used to our property. For them it was like an African wild game park without
boundaries—a place to eat every one of Treena’s roses and rub their antlers on our
new apple trees, having first snacked on the fruit.
We strung 8-foot-wide plastic netting on 12-foot-high posts. “Deer have bad
eyesight,” explained Richard. “They see the posts and assume the net goes that
high.” We buried 12 inches of net (for the critters that like to burrow) and put in
a solid pair of gates.
Now we could plant!5. EarthBox
For several years I’ve served as a member on a United Nations advisory board
called the Growing Connection. Our focus has been on equipping villagers
and their schools with devices that grow abundant
food with very low water use. Clearly sub-Saharan
Africa was central to our concern, but so were other
drought-stricken areas around the globe. Th e sturdy
plastic box (28×14×10 inches) has a perforated fl oor
above a water reservoir, a filler tube, an overfl ow, and
a plastic shower cap.26 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE