Category: Frontpage

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Research Brief: Urban Gardening And Its Positive Impact On The Emotional Wellbeing Of Residents

As urban areas strive to enhance their residents’ quality of life, research from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs shows that access to gardening could have a profound effect on a person’s emotional wellbeing and help address sustainable development goals.

“It’s important to remember that more than 50% of the world’s population lives in an urban environment,” said study co-author Yingling Fan, professor in regional policy and planning in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. “Many sustainable development goals are where the environment and human health and wellbeing meet.”

The study, published in the June 2020 issue of Landscape and Urban Planning, examined data collected from more than 370 randomly selected participants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Participants were then asked to input emotional wellbeing-linked data into the app Daynamica, which allows for users to track activities and rank their emotions during that activity.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://livingarchitecturemonitor.com/news/2020/7/12/research-brief-urban-gardening-and-its-positive-impact-on-the-emotional-wellbeing-of-residents

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City Launches Website to Help Prospective Urban Farmers Get Started

“Just because we live in a big city doesn’t mean we cannot become small-scale farmers,” said Erik Caldwell, the city’s deputy chief operating officer for Smart & Sustainable Communities. “The urban farming website is a one-stop shop with a lot of great information to help San Diegans produce their own food.”

According to a city statement, urban farming supports the city’s Climate Action Plan in that producing food locally can help San Diego become more sustainable. In addition, urban farming can help residents lower their grocery bills, provide more healthy produce for their families and neighbors and improve the environment.

READ THE FULL STORY FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2020/06/16/san-diego-debuts-website-to-help-prospective-urban-farmers-get-started/

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How 6 Problem-Solvers Tackled Pandemic Challenges In Their Neighborhoods

Left: Urban farmer Victor Edalia (in white shirt) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. Right: Edalia uses modern urban farming methods, including this spiral planter that holds up to 100 seedlings. Photo: THOMAS BWIRE

In April, Jackline Oyamo, 31, was laid off from her job as an electronic sales assistant at a shop in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. The curfews to control the pandemic meant fewer customers – and staff cutbacks. “After losing my job, it was extremely difficult to keep feeding myself after I exhausted my small savings,” she says.

But Oyamo is able to get fresh produce for free from Victor Edalia, a 30-year-old urban farmer in her neighborhood. Last November, Edalia, who works as a driver by day, converted a trash dump site in the slum into an urban garden. He signed an agreement with a local chief to use the land. Now, the plot, about a quarter of an acre, grows vegetables such as kale, onions and spinach.

Edalia originally started the farm to boost his income. The idea was to sell vegetables to hotels. But once the pandemic hit, he changed the plan. He wanted to find a way to “give back,” he says.

READ THE ENTIRE STORY: https://www.wxxinews.org/post/how-6-problem-solvers-tackled-pandemic-challenges-their-neighborhoods

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4 Rivers to build 18-acre urban farm in Orlando

Imagine a full, working farm only two miles from Downtown Orlando. The owner of 4 Rivers Smokehouse is building it, but it’s not for his restaurants; it’s to teach the public about food.

“We want people to come and be inspired and be excited about it,” said John Rivers, CEO, 4 Rivers Smokehouse.

Rivers hopes the 18-acre farm can be used as a laboratory for sustainable and non-wasteful farming. But it’s not just for farmers and students, it’s for the community to gain awareness and appreciation.

“They’re gonna learn about what is regenerative farming and why do we have to give back to the soil and why is there such an imbalance to it,” said Rivers.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/4-rivers-to-build-18-acre-urban-farm-in-orlando

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City of San Diego Encourages Sustainability at Home through Urban Farming

12019/Pixabay

The City of San Diego has debuted a new website that provides information and assistance to become a successful urban farmer. As more people are spending time at home due to COVID-19 public health orders, urban farming has seen an uptick in popularity and the City is making resources available to support San Diegans in this effort.

Urban farming can come in many forms and sizes. It can be a community garden that covers one or more city blocks, or it can be vegetables grown in containers on a home patio. It can include raising chickens and goats or maintaining beehives.

 The City’s new Urban Farming website includes:

  • Resources for both home and community gardens.
  • Information on raising bees, chickens and goats.
  • Access to additional data from various local and national sources.
  • Details about City programs for assistance with permits, composting, seed libraries and more.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://clairemonttimes.com/city-of-san-diego-encourages-sustainability-at-home-through-urban-farming/

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The Future Of Food: Inside The World’s Largest Urban Farm – Built On A Rooftop

TouChou/Pixabay

On top of a striking new exhibition hall in the southern 15th arrondissement of Paris, the world’s largest urban rooftop farm has started to bear fruit. Strawberries, to be precise: small, intensely flavored, and resplendently red.

