Russell Perry II said he “got lucky” four years ago when he found a way to grow four stalks of green beans. Within approximately three years, he developed a “foolproof” method for growing vegetables on top of the ground.

“I finally found the correct formula to put together and make it work,” said Perry, who lives on the outskirts of McDonough. “I felt like if a person can grow lettuce on top of water with hydroponics, then I can grow lettuce on top of the ground.”

Perry’s Lazy Crazy Garden is among the hallmarks of the Henry County Get Out and Grow Initiative. The University of Georgia Extension Office in McDonough unveiled the initiative Thursday, in partnership with Perry, the Henry County Master Gardeners, the Henry and Clayton County Farm Bureaus, and the Henry County Bee Keepers.

Frank Hancock, the Extension’s agriculture and natural resource agent, said the initiative enables local residents to grow items in their gardens at home.

“In the time of pandemics and quarantines, it gives you the opportunity to do something that keeps you occupied,” he said. “It gives the folks at the Master Gardeners and the Farm Bureau the opportunity to volunteer doing things that are not associated with a crowd. It also gives the people the opportunity to have a garden, and to get some fresh air.”

Hancock said the nationwide pandemic resulted in the cancellation of events and the advent of mask-wearing and social distancing.

“With the closing of schools and libraries, many of the outreach programs conducted by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in Henry County were also curtailed,” he said. “This left 60 Master Gardener Extension Volunteers looking for something safe to do. Volunteers who work with the Henry County Farm Bureau were also facing similar roadblocks in their outreach programs.”

Prior to the advent of the pandemic, said Hancock, Perry was working on a way to create a biodegradable garden bed at one’s own home. Hancock said the strategy would allow gardens to be installed and planted in less than half an hour.
“This got the wheels turning, and we began to envision how these beds could be used to promote home vegetable and/or pollinator gardens in the community, as well as provide available volunteer hours,” said Hancock. “As a result, the Henry County Get Out and Grow Initiative was created. Both the Henry and Clayton County Farm Bureaus signed on and provided funding to make the program a reality.”

The Extension Office has also begun using the Lazy Crazy Garden system. Hancock said organizers of Get Out and Grow plan to install 40 garden beds locally over the spring.

The Lazy Crazy Garden is a biodegradable system made with recyclable material. Perry said his invention works for both traditional and organic gardens.

“We do no plowing, no tilling, no hoeing or digging,” said Perry. “Our system is basically weed-resistant, without disturbing the earthworms. They provide air tunnels and water tunnels in the earth and they also fertilize the earth by their consuming of organic matter.

“This garden can be used in anybody’s back yard with the access of seven hours of sun, a hoe, a water hose and a rake,” he continued. “It allows working families to have a garden. Also, children can work in the garden and grandparents can get back into gardening without hard labor and have a row of green beans installed in 15 minutes. Perry added that his system’s six-step process has enabled him to grow tomato plants reaching as high as six feet tall.

“I can grow okra, squash, green beans, butter beans,” he said. “We’re getting ready to plant cabbage, spinach, greens, and others that do well in cool weather.”

Perry said his Lazy Crazy Garden kit opens the potential for residents to enjoy four seasons of growing vegetables.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect garden,” he said. “But every time you use my kit and follow the easy six-step instructions, you’ll basically have a heathy garden except for a hurricane or a hailstorm. We’re letting Mother Nature do all the work. All you have to do is water, monitor insects and fertilize periodically and pick your vegetables when they’re ready.”

Jean Dykes, office manager for the Henry County Farm Bureau, is helping to coordinate the Get Out and Grow Initiative. She said the project helps to promote farming as the state’s No. 1 industry, and to improve awareness, education and protections for agriculture. Such measures, she said, are especially important in the midst of COVID-19.

“Gardening is done outside where there is fresh air and gardeners can be spaced apart,” said Dykes. “Growing your own food allows you to be less dependent on our grocery stores or logistic chains who have experienced delays in deliveries during this time. Working in the dirt is medicinal.

It gives you a proud feeling of satisfaction to be able to harvest the fruits and vegetables that you planted once they mature.”

Dykes said Get Out and Grow also helps urban populations learn more about how to grow their own gardens.
“Many have never had a garden or experienced working in a garden or picking fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Dykes. “Gardening has gotten lost in the urban life, and many of today’s students have no idea their food is produced on a farm and comes from the ground. People recognize produce in the grocery stores, but they are shocked when they visit a farm and see that produce on a stalk or vine coming out of the ground.”

Leslie Bayne is overseeing Get Out and Grow for the Henry County Master Gardeners. She said her group will distribute the ingredients necessary for participation in the endeavor, and will help others do the same.

“Our second role in this initiative is, we are also participating in the project ourselves,” said Bayne. “Many of us are installing the beds at the location of our choice and participating in the research project, collecting data about plants and pollinators.”

Bayne said Get Out and Grow is a healthy, fun and “exciting” addition to the community.

“It is important for our community to participate in the initiative because it promotes good health and well-being,” said Bayne. “Who doesn’t want to go out into the sunshine to care for a pollinator bed, caring for flowers and watching butterflies and bees? After a year of living through a pandemic, this is a perfect way to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of our beautiful area.”

For more information, visit lazy crazygarden.com.