Author: UOG

Nursery Fields Forever, has made a proposal for a pre-school  filled with toddlers to be placed on an urban farm.  They say:

“The dominant preschool system keeps children in classrooms, where plants barely peek out from the window,” and animals are only visible in places like zoos, Jonathan Lazar, one of the architects, tells CityLab, adding:

The absence of direct experience has completely misled children’s perception of the world and of its most basic processes. It’s not rare to find children who ignore that the milk they drink comes from cows or that beans don’t sprout in cans.

Read the rest of the article at: “CityLab.com”

New farms are popping up all over the nation, growing food vertically has provided a way to grow more food in less space.  In South Philly, a new farm has sprouted and they are producing fresh, local food 365 days a year.  They also are serving up their community the fresh goods by making deliveries to restaurants, grocery stores and more.

“Metropolis Farms is not only the first indoor hydroponic vertical farm in Philadelphia, it’s the first vegan-certified farm in the nation and the only known vertical farm to operate on the second floor of a building.” This means that the farm uses no pesticides, herbicides, animal manure or animal bi-products.  It has been certified by the American Vegetarian Association as well.

Metropolis Farms is currently growing herbs, lettuce and leafy greens, tomatoes and more. They have roughly 120,000 plants in just 36 square feet!  “The farm claims to use 98 percent less water since it just recirculates and 82 percent less energy compared to conventional and organic farms.”

Read the rest of the article at: “EcoWatch.com“

The new Assembly Bill, (551), that was passed in 2014 allows owners of vacant lands between 0.1 and 3 acres of size to qualify for major tax incentives if they use their land for agricultural purposes based off of long-term leases.  In the coming months, new “urban agricultural zones” will be installed on the map across the county, not just in the city.

“City officials have been talking about community gardens,” says San Diego Food System Alliance director Elly Brown, “but I see this as a larger win-win opportunity because urban agriculture can include a whole spectrum of activities from low-production things like a community garden, but it could also range all the way into a commercial operation, which can also be beneficial for communities. There are a lot of urban-farming techniques where you don’t need a lot of space — hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical growing. City councilmembers haven’t really stressed that because they haven’t seen many examples — there aren’t many small-scale farms in San Diego.”

To read the rest of the article, visit: “SanDiegoReader.com“

Did you know that Facebook has a nine-acre rooftop garden?  Even in the wintertime, the garden boasts spectacular views of beautiful plants and interesting structures.  The whole garden was built so that employees could have a space to walk outdoors, since there isn’t much room for them to walk inside the building.

“Ninety percent of the garden consists of native California plants. The 350 trees are a mix of evergreens and deciduous, with a variety of flowering types. The path system that wraps around the roof is one-half a mile long. There are breakout spaces for people to meet at frequent intervals. Resident and migrant birds share the space with employees.”

To view more of the gardens and read the entire article, visit: “Inmenlo.com“

A new state law has passed within the last few years that lets urban areas create “Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones”. These are area’s in which private landowners will receive a tax reduction rate if they use their vacant land for urban agriculture.

“This is a very welcome development. The benefits of urban agriculture are well established and include access to community gardens, revitalization of vacant lots, increased availability of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy outdoor physical activity.”

To read the rest of the article, visit: “VoiceOfSanDiego.org“

“Goodbye snow boots and chilly nights: Spring is here to stay! Along with breaking out our favorite pastel colors and springy floral manicures, springtime means getting our butts back in the garden and growing some delicious veggies and beautiful greens. But for us apartment dwellers, saying we’re going to start gardening and actually putting all the urban gardening hacks into practice is a very, very different story. For any small-space gardeners looking for a little extra motivation this spring, peruse these 10 urban gardening Instagram accounts for maximum Insta-garden inspiration.” source- “Brit.co”

1. Houseplant Journal: Based in Toronto, Darryl Cheng is a lover of all things green and indoor. Check out his dedicated houseplant blog that offers tips, tricks and hacks on how to grow stunning plants, all without leaving the house. (Photo via @houseplantjournal)

2. Urban Gardeners Republic: Boasting the largest online community of urban gardeners worldwide, Urban Gardeners Republic is an awesome resource for anyone who’s thinking about starting an urban garden. Their account is curated from community bloggers around the world through the hashtag #UrbanGardenersRepublic, meaning there’s always something exotic to check out on their page. (Photo via @urbangardenersrepublic)

3. Edible Balcony: If there’s anyone who knows how to turn a small space into a delicious garden oasis, it’s Edible Balcony. Get ready for some tomato envy, everyone. (Photo via @ediblebalcony)

Hey! If you’ve got an Instagram account you’ve got to follow! Lots of cool urban organic garden pics.  That is, if you’re into that kind of stuff. 😉 Follow Urban Organic Gardener on Instagram!

To Find out the OTHER 7 TOP Urban Gardeners on Instagram visit: “Brit.co“

A decayed Philly neighborhood isn’t discouraging one resident at all.  Tommy Joshua says; “I’m the product of this decayed neighborhood,” Joshua who is 36 years old, said cheerfully. He spent his childhood in the area and still recalls how he and other kids turned “a desolate urban environment into fun” with games like “chase the trash.”

Now as an adult, Joshua is concentrating his energy into urban farming near the North Philly Peace Park. They started by clearing a vacant lot near a housing project and set out to grow herbs and vegetables. They’re even growing apples.

“But things at the park came to a halt in December 2014 when the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) sought to reclaim the land, which it owned, to begin preparing to build new homes there.”

To read the rest of the article, visit: “Metro.Us.com“