CNN: Urban Gardening

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London, England (CNN) -- As the world's urban population continues to grow at a rapid rate, communities around the world are increasingly turning to "city agriculture" to produce cheap, locally grown fruit and vegetables.

Among skyscrapers and housing estates, previously vacant lots are being used to produce millions of tons of organically grown food that experts say are "greener" and cheaper than commercially grown produce.

But while many countries are in the early stages of their urban agriculture development, China, Japan and Cuba have had successful city farms for decades.

Cuba's model of environmentally friendly and sustainable urban agriculture has been an inspiration for numerous city projects around the world.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba's supplies of cheap oil suddenly dried up, plunging the country into a severe recession referred to as "the Special Period."

Farming in Cuba until then had relied heavily on oil to drive tractors and other heavy machinery, so there was a fundamental reorganization of food production, leading to a boom in urban organic agriculture.

Today, Cuba's capital Havana, which has a population of just over 2 million, has about 200 city farms that grow lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach, herbs and other crops that are sold cheaply in local markets.

Wendy Emmett of the UK-based Cuba Organic Support Group, told CNN: "Cuba has been an inspiration, especially in the U.S. and the UK. They showed us what could be done when there is community will and a political will."

A similar community-based initiative has just been launched in Germany's financial capital Frankfurt. Groups can lease land from start-up company Meine Ernte, which provides tools and even sows the seeds, although the lease holders have to take care of the crops.

Frankfurt-based lawyer Mortem Simm said: "Most people just go to the supermarket and they can buy everything at any time of the year, but this brings us back to nature."

Meine Ernte already has six plots in German cities growing cucumbers, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.

Natalie Kirchbaumer, co-founder of Meine Ernte, said: "They have to put in one or two hours per week, yes they have to work on the plants a little, but everything is there."

A slightly different model of urban farming is being deployed in parts of Africa, although it is still employing the same philosophy of community cooperation.

In the densely populated slum of Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya, an Italian charity Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is helping communities to grow food in large compost bags, which are designed to provide the maximum output of produce in minimum space.

Its "farm-in-a-sack" project provides poor families with more than 40 seedlings, which can be grown into food in just a few weeks. Each "base" or mini-farm can provide vegetables such as spinach for 150 families, says COOPI.

Claudio Torres, from COOPI, said: "There are two effects. There is the main effect that they really have more food and that's like nutrition and micronutrients. But also, as you can see, this brings together the community."

There are two effects... they really have more food.. but also, as you can see, this brings together the community" said Claudio Torres, COOPI

A third of Africa's population already lives in urban areas, a figure that the World Health Organization expects to grow, so urban agriculture is increasingly seen as a back-up to commercial farming to meet the food requirements of millions of people.

And while North America may not have the food and water shortage problