Keyhole Gardening

A Low Tech Approach to the Modern

Victory Garden
Victory Gardens?
During both World Wars, the
United States government asked
its citizens to plant gardens in
order to support the war effort,
with emphasis placed on making
gardening a family or community
effort -- not a drudgery, but a
pastime, and a national duty.
 Victory Gardens!
In 1943, Americans
planted over 20 million
Victory Gardens, and the
harvest accounted for
nearly a third of all the
vegetables consumed in
the country that year.
Victory Gardens in Suburban Landscapes

More and more Americans live in suburban

neighborhoods with greatly diminishing space
in which to plant a productive garden.
 Limited Space Gardening
The smaller the garden the greater should be
the space allotted to the green, leafy
vegetables—high in many nutrients; the
yellow vegetables—high in pro-Vitamin A; and
the high carriers of Vitamin C—tomatoes and
cabbage, chiefly.
With climactic changes occurring around us,
skyrocketing transportation costs, and a
growing need to produce more food in less
space, is there anywhere we can turn to for
advice?
 Lesotho
Lesotho is a land-locked country near the
southern tip of the African continent.
 Lesotho
Covers 11,720 square miles,
entirely above 3,300 ft in elevation.
The arable land area is about 12% of the total
area, however, this land is vulnerable due to
severe soil erosion. It is estimated that 40
million tons of soil per year is lost through
erosion .
 Compounded Problems
Lesotho is a small country where 18,000
people died from AIDS in 2007, and more than
20% of the population are HIV positive. The
country is also struggling to cope with 110,000
AIDS orphans. Crippling poverty combined
with AIDS in Lesotho has caused average life
expectancy to drop to 44 years for women and
39 for men.
With almost an entire generation dead or
dying, food production potential is decreased.
A technique for sustainable farming for
schoolchildren was developed by a British not
for profit organization called Send a Cow.
 Send a Cow
The cow is symbolic of the community
becoming self sufficient. For example the cow
produces milk for the farmers, the manure
becomes fertilizer to grow vegetables. If the
cow has calves, these can be sold or used as
meat.
We too can become self sufficient once again.
 Send a Cow’s Contribution
Of the various techniques implemented by
Send a Cow in Lesotho, the
Keyhole Gardens apply
the most to the average
American lifestyle .
 What is a Keyhole Garden?
Keyhole gardens are small, raised vegetable
beds with a circular structure about waist
high, with a small wedge cut out of one side.

This gives full access to all

plants in the garden.
 Keyhole Garden Construction
The basic concept of their keyhole garden is a
round, raised bed garden (about 3 1/2 feet
high), with one section left out to allow
gardeners easy access to all plants. The central
shaft of the garden is essentially a compost
pile and can be constructed with straw or long
grass, leaving an opening where gardeners can
throw any kitchen scraps and other compost.
 Keyhole Garden Maintenance
The central basket operates as the central
watering source as well as composting the
nutrient sources (garden waste). The use of
manure (nitrogen), wood ash (potassium),
rusty cans (iron), and straw or shredded
newspaper (carbon)to fill the garden negate
the need for fertilizer even with long term use.
Also, earthworms are a necessity for a healthy
soil.
Keyhole gardens may not
be appropriate for all
environments, due to the
large amount of rock or
brick required to build.
Your garden is only
limited to your
imagination.
Send a Cow is teaching people how they can
sustainably grow their own vegetables in less
hospitable climates than our own. The
children now eat regular meals, are healthier,
and so are able to attend schools. The best
ideas seem to be the simplest, well thought
out, but brilliant none the less.
 Online Garden Tools
Sites like GardenRegistry.org aren’t available
in all areas, however they could easily be
recreated locally.