Sneed convinced the sheriff to let her create an organic garden on land adjoining the jail. She got prisoners out of their cells to restore an old greenhouse and to grub brambles from the site. At first the Horticulture Project had no tools, so the prisoners yanked blackberries with their bare hands. Sneed begged tools and seeds from local merchants, but she was still short of money, gardening experience, and models for what she wanted to do. The jailers thought she was flaky, especially when she pushed the jail kitchen to serve soothing peppermint tea from the new garden.

But jailer hostility receded as they saw prisoners become enthusiastic gardeners, bringing their zest back to the jailhouse at the end of the day. Some also brought spare seedlings, which they shared with guards, who became home gardeners themselves. Soon there was a waiting list of prisoners eager to join the program.

In short order, the Horticulture Project was harvesting tons of produce a year for the jail, for Project Open Hand (founded by Giraffe Ruth Brinker), and for the soup kitchens of Saint Martin de Poores. But the production of food is only a side effect of the Project. Sneed says, "We're not just making a pretty little garden here -- we're saving lives."

Sneed teaches life lessons from the garden. The prisoners with drug problems see how well the plants grow without chemicals. Many of them have lived on junk food; they see plants flourish with proper nutrients. They discover the tastes of fresh vegetables, because Sneed cooks them lunch from the garden.