They sprout abundantly from cream-colored plastic columns. Pluck one out to peer inside and you see the columns are completely hollow, the roots of dozens of strawberry plants dangling into thin air.

From identical vertical columns, nearby burst row upon row of lettuces; near those are aromatic basil, sage, and peppermint. Opposite, in narrow, horizontal trays packed not with soil but coco coir (coconut fiber), grow heirloom and cherry tomatoes, shiny aubergines, and brightly colored chards. (SEE PHOTO NOW!) -Sourced from The Guardian

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://livingarchitecturemonitor.com/news/2020/7/11/the-future-of-food-inside-the-worlds-largest-urban-farm-built-on-a-rooftop

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What to Cross Off Your Gardening To-Do List This Month

Depending on your hardiness zone, July might be a good time to give plants another blast of fertilizer before they can harden off and survive the next winter. Or, it might be time to stake some of those tall floppy flowers.  Be sure to double check that your plants are getting enough water. You may need to consider a soaker hose to prevent evaporation in the hot summer air.  Adding some fresh mulch is always a good thing to do around this time.  Pull out the scissors and deadhead flowering annuals so they’ll produce more blooms. Remove spent blooms.  A light pruning will perk them up with strong new flowering growth.

July is also a good month to start thinking about the fall garden. Preparations should include getting the space and soil ready and deciding exactly what you want to plant. One suggestion, plant tomatoes and peppers as well as pumpkins that you will enjoy in the months ahead.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program HERE: http://southeastagnet.com/2020/07/06/what-to-cross-off-your-gardening-to-do-list-this-month/

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Research Brief: Urban gardening and its positive impact on the emotional wellbeing of residents

Source: Getty/firina

As urban areas strive to enhance their residents’ quality of life, research from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs shows that access to gardening could have a profound effect on a person’s emotional wellbeing and help address sustainable development goals.

“It’s important to remember that more than 50% of the world’s population lives in an urban environment,” said study co-author Yingling Fan, a professor in regional policy and planning in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. “Many sustainable development goals are where the environment and human health and wellbeing meet.”

The study, published in the June 2020 issue of Landscape and Urban Planning, examined data collected from more than 370 randomly selected participants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Participants were then asked to input emotional wellbeing-linked data into the app Daynamica, which allows for users to track activities and rank their emotions during that activity.

The study combined demographic data, exit interview answers, and geo-location information provided via Daynamica, a smartphone app, to determine where the gardening took place.

TO READ THE STUDY, VISIT THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/research-brief-urban-gardening-and-its-positive-impact-emotional-wellbeing-residents

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Gardening resources to help seniors improve quality of life

Gardening is an activity relished by thousands of Australians of all ages, offering physical activity, skill development, interaction with nature, and all the mental health benefits that come from pottering about in the garden. When it comes to seniors, gardening can become a well-loved hobby in retirement and a way to connect with a network of other keen green-fingered folks.

Over the past few months, seniors have been particularly vulnerable to the effects of social isolation — a situation that can be improved by finding a love for gardening.

Insteading — a company helping thousands of gardeners and homemakers grow their gardens and skills — has created a bumper trove of gardening resources, including those designed specifically for seniors.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/aged-allied-health/article/gardening-resources-to-help-seniors-improve-quality-of-life-718560149#axzz6RVnqdzNe

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Gardening myths that are either true, false or a little bit of both

The coronavirus has kept us housebound for months. During that time, many of us figured out that having a garden is one answer to getting outside and away from the crowds, as well as a welcome break from the next binge-watch series.

Most importantly, we feel a strong desire to grow our own food crops and plant flowers to remind us that we are vital in the whole circle of life.

Now that your garden is planted and well on its way to producing fruit, vegetables, flowers and bliss, where are you finding answers for questions about growing care and remedies for issues that crop up (pun intended)? You know, questions about common summer plant issues like soft, brown spots on tomatoes, bugs munching on leaves, and whether talking to your plants will really help them grow better.

Are internet sites and the jillion YouTube videos worth your time? Shouldn’t we rely on science and testing?

