BLESSING - Carl Lyons wants his Garden of Hope to set the standard for others helping to feed the hungry.

"I feel that this garden is going to be the model in which all food banks in America are going to have to turn to," said Lyons.

That gardening model includes making better use of limited space by growing giant vegetables, he said.

Lyons said the 5,800-square foot garden can produce tomatoes up to one to two pounds and he can get two bushels off each plant. He estimated 700 plants in each 20-feet by 24-feet bed.

He plans to grow tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, onions and celery.

The carrots he wants to plant will grow to be 12 to 15 inches long and weigh about a pound a piece.

"You can't buy this stuff in stores. Why should I plant the smaller stuff?" Lyons said. "I'll have more to help a needy family with. It's about time the poor got a break."

Lyons plans to work closely with the Robert Duran Sharing and Caring Food Pantry in Palacios to distribute the crop once it comes in.

"We could certainly use the food and welcome all donations," said Fran Fuller, food pantry manager.

Lyons has studied how to produce these large fruits and vegetables and leans heavily on the book "Supermarket Super Gardens" by Jerry Baker.

"It's a most amazing book. It takes you from the baby planting stage all the way to destroying the plants and putting them in compost, something our forefathers knew before chemicals were invented," said Lyons, who added that the garden would be all organic.

Lyons also challenged farmers to set aside a few feet of space dedicated to growing food for food banks and food pantries.

"Instead of being told by the government what you can and cannot grow, get back to what you love and that's growing food," he said.

The gardening effort is not without numerous challenges, including soil low in nitrogen.

"My garden is only going to be as good as the soil it's planted in," he said. "I have to convert this hard clay into a nice, rich loam."

To do that, Lyons said, he needs sand and manure.

"The ground is as hard as a brick bat. It's like concrete," Lyons said. "For that, I need a larger tiller."

Lyons has been working on the garden for about six months with a small tiller and is limited by chronic back pain.

"It pains me to do this," he said. "There is a lot of labor going into this for people I don't even know, but I care about because I know what it's like to be poor, hurting and hungry."

The 60-year-old former manager of the Blessing Hotel, along with wife, Shirley Lyons, has also worked in fiberglass boat repair and custom airbrush painting, he said.

A friend, Fred Klatt, has lent some help, both in labor and finances, but Lyons knows he will need contributions from the community - labor, equipment and monetary - to complete his mission.

"I'm one broken down old man, but this project is divinely inspired," Lyons said. "I don't feel like it was my idea at all. I love the Lord, so whatever I can do to please him."