PEOPLE WITH PASSION

Ya gotta love people who are really passionate about something -- especially if those people are willing to share what they learned the hard way, through trial and error, to make things a little bit easier for you.  Take Mr. Gani here.

He and his lovely wife are members of the LAMP program at UT, like my hubby. Nine years ago they moved into a nice little newly-built home in the Austin suburbs, near Southpark Meadows shopping center. Backyard sod was not part of the builder's "package", so Mr. Gani said "Fine, I'll just grow a few herbs and veggies instead." These did so well that he then added grapevines to cover the fence, and some fruit trees around the perimeter. When he ran out of room there, he took over the two side yards as well, and is now creeping into the front.  At some point he added two 1,500 gallon, low-profile rain tanks (which sit below the fence line), solar panels on his roof, and of course, those compost bins you see behind him. Did I mention that he grows it all organically?

Now those trees are fully grown, and laden with figs, peaches, pears, satsuma oranges, kumquats, loquats, lemons, pineapple guava and pomegranates.

He even has a couple of olive trees, and taught himself how to cure the olives! Hard to believe this lush paradise was achieved with nothing more than compost and a bit of cottonseed meal. I'd say he and his wife, both vegetarians, probably eat quite well from this tiny suburban plot (they even grow chick peas for protein), and I'm just ever so grateful that he is willing to share his giddy joy with others, and teach by example!