Urban-style organic gardening blog about growing your own food with limited space and creative resources.
“Designed by Danish firm Husum & Lindholm Architects, Growmore structures can be assembled using six plywood components. The system is designed for people living in cities to utilise unused urban space for local food production.
The components include planting and shelving units, which are connected by pivotal joints. This enables users to move and rotate assembled structures, so they can fit in a wide range of different spaces.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “DEZEEN.com“
“Vegetables and flowers are not something you’d expect to see growing anywhere in Northeast Ohio right now – let alone inside an old tire plant in Akron.
But that’s exactly what an Akron-based agricultural company is doing.
Jacob Craine, Vincent Peterson and Mark Preston are the founders of Vigeo Gardens, which sits on the third floor of Akron’s former B.F. Goodrich tire plant. The business can be easily spotted as it’s custom-mad blue and red LED lights transform its space into a magenta-like color.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “WKYC.com“
“In a story that’s become well-known, the college turned its football field into a 2-acre organic farm in 2010. Still demarcated by the goalposts, the farm donates some produce, as well as selling to restaurants and grocery stores.” via “DallasNews.com”
“When Michael Sorrell took over as president of Paul Quinn College in 2007, the place was nearly broke and faced a possible loss of accreditation. Sorrell wasn’t interested in following the usual playbook for running a college, so he took unusual steps right from the start. He cut the football program, for instance, and turned the playing field into an urban farm.
Just to put that move in perspective, this college is in Dallas, a city that has been called the football capital of the world. But Sorrel was focused on building a new model for higher education, one that mixes work-readiness with expanding minds, and at a price that more students could afford.
EdSurge recently talked with Sorrell about how his model of an “urban work college,” and he shared the roundabout way that this college got into farming. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can listen to a complete version below, or on your favorite podcast app (like iTunes or Stitcher).” via “EdSurge.com”
With “everything from Alice Waters to Cesar Chavez,” to learn about local agricultural history, a new Oakland exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California that explores the rich topic of local farming is “only going to be a tasting menu,” says Sarah Seiter, the museum’s associate curator of natural sciences. That means Take Root: Oakland Grows Food , a new, year-long exhibition a the OCMA, will provide a broad overview of the current state of Oaklanders growing food for themselves and their community, answering basic questions like “what grows in Oakland?” and connecting visitors to information about local farms including City Slicker, Acta Non Verba, and New Roots. Take Root runs from December 16th through January 2019.
“It’s not a secret that the Oakland Museum is moving towards progressive, social justice issues” says Seiter. Recent exhibitions have covered cannabis to capitalism. “This exhibition is a way to do that in the natural sciences gallery. We wanted to focus more on ecosystems that are managed and experienced by humans — fisheries, working water fronts, landscapes where humans are deeply enmeshed.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “SFEater.com“
The scene looks like most any other vegetable farm you would see across Iowa. But there’s one significant difference: It’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Dogpatch Urban Gardens is the only for-profit farm in Des Moines city limits — the realization of one of Quiner’s dreams.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “DesMoinesRegister.com“
Follow Dogpatch Urban Gardens on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM!
“The North 40 Urban Farm will be a unique fully integrated food, beverage, and floral production, processing, distribution, and sales location set in a 43 acre farm in Carlsbad California adjacent to I-5. The unique blend of farm environment and urban convenience will provide an opportunity in more than 110,000 square feet of facilities accommodating the Wholesale Floral Trade Center, North 40 Marketplace, Culinary Center, Craft Microbreweries and Wineries for a select group of vendors, processors, and farmers. Tenant opportunities are available for Phase 1 with opening scheduled for 2019.”
“A farmstay is a unique lodging concept found at farms, ranches, and vineyards all over the world. In general they are characterized as single story bungalow style units clustered and integrated with an ongoing commercial farming operation. They provide a unique experience with the 24 hour life of a farm, a tie with the products of the farm, and an opportunity to educate visitors about the value of the farm and its products. By taking advantage of the special experience created by the farm, particularly in an urbanizing area, the farmstay also provides economic support for creating and maintaining the environment.”
Read more about this project by visiting: “CarlsbadNorth40.com“
One of the more promising urban-farm concepts is not in New York, Los Angeles, or any other major city. It’s in Charlottesville, Virginia, courtesy of one University of Virginia alum and a very small team of employees.
Recent grad Alexander Olsen started Babylon Micro-Farms in 2016, as part of the UVA student entrepreneurial clubhouse, HackCville. An early prototype won $6,500 from Green Initiatives Funding Tomorrow, part of the UVA student council.
Now, Olsen and six other employees are working to get the hydroponic farms inside the homes of consumers, billing them as “the next generation home appliance.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “TheSpoon.Tech“
-Chattanooga city officials recently approved an ordinance that makes it easier for residents to establish urban farms within city limits.-
“From the front, D.B. Reisen’s home looks no different than any other lining Davidson Road.
Step out back, however, and you’ll find a dozen chickens clustered in a shed, 15 sheep grazing under the protection of a coyote-kicking guard horse, and a trio of cattle watching it all lazily from behind a hot-wire fence.