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://theknow.denverpost.com/2020/07/04/gardening-myths-that-are-either-true-false-or-a-little-bit-of-both/241204/

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10 Helpful Gardening Tips That Actually Helped This Former Plant Killer

If you’ve ever failed at something, we know it can be hard to want to try again. Don’t give up! Even the best of the best have killed a plant or two in their days. Read on to learn from this one gardener’s mistakes!

“One of my go-to fantasies when life is tough is that I’ll run away to start a vegetable farm. I’ll spend long days covered in sweat, soil caked underneath my fingernails, satisfied with the knowledge that I was able to feed myself through hard work and a deep understanding of the natural world. Given our current circumstances—living in an unprecedented global pandemic resulting in much more time spent at home and much more stress when we have to venture to the grocery store—this fantasy is seeming particularly appealing.

The problem with that fantasy is that I am an absolutely rubbish gardener. Name an indestructible plant and I have probably watched it shrivel. Zucchini and mint, for example, which I remember being warned would “take over my garden” if I wasn’t careful—didn’t last a week in my Arizona soil. It became a bit of a running joke. Every summer I’d try again, and every summer I’d fail.

Then I moved to Washington State, where the weather was friendlier and the foliage was lush. I managed to eat a few tomatoes from my potted plant last year and suddenly felt like a new woman. Maybe I could do this gardening thing.”

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.self.com/story/gardening-tips

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Gardening is Booming During This Pandemic – and You Can Still Start Planting in July

Time has not ran out! There’s still plenty of days left on the calendar to get your summer gardens planted. It’s all about variety and days to maturity.

“Gardening businesses have been booming during the coronavirus lockdowns, and nurseries have busily tried to keep up with the unexpected—and unprecedented—demand.

Tending plants has always been one of the world’s most popular hobbies, but no one was prepared for this surge in gardening—and nurseries are still propagating as fast as they can to keep up.

Even sales of houseplants are up, as people look for ways to brighten their days in lockdown.

“The establishment time for a plant is so much faster in the summer months, and the watering time for new plants is much shorter,” explains Avent. “If you plant in the winter, you can get by with infrequent waterings, but if you plant in summer, you need to water every day. But the tradeoff is that you only have to water for a week or so before the plant is fully established.”

Pollinators are also more active in the summer months and can be a gardener’s good friend; native bees, honeybees, butterflies, but also wasps.”

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/gardening-is-booming-during-this-pandemic/

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Princeton Study Finds That Home Gardening Makes You Happier

Lewis Wilson

As the sunlight begins shining through the spring showers which bring May flowers, we know that summer is on its way. Although most of the world has been confined to their homes during this global pandemic, stories of the unique ways people are combating the physical isolation associated with staying at home have flooded social media sites. Gardening is one of these hobbies that has seen a resurgence in the past few months, and a Princeton study published in Landscape and Urban Planning explores how caring for plants at home can positively affect your mood.

The study—which was conducted prior to the pandemic—surveyed 370 different people living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on their emotional state and happiness levels throughout the day. Of the 370 participants, 118 of them engaged in home gardening. These home gardeners reportedly had high levels of happiness, when gardening was measured against other day-to-day activities. This “emotional well-being” (EWB) that the study tracked was higher for vegetable gardeners than for ornamental gardeners. This might be because of the relationship you build with your vegetable plants as you watch them grow and mature over the course of the planting season.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://mymodernmet.com/princeton-research-gardening-happiness/

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How Arlington’s Only Commercial Urban Farm Shifted To ‘Community Supported Agriculture’

Thanks to changes brought about by the pandemic, Arlingtonians can now get farm-to-table produce delivered right to their door.

Tucked into an unassuming strip mall on Lee Highway, Fresh Impact — which we profiled in October — is the county’s only commercial urban farm. With no signage or disclosed address, Fresh Impact has been growing specialty ingredients such as edible flowers and microgreens for chefs in the local restaurant industry for over three years.

This past February, according to founder Ryan Pierce, the farm had its most profitable month yet. But a few weeks later as COVID-19 began to spread in the D.C. area, ultimately shutting down all dine-in restaurant service, Pierce said Fresh Impact lost every single customer.

“We were faced with a choice: do we shut it down and try to ride it out, which would have meant laying off our staff, or do we try to pivot to the consumer market?” said Pierce.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.arlnow.com/2020/06/08/how-arlingtons-only-commercial-urban-farm-shifted-to-community-supported-agriculture/

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Insecticides the Pesticide Industry Said Were “Safer for Bees” Found to Stress and Kill Honey Bees

sebastien rosset  | @metanephros

The study indicates that, “With the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for use of both flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor, and with the growing concern regarding pollinator health, it is important to better understand any potential negative impacts (especially sub-lethal) of these pesticides on bees.” However, this statement begs the question ‘why these two new bee-toxic pesticide were approved by EPA in the first place.’

