GULFPORT, Miss. -- Mississippi producers and gardeners who want to learn more efficient planting methods are invited to a May 18 field day.

The Alliance of Sustainable Farms will host “A Garden Tour and Square Foot Gardening/Intensive Planting Demonstration” at the 34th Street Wholistic Gardens and Education Center. The event will focus on the square-foot gardening method, which is designed to save time, work, space and water.

“Schools across the nation and international humanitarian groups around the world are using the square-foot gardening method to make inroads against poverty and hunger,” said alliance manager Keith Benson. “The method costs about 50 percent less and uses 20 percent less space, 10 percent of the water, and only 2 percent of the work compared to single-row gardening.”

A purposefully designed organic garden model with more than 100 raised beds, Wholistic Gardens was established in April 2016 to address food deserts and food insecurities and to promote environmental education among the vulnerable communities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The center is located at 808 34th Street in Gulfport.

There is no cost to attend the field day, including lunch, but preregistration is required. Onsite check-in begins at 10 a.m. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

To register for the field day, email [email protected].

Alliance field day partners and sponsors include the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Alcorn State University Extension Program, University of Mississippi Transactional Law Clinic, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi Department of Education.

Contact: Keith Benson, 601-988-4999