Sand Culture Growing Success
by Lee Allen | Growing plants and vegetables in sand culture is not a new idea , but it appears to be both practical and economical now that plastics and commercial water-soluble fertilizers are so common . It also could be part of the solution to feed a growing human population .
For the Aztecs of Mesoamerica , a lack of arable lands didn ’ t stop them from farming . Instead , they exercised their wits and made land of their own in the form of floating gardens along lakeshores and in canals . Although the Aztec civilization ended nearly 500 years ago , many of their agrarian concepts of growing squash and beans in a sand medium can still be found in contemporary culture .
Chinampas
Utilizing materials at hand , the Aztecs used plant roots to lash together rushes and reeds , which they then covered with sand laden with nutrient-rich organic debris dredged up from the lake bottom . Called chinampas , these early sand-culture rafts were home to vegetable crops and flower beds whose roots pushed downward into the water for sustenance . Tied together into floating islands sometimes 200 feet long , the chinampas were often poled close to a marketplace where shoppers could walk up and purchase fresh produce straight from the garden .
60 Maximum Yield