At one end of the box a vertical pipe was sunk into the soil to provide a place to water the roots without evaporation. Two hours of work per day provided all their needs, even without any modern technology. Today, planting boxes could be covered with hardware cloth or other netting to provide protection from hail damage. Drip irrigation could be used for watering . Fruit can be dried for long term storage and nuts can be stored for long periods without processing.
Trees bring nutrients from deep within the earth to restore the surface soils with their leaves.
Vine crops, likewise, are great producers without the continued tillage which often destroys soils. Varieties of kiwis, for example, can grow in every climatic zone. A single vine can produce 200 pounds of kiwis to provide fresh fruit well into the winter months. Hanging gardens of vine crops provide a beautiful living environment . Some vegetables are harvested at the end of their growth cycle, such as potatoes, dried beans, and winter squash.