How to Grow More Vegetables

classes in the spring of 1972 on a 3¾-acre plot belonging
to the Syntex Corporation in the Standard Industrial Park
o3ered to Ecology Action. How to Grow More
Vegetables, originally only 96 pages, sprouted from
clamors for information. Ecology Action began to
investigate what agricultural techniques would make
food-raising by small farmers and gardeners more
eCcient. The concept of “mini-farming” began to be
developed.
In 1980, Ecology Action lost the lease to the site in
Palo Alto. A new Common Ground Mini-Farm was
inaugurated in Willits, California. The facilities of
grocery store and electric lines were exchanged for open
skies and room to grow more herbs, Nowers, vegetables,
beans, grains, and compost crops than we ever imagined.
The site o3ered a permanent site to grow trees of all
kinds—for food, fuel, and beauty. It also o3ers a place to
grow. A world-class library, housing and oCce space
grace the current site. The infrastructure has grown over
time to lend itself to short-term and long-term training
programs. Every year, hundreds of people visit the site
on scheduled tours and through workshops. Interns from
around the world study in the 6-month training program.
They play a key role in documenting data from the 100-
bed-plus research garden within a myriad of
experiments.
Research continues on quantitative aspects as listed
above, but has also deepened in areas related to diet and
compost design. For example, what crops can produce