AYUDH’s GROW PROJECT

"A flower has such a short life span, and yet it offers itself wholeheartedly to others."  ~Amma

AYUDH Boston came together on March 3^rd, 2017, to learn about sustainable gardening and plant herb and vegetable gardens out of recycled materials.  The evening began with some reflection on a passage about nature by our inspiration, Amma.  We then learned about the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030, including United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #2, Zero Hunger.  

We then made low-maintenance seed sprouting systems using household items like aluminum tins and water bottles, taking a creative approach to finding sustainable solutions to SDG #2 in ending hunger across communities.  We built water-bottle planters using soil pellets surrounded by a biodegradable mesh net, scraps from an old cotton T-shirt, a paperclip or binder clip, and planted seeds of tomatoes, hot peppers, kale, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, and various herbs.  

These systems don’t have to be routinely watered since the cotton scrap continuously wicks water from the bottom water reservoir, keeping the amount of soil moisture just right at all times.  The design of the growing device also guides the plant’s roots to grow into the air-water interface below.  Rather than using a plastic water bottle, you can also modify the setup to use recycled paper cups.

The youth of AYUDH were not the only ones who enjoyed this project, many members of our local satsang joined in on the fun and learned a unique way to start seeds for their gardens.  You can find a demonstration video on the AYUDH Boston Facebook page.