In Fall 2002, 11 teenage homeschoolers (photo below) from across San Antonio participated in the Garden Mosaics program conducted by the University of Texas at San Antonio. The teens met weekly in October and November to learn about environmental principles that apply to gardening and how to map gardens using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Geographic Information System (GIS).

The highlight of the meetings came when the group visited the San Antonio garden of Malcolm Beck to learn about his gardening techniques. In Texas, Malcolm is considered the father of composting and organic gardening. Malcolm told the youth that seeds are what make peppers hot. While mapping Malcom's extensive research garden, everyone sampled his peppers, cucumbers, and tangerines.

The youth observed that Malcolm grows a wide variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables from heirloom varieties. These include corn that grows to 12 feet high, okra with large pods, hot peppers, and strawberries.