 10 days.

All harvesting involves is just a sharp pair of scissors. You cut a handful off at the base.



That's one entire tray harvested.

It weighs exactly 400 grams (14 oz).

This is the very first bag of Life Garden Organic Micro-Greens. Isn't it beautiful! With this Melvin and his students have become producers and not just consumers.

Just in case you couldn't read it.

We thought this shot had good composition.

Once the greens are harvested the soil is dumped into a tub to be mixed with freshed worm casting. In about 30 days it will be ready to be reused.