David Latimer planted this beauty in
1960 and it’s still living it large (within
it’s own ecosystem). For 54 years since
that fateful Easter Sunday, this 80-year-
old man has kept this lush micro-forest
alive and well in, what would be
scientifically termed as, a closed
system.
He was a young man when Latimer
began this lifelong project. He began
by putting some compost and a quarter
pint of water in a 10 gallon glass
carboy and inserted a spider wort
sprout through some wires.
He sealed the system and except for once in 1972
to add some water, he has never
opened it. All that gets in is sunlight.
The system effectively acts as a self
sufficient organism. The bacteria in the
compost break down the dead plants
and break down the oxygen given off
by the plants, turning it in to carbon
dioxide that the living plants need to
survive. The little garden is an example
of how the earth functions without
anything but sunlight from the outside
world.
“The forest eats itself and lives
forever.” -The Poisonwood Bible
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