About Me

by Mike Lieberman

Mike Lieberman.My name is Mike Lieberman, but go by CanarsieBK across the web. Why CanarsieBK? Canarsie is the neighborhood that I was born and raised in Brooklyn.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that the choices that I make on a daily basis effects the world beyond me. We live in the information age, so there is a lot of information out there concerning our impact on the environment, but what can an individual do?

Instead of sitting back and feeling helpless, I decided that I wanted to do something. I started to think about another passion of mine, food, since I eat so much of it. I’m talking about real food and not the crap that’s become identified and accepted as food these days.

There are lots of factors that goes into getting food to our plates.

  • On the average food travels about 1,500 to get to our plates, which uses a lot of gas and resources.
  • Sprays and chemicals are used to “protect” the food from insects. Forget about the studies that talk about how good or bad sprays are for you are, I just don’t want that stuff in my body. I find it hard to believe that the chemicals used are good for our bodies and for the planet.
  • What about the workers that are harvesting the produce and how they are treated. Are they treated fairly? Getting a decent wage? I don’t want to support a supplier that mistreats their employees.

These are reasons why I started to grow my own organic produce.

When I started to grow on my fire escape garden in NYC during the Spring of 2009, I had no gardening experience and read about a half of a book on gardening because let’s be honest – most gardening books are mad boring. In April of 2010, I moved to LA where I started a balcony garden and have continued to grow even more food.

My methodology is pretty simple, I use trial and error. What did people do hundreds of years ago? They certainly didn’t go to school, take a course to get a fancy certificate or Google “how to plant seeds.” They just did it, which is what I’m still doing.

I am not a gardener though. I might have a vegetable garden, but I grow food.

  • greensoiltea
    Bravo Mike:

    You are who Authentic Haven Brand packages our premium soil conditioner teas for...Look forward to your growing success...Annie
  • Mike Lieberman
    Thanks Annie. Loves what you do.
  • Maya
    You're an awesome dude. I also like your 365 ways to go green. Thanks for sharing all this. I started balcony gardening 2 years ago and wondering what to do with the old soil.
    see my bacony from last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/migirl/3698030898/

    Greetings from Germany.
  • Mike Lieberman
    Thanks Maya. Love the photos. You can start a compost pile with the old soil and use it for your garden in the future.
  • Janet
    Great website and thanks for sharing. I got the topsy turvey plant on my porch and doing great also
  • Mike Lieberman
    Thanks for the comment. I've heard mix about the topsy turvy, but sounds like it's working well for you. That's all that matters.
  • Babysteps
    Mike very nice blog! I'm struggling with cabbage worms right now. I'm also blogging about my Thrifty and Green Experiences in Wyoming. Currently I'm on a five day journey to BUY NOTHING. You can check out my little musings at:
    www.christinemccreedy.blogspot.com
  • Mike Lieberman
    Cabbage worms are a huge pain. Might want to look into some row covers to help with those. Congrats on starting the blog. Keep it up.
  • Designconsortium2003
    Hi Mike, great Site. I live in San Francisco and there's a large movement out here and in other parts of California to start turning the sidewalks into Gardens in residential areas . Its great for people
    that don't have backyards or fire escapes and helps stop rainwater from flooding the sewer systems and running into the ocean as run off . It builds good neighbors and neighborhoods
  • Mike Lieberman
    Love the idea of growing food on sidewalks. Food and everything about it is community.
  • Sukrita
    I just found this blog, and I love it! I've been trying to grow vegetables at home too... even though I live in my parents' house and probably going to leave in a year or so... it'll be one of my returns for food and lodging :P
    I've grown two tomatoes and one okra from seed so far - and three or four chilis, lots of fenugreek, basil, coriander and spinach. I'm loving it! My friends can't understand why it's so exciting to me... but it is! I've planted onions and more okra, I'm looking forward to doing more.
    I'm glad I'm not the only one.
  • Mike Lieberman
    Nice. Sounds like you got a good trade-off going on. You need to do a better job of explaining it to your friends ;-)
  • Hey Mike, I live in a townhome but grow food in my balcony: I have 4 or 5 different kinds of pepper, oregano, Italian basil, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and this year, trying eggplant and cucumber but those are much more slow. What I am amazed about is the peace and calm I feel when I water my plants or see a new fruit every day! I take so many photos of these silly plants it's quite ridiculous :)! I hear your passion .....
  • Mike Lieberman
    Yes. Most definitely enjoyable. Thanks for the comment.
  • Snakemusik
    I have a balcony in the back of my apartment - just outside the French Quarter in New Orleans. Last year I started growing herbs, peppers and tomatoes. One of the first things I learned was to get the right variety to grow in containers. I tried to grow Creole tomatoes, and they did not respond well. This year, I tried zucchini, and didn't have good results either. Lots of blossoms at first, but no zucchini. A neighbor planted a variety of tomato called "Patio". They kept to a small size (for tomato plants) and they were full of green tomatoes within a month to 6 weeks. I replaced my zucchini with patio tomatoes and will see what happens (our first frost here is around Dec. 15). Next year, when I re-plant, I will definitely be trying the self-watering containers. Food is an important part of the New Orleans culture. There are certain things I will not cook unless I can use ingredients from my own garden.
  • Mike Lieberman
    Sweet. Food is and should be an important part of all of our cultures. I def wanna start to grow much more of my own and become more dependent on it.
  • Destené Styles
    Hey Mike,

    I have been gardening for years and recently relocated to Jersey City where I am trying my hand at container gardening. I came across your site after doing a little research. I know you try to garden on the cheap (as do I now that I am unemployed!) so I wanted to make sure you knew about freecycle.org. Check out the website and register for your local area. I just swapped some tomato seedlings for some pepper seedlings last night and met a new neighbor to boot. Best of luck to you and keep it up... I am anxiously watching my squash blossoms and anticipating a rewarding harvest! Hope LA is treating you right.

    Best,

    Destené
  • Mike Lieberman
    Thanks Destene. I need to check out freecycle more often. Appreciate the tip.
  • Hi Mike, When I started The Dinner Garden I had someone write me a long letter about why it would never work and how people can't learn to garden by reading. The letter arrived a long time ago, but it still motivates me. People have been gardening for ever and if they can do it, I can do it too. Your plants look great and your site is an inspiration!
  • Mike Lieberman
    That's awesome. Good for you. My sentiments are exactly the same. What did people do 600 years ago. They didn't get a fancy piece of paper that said they could grow food or anything like that. They just did it. Our lives have lives have become so "complex" and mired in BS that we constantly look towards others to get the simple things done.

    Love what you are doing and keep up the great work. You're inspirational.
  • Hibai
    Hey I'm with you. I'm tring to grow my own herbs and tomatoes, for now on conventional containers but I'll soon try self wattering containers. I plan to do this lifetime, so I have to find out a way for it not to be time consuming.

    Keep up the good work. I'll follow your blog for now on.
  • Mike Lieberman
    Great. Thanks Hibai. The self watering containers have been great so far - effective, low maintenance and producing wonderfully. My cherry tomato plant is starting to bear fruit and will likely harvest some of them pretty soon.

    Thanks for following and hope you are enjoying.
  • Terra
    Keep doing what your doing, hella cool.
  • Your sis
    I am proud of you for believing in something and going for it!!!
  • Mike Lieberman
    Gracias. See I was taught well.
  • Vee
    Good luck Mike. I will be watching and learning from you. The student becomes the teacher...LOL>
  • Vee
    Good luck Mike. I will be watching and learning from you. The student becomes the teacher...LOL>
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