Urban Agriculture...it's in our backyard
January 20, 2008 9:21 PM Subscribe
City Farmer is a Vancouver-based organization that's been promoting urban agriculture since 1978. If you dig around their sprawling website, you can find everything from this feel-good news story, to a series of links leading to a nice deep free book. Alternatively, their new blog has cool pictures.
I'm not sure why more urban folks don't do this. I don't know why it took me so long to even begin -- I'm lazy I guess, and I thought it'd be much harder than it is.
Last year, I bought a 12'x4' raised bed kit, and planted all kinds of stuff. Most of it grew out, and we had fresh vegetables and fruit all summer and into the fall. The cost of the raised bed and some tomato cages was not trivial (about $300), but now everything I grow eliminates a portion of our grocery bills. I also started planting blueberry bushes and fruit and nut trees all around the house. My only real problem is squirrels eating my tomatoes, but I've got some surprises for the little bastards this coming year.
My goal is to just surround the house with food-producing stuff. Good for the environment, good for my health, good for my grocery bills. Not really any downside other than a bit of effort (but way less effort than I originally envisioned). And it's really satisfying to yoink a veritable feast of salad goodies that I grew myself from the back yard; it just tastes better than grocery store stuff. Maybe that's just a psychological effect, but even if so, I'll take it.
One of my favorite online garden supply stores (for seeds and plants) is www.burpee.com. The Simpson Elite lettuce, in particular, is really excellent, especially in areas prone to high temperatures.
posted by jamstigator at 6:12 AM on January 21, 2008
Last year, I bought a 12'x4' raised bed kit, and planted all kinds of stuff. Most of it grew out, and we had fresh vegetables and fruit all summer and into the fall. The cost of the raised bed and some tomato cages was not trivial (about $300), but now everything I grow eliminates a portion of our grocery bills. I also started planting blueberry bushes and fruit and nut trees all around the house. My only real problem is squirrels eating my tomatoes, but I've got some surprises for the little bastards this coming year.
My goal is to just surround the house with food-producing stuff. Good for the environment, good for my health, good for my grocery bills. Not really any downside other than a bit of effort (but way less effort than I originally envisioned). And it's really satisfying to yoink a veritable feast of salad goodies that I grew myself from the back yard; it just tastes better than grocery store stuff. Maybe that's just a psychological effect, but even if so, I'll take it.
One of my favorite online garden supply stores (for seeds and plants) is www.burpee.com. The Simpson Elite lettuce, in particular, is really excellent, especially in areas prone to high temperatures.
posted by jamstigator at 6:12 AM on January 21, 2008
We have a community garden in our in-town neighborhood: http://www.oakhurstgarden.org/.
They make family garden plots available and do a lot of community outreach promoting in-town gardening, environmental consciousness and other hippy things :-). It's a really interesting organization. If there's a vacant lot in your neighborhood and sufficient community support, it's a pretty neat way to have a garden.
posted by kjs3 at 8:38 AM on January 21, 2008
They make family garden plots available and do a lot of community outreach promoting in-town gardening, environmental consciousness and other hippy things :-). It's a really interesting organization. If there's a vacant lot in your neighborhood and sufficient community support, it's a pretty neat way to have a garden.
posted by kjs3 at 8:38 AM on January 21, 2008
FYI, the Pollinating Our Future urban ag conference is coming up in Milwaukee at the end of February.
posted by hydrophonic at 1:49 PM on January 21, 2008
posted by hydrophonic at 1:49 PM on January 21, 2008
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