This process is familiar and frustrating to those who continue to fight against the decline of pollinators: the chemical industry introduces and EPA approves new toxic pesticides marketed as “safer” to the specific problem caused by its older products, only to find out through independent and academic research that the problem is not solved in the least.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2020/06/insecticides

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Gardening: Even urban lots can be made to attract wildlife

@zmachacek

What wildlife do you naturally attract into your garden? Are there any species you would like to see more of? Are there any that have proven to be pests to your crops?

These past two weeks have been wonderful for wildlife watching in our neighborhood. Driving home the other evening, I saw my first mama deer with her fawn in tow. Usually, we have at least one doe who has her fawn in our field. Mama will then leave them there hidden in the grass while she goes off to eat. We’ve surprised several hidden fawns over the years.

My husband has been filling the bird feeder with sunflower seeds about every day and a half which means the birds are feeding nestlings. Pretty soon the baby finches will be lining the porch rail expecting to be fed. It gets a bit noisy when that happens because my office window is right there, I might have to close the window for the next Zoom meeting.

The hummingbirds are around and draining the one-pint feeder every week. They have nests in our maple tree, and I hear their tiny high-pitched voices when I’m sitting in my chair.

READ THE WHOLE COLUMN AT: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jul/02/gardening-native-plants-will-attract-areas-wildlif/

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Urban gardens sprout in Point Loma during quarantine

Urban gardening has become a trend that an increasing number of San Diego residents are pursuing, especially during the pandemic. And the City is helping out, having just debuted a new website, sandiego.gov/urban-farming, that provides information and assistance for those wishing to become successful urban farmers.

As more people are spending time at home due to Covid-19 public health orders, urban farming has seen an uptick in popularity. And the City is making resources available to support San Diegans in turning their sod into seed.

Dr. Julie Cramer, who lives near Sunset Cliffs and has been home gardening for years, finds her front-yard garden to be not only filling but fulfilling.

“It’s become a conversation opener with neighbors in addition to growing good food for ourselves and contributing food to others,” said Cramer, who is involved with her son, Avery, in a venture known as Co-Harvest Foundation, a nonprofit working to help end food-insecurity in San Diego.

Read more: San Diego Community News Group – Urban gardens sprout in Point Loma during quarantine

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Tough Times, Green Times: Harrisburg Urban Growers helps people discover their inner farmer

If you’ve driven around Harrisburg recently, you may have noticed that, in some places, things appear a bit greener.

Urban gardens have begun blooming all over the city thanks to a local group whose mission is to offer gardening kits to encourage a source of healthy and sustainable food.

Harrisburg Urban Growers, made up of a handful of volunteers, hosts an annual “Seed and Plant Giveaway” each year, offering gardening kits for residents. This year, the organization put social distancing procedures in place, and volunteers safely delivered the kits directly to residents over several weekends.

READ THE FULL AND ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT: https://theburgnews.com/food/tough-times-green-times-harrisburg-urban-growers-helps-people-discover-their-inner-farmer

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Peas and Quiet: Urban Gardening in the Time of Covid-19

Access to community gardens has been limited during the pandemic, but people have been reaching out to gardeners and gardening organizations far and wide to learn how to grow their own food… Photo courtesy of King County Parks, Washington.

Urban gardening has taken on a renewed relevance as the coronavirus has declared war on us from Los Angeles to New Orleans; Seattle to Saint Louis. People are reaching out to organizations far and wide about how to grow their own food for a wide array of reasons: concern about food supply chain vulnerabilities, frightened of going to the grocery store for lettuce they could potentially grow themselves, eager to be more self-sufficient or looking to help their neighborhood by donating food to local food banks.

“We need to open our hearts and connect with the struggles of those most vulnerable.” That connection, Fredie believes, can involve carrots, corn, kale, and more. It’s a refrain heard from gardeners across the country. “I think we’ll come out of this,” notes Margee Green, the executive director of Sprout NOLA, a farmer and gardener training program based in New Orleans, “with a lot more people understanding the sacrifices that farm workers make every day and the importance of supporting agriculture that is in harmony with nature, and closer to them.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/peas-and-quiet-urban-gardening-in-the-time-of-covid-19/