We get a lot of folks coming to us saying that they love the First Acre Program and the concept of growing food to donate to those in need in their communities. Many want to know how they can still be involved even if they do not have access to land.

We suggest that you contact your local community groups, church groups, Rotary clubs and farmers who may find interest in the First Acre Program. Chances are, you will find landowners who have the land, equipment and interest but lack the time or desire to do all of the coordination. This is where you come in — it may be your calling to be a coordinator within your community. One of the great things about Milpa is that it is an opportunity to build community as well as building your soil.

The Milpa has a lot of legumes including beans and peas, so we don't want too much nitrogen fertilizer — it will make those legumes lazy. You want to encourage them to nodulate with rhizobia bacteria, taking nitrogen out of the atmosphere and putting it into the soil. If you fertilize, limit nitrogen to 25–35 pounds. If the land is especially worn out, you may need 45–50 pounds.

For phosphorus and potassium, a soil test will give you a better indication, but keep application on the lower end. The whole point of Milpa is to encourage the biological systems to unlock those nutrients from the soil the way God created them to work.

If you have access to compost or manures, those are by far the best way to add fertility — much more beneficial to biology than anything coming out of a bag.

We often get asked about adding tomatoes, peppers and onions. We don't include those in the mix because they're tiny seeds that struggle to come up alongside faster-growing species like squash when direct-seeded.

It's great to have those plants in your Milpa — we just encourage planting in two steps. First plant your Milpa mix, then go back and transplant your tomatoes, peppers and onions into accessible spots. You may need to thin the Milpa around those areas to reduce competition from the bigger plants. They'll thrive in such a diverse community; they just need a little help getting started.

You're going to have things ready to harvest at all different times. Your Milpa Garden Starter Packet shows the different crops and their harvest windows. Some produce — mainly salad greens — can be harvested in about 30 days after planting and will persist right through frost. Harvest greens when they're young and tender; as they mature they turn bitter.

Cucumbers and summer squash come on quickly and you can harvest those throughout the season. Melons, winter squash and gourds need longer to mature and will be ready toward the end of the season. If you have sweet corn in your mix, check it regularly — it can go from not ripe to overripe in a very short time.

Many leafy greens like radishes, turnips, collards and mustards will survive the first frost and may actually taste sweeter after freezing. Think of harvesting your Milpa like a scavenger hunt — bring a basket because you never know what you'll find, but you certainly won't be empty-handed.

Seedbed prep depends on how you plan to plant. If you're broadcasting, you really should have a tilled seedbed for good seed-to-soil contact. If you're using a no-till drill, there's not much prep needed.

The key in either case is that the seed is touching the soil — ideally in the soil ½ to ¾ inch deep. If it ends up on top, it still just needs firm contact with the soil surface to have the best chance for success.

Set your seeding depth to ¾ inch to 1 inch. Start your drill at a setting equivalent to barley (test weight ~48 lbs) — that's a good middle ground for this mix's range of seed sizes.

We suggest cutting your seeding rate in half and drilling your plot twice at different angles. After the first pass, check how much seed you've used and adjust the rate up or down before the second pass. This prevents accidentally going too dense or too sparse all at once, and the two passes at different angles will help with weed suppression.

That depends on stand quality, weed control and rainfall. In ideal conditions with a great stand, good weed control and plenty of rain, you could realistically see 8,000–10,000 pounds of produce off one acre. A more practical target — especially if your squash, pumpkins and melons do well — is 2,000–4,000 pounds.

Don't overlook the leafy greens. If you're diligent about clipping and harvesting regularly, you can add hundreds of pounds of nutritious greens on top of that. Even if you don't harvest everything commercially, those greens are worth gathering for your family — good, healthy, nutrient-dense food.

Weed control is one of the biggest challenges with Milpa. Because of the diversity of the mix, there are no chemicals you can use — which isn't a bad thing since you're growing produce.

On a small scale, hand weeding works well if you catch weeds while they're young. On a larger scale, the best approach starts the fall before: plant cereal rye, let it grow to 5–6 feet tall, then roll-crimp it flat when it's heading out. That thatch mat provides excellent weed suppression and keeps the soil cool through summer. You'll need a drill to cut through the thatch to plant, but it's by far the most effective method we've seen.

The good news: it's okay to have some weeds in your Milpa. Learn to live with them. Some folks end up mowing it down or running cattle through. Sometimes things don't work out as planned — and that's alright too.

If you have a no-till drill, run calibrations and drill about ¾ inch deep. The standard rate is 35 lbs/acre. If you don't have a drill, broadcasting is an option — but you'll want to increase your seeding rate by 50% or even double it if seed is landing on thatch rather than soil.

For broadcast planting: till or scratch up the surface first for better seed-to-soil contact, then broadcast and mulch with straw or grass clippings to hold moisture. Keep the area moist for 7–10 days to maximize germination. An old tine harrow pulled behind an ATV after broadcasting can also help work seed into the surface.

The First Acre Program started with a handful of folks in Oklahoma donating produce to food banks, and it has grown every year since. We're now joined by some faithful partners who help make it possible at a larger scale.

The Nature Conservancy has visited our farm and seen what this program does — not just in the fields but within communities. They've stepped in to help underwrite seed and shipping costs, and assist with promotion. Because of their support, we've been able to get seed to growers completely free, including shipping.

Syngenta Seeds — one of the world's largest vegetable seed growers — is donating a significant portion of the seed in the mix. Together, Green Cover, Syngenta and The Nature Conservancy are making this program work at a scale none of us could manage alone.

Your local food bank is the obvious place to start, but think creatively. Nursing homes, homeless shelters, the Salvation Army, and your church are all great options. You can talk about how the vegetables were grown in a diverse environment and connect people to the story of Milpa — a farming tradition thousands of years old.

One thing to avoid: don't take free produce to the farmer's market. We don't want to undercut growers who depend on that local economy.

Your chamber of commerce can also point you toward organizations in town that would welcome fresh produce. Don't be afraid to ask — there are people in your community who know exactly where it's needed most.