Sprouting vegetable plants thrive here in peat pots. He uses a post-hole digger to carve out circular holes among the grass, weeds and other plants. He fills the holes with a mixture of soil and compost, then plants a seedling in each one. In spring, the newly planted vegetables appear lost among the rest of the vegetation, but by late summer they will dwarf the grass and weeds that surround them. Freeman's method of allowing weeds and grasses to cover all the ground between vegetable plants helps his garden retain and conserve water.
Moisture evaporates much more quickly out of tilled, uncovered ground.
But Freeman still needs to water. He uses a drip irrigation system divided into interconnecting sections so that he can direct the flow to different parts of the garden without watering it all at once. It is a relatively inexpensive irrigation system to put together and is more efficient than lawn sprinklers, says Freeman. When insects invade, Freeman checks each plant and removes any larvae he finds by hand, but he also has help from his feathered friends. Birds that visit his feeders are not only fun to watch, they also help keep insects at bay, Freeman says.