The scene is not completely uncommon along the well-trafficked corridor. A handful of Reisen’s neighbors house goats, donkeys and chickens of their own.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “TimesFreePress.com“
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The Oakland Museum of California unveiled its new exhibit “Take Root: Oakland Grows Food” over the weekend. It highlights the different food communities and how food is grown by residents within in the city.
“The Oakland Museum of California is really interested in social justice issues and how they effect the citizens living here,” says Sarah Seiter, the curator. “There’s a lot of issues with food access in Oakland.”
Listen to the STORY here: “https://ww2.kqed.org“
“Focusing on the cultivation of food right here in Oakland, the exhibition looks at how positive ecological practices are happening—and can continue to evolve—in our own backyard. “Urban gardens are a vital part of our cities, and are places where people not only cultivate food but also grow community and nurture healthy ecosystems,” says Associate Curator of Natural Sciences Sarah Seiter.”
“The exhibition is divided into three main sections. The first explores where gardens grow, and the conditions that help or impede successful urban gardening. Interactive maps show “food deserts”—the areas with compromised access to food—and areas with higher degrees of gentrification and soil contamination.”
Another section takes a deep dive into garden ecosystems, examining how things grow, and the organisms and conditions that impact cultivation. Curious about which insects are friends and which ones aren’t? Want to know how different species—including humans—come together to create a productive garden? Interactive displays allow visitors to explore inter-species relationships, inviting them to learn about helpful pollinators, harmful parasites, and other living things. And a play area encourages kids to immerse themselves in a fanciful garden-like setting. “It’s all about interaction,” Seiter explains. “We want to offer opportunities for wonder, engagement, and fun.” via: “http://museumca.org“
“Want to see what my life was like 3 years ago when I still lived in a “normal apartment?” I think many of you may find this more relatable and achievable than living in a tiny house or with just 111 possessions so I’m really excited to share this with you!” Rob Greenfield
“PHOENIX – Los Olivos Park in Phoenix could be home to a first-of-its-kind urban farm, market and education center.
“There’s nowhere that a child can go today, [who] lives in the core of Phoenix — in this neighborhood, to actually see a working example of agriculture,” said Aric Mei, a local restaurateur behind the project. Mei is working with Matthew Moore, a friend and fourth-generation Valley farmer. ”
Read the FULL STORY, at: “ABC15.com“
“INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – An effort to create urban gardens on the northwest side of Indianapolis is moving ahead. The Kheprw Institute is raising $30,000 to renovate a home on Boulevard Place and turn it into an urban agriculture learning lab.
The community will be invited to learn how to create their own urban garden and borrow tools to help them get started.
The home will include a board of health-approved kitchen to teach families how to prepare the food they grow themselves. The goal is to address a food access crisis in the area.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “Fox59.com“
“While Detroit has many urban farms, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) has recently amped up the discussion about development around these farms. Last winter, the non-profit announced their proposed urban agrihood around their two-acre farm in the North End. Curbed’s video team recently visited the farm to see the impact on real estate in the area.
An agrihood is an alternative neighborhood growth model, positioning agriculture as the centerpiece of a mixed-use development. There are some agrihoods around the country, but this is the first within a city.
MUFI is working on renovating a three-story blighted building into a community center near the farm. In the video, a recent home buyer in the area discusses the appeal of living near a farm like this in an urban environment, noting its proximity and easy access to attractions in the city—the Qline and the Fisher Building are just a few blocks away.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “Detroit.curbed.com“
“A Tulsa woman is suing the city’s code enforcement officers after she said they cut down her garden with no cause.
Denise Morrison said she has more than 100 plant varieties in her front and back yards and all of them are edible and have a purpose.
She knows which ones will treat arthritis, which will make your food spicy, which ones keep mosquitoes away and treat bug bites, but she said none of that matter to city inspectors.”
Watch the Video: NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |
Read the FULL STORY at: “NewsOn6.com“
“Underneath a 26-floor office tower in Stockholm, an underground space once used as an archive for a newspaper will soon become a farm. And because of a unique business model, the urban farmers growing greens in the new farm won’t pay rent–their farm will pay for itself in heat.
Like some other indoor farms, the Plantagon CityFarm, set to begin production in early 2018, will grow greens in vertical towers under LED lights. But by capturing the heat from the lights–heat that would normally have to be vented out of the room and require air conditioning to keep the plants from overheating–the farm operators can send it into a heat storage system for the office building, and the heat can be used to help keep the offices warm through the winter.”
Read the FULL STORY at: “FastCompany.com“
“Not too far off Mopac in southwest Austin there’s an urban garden growing all sorts of peppers. Alejandra Rodriguez Bougton tells us more about La Flaca Urban Gardens.”
Story via: “Fox7Austin.com“
“At long last, hydroponic organic produce suppliers can breathe easier.
By a vote of 8 to 7, the National Organic Standards Board on Nov. 1 rejected proposals to make hydroponic and aquaponic production methods prohibited under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program.
Read the FULL STORY, at: “ThePacker.com“