Biointensive gardens and mini-farms are now changing agriculture all over the world. Ecology Action runs one of the few research gardens that engages in long-range farming research. They investigate the sources of soil fertility, building soil, and natural farming methods. Ecology Action is constantly experimenting with new vegetative crops and varieties, and have trained numerous gardeners in biointensive gardening, both here and around the world.

At Bountiful Gardens, we would answer numerous questions daily about gardening and farming. There are certain basic questions that come up again and again - they are good questions, important questions - but we would constantly be looking up these specific details for growing various plants, especially all the usual vegetable varieties. So finally Betsy and I developed this poster, so that anyone at Bountiful Gardens could just look at it on the wall, and authoritatively answer those basic questions.

So we made copies for others, and soon were selling these posters to other gardeners. The biggest surprise was how popular it has been with Master Gardeners and nurseries - they constantly get these questions and also appreciated being able to just point to a poster for these answers.

My latest book, Sida acuta, Sida cordifolia, Sida rhombifolia, Etc. , also came out of our work at Bountiful Gardens. Being in charge of the gardening books I read Stephen Buhner's book Herbal Antibiotics as soon as it came out. First of all it scared me sensibile - Buhner's first three chapters outlined the demise of pharmaceutical antibiotics (and antifungals, and ...) in 5 to 10 years (now -1 to 4 years). I know many people who also bought the book but never did more than read it.

I abandoned other projects to concentrate on intensely researching, obtaining and growing Sida, as well as other medicinals. I have acquired other promising anti-pathogens with the aim of putting together a compound, or compounds, that will keep us alive in a post-pharma antibiotic era.