Episode-710- Holly Hirshberg from The Dinner Garden
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Holly Hirshberg founder of DinnerGarden.org
In 2008, in the midst of a crumbling economy, Holly Hirshberg came up with a plan to help families and communities could weather the tough times by growing produce themselves. Much like the Victory Gardens of the First and Second World Wars, these “Dinner Gardens” would allow people to stretch their food budgets and enhance their nutritional intake. Individuals and families could have greater food security and take a direct part in that effort.
To help people achieve their gardens, Holly started at the beginning: providing people with vegetable seeds, free of charge. Step two was supporting their efforts with gardening information and tips for cheap gardening in the space they had available. She envisioned a nation where front lawns, empty lots, medians, parks, schools, churches, and community centers devoted space to fruit and vegetable gardens.
Holly often states ,”The Dinner Garden isn’t just about the seeds, It is about giving people hope. It is about showing people another way to live. The Dinner Garden is creating communities where families spend time together in a productive way and children learn that they can create something beautiful and useful to their family.”
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- ShelfReliance.com – (sponsor of the day)
- The Berkey Guy – (sponsor of the day)
- DinnerGarden.org
- Resources Holly Mentioned Today
- Resources I mentioned today
- Larry Hall’s YouTube Channel – He builds the self watering gardens using rain gutters.
- Hugelkultur Resources
- Hugelkultur Proof it Works – Video
- Hugelkultur Raised Bed Gardening without Irrigation – Video
- Hugelkultur Forum Thread on TSPs Forum
- Hugelkultur Forum Thread on Permies.com
- Hugelkultur Article on Permies.com
- Video of my Bag Garden
- Straw Bale Gardening
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
My wife’s niece has terrible eating habits and her parents let it go and do it over the years as she has grown it drove me crazy the way they let her eat but since the parents are divorced and I am not the parent my efforts have been in vain to get her to eat right.. I grown up eating from a garden even tho I will admit that I have gotten away from a garden I am heading back in that direction soon, my worry is if she was only eating pizza and french fries which seem to be her main staples in life what ill effects will this kind of diet have on her… I wish parents would be parents and stop letting these kids do what ever they want ughh.. Cya Brent
I couldn’t agree more Brent. On a recent visit to the mall I was shocked at how many obese children I saw, not overweight, obese. I feel so bad because I know those children are being taught to eat the food the eat. They are just children and it is up to us adults to protect them.
This is great interview, so glad I found you! The bucket gardening mentioned is explained at http://www.globalbuckets.org. Not only is it a great idea but the story behind it is teenagers wanting to make a difference in the world!
GREAT INTERVIEW! Jack, you just keep finding great guests. Holly and her crew are doing the Lord’s work. I just gave them a donation, and recommend other TSP’ers do the same.
EXCELLENT show. Thanks!
On bag gardens, just a small caveat. This year I bought cheap potting soil at the dollar store, several bags, and nothing would grow in it. I believe it was contaminated with herbicides. Wasted a lot of seeds.
@the optimist, was it potting soil or was it top soil. Top soil is pretty devoid of any nutrient if you don’t enhance it. Also if the bags were too small and dried out often that could be a problem as well.
Jack – unique and inspiring show! Keep them coming! I have donated to The Dinner Garden. They are doing exactly what I would like to do: teach poor people how to thrive by becoming more self-sufficient.
Love what this organization is doing!! I actually posted about it at my blog after hearing about them, http://oureventualhomestead.com/2011/07/the-dinner-garden/. I made sure to add a link to this podcast so people could listen to the interview. Hopefully it will send more support her way.
Had to send them a donation too, we need more people like Holly is this world!
Thanks Jack!
I made my donation, and then sent her a note letting her know I found out about her on TSP. I’d be very curious how many others donated too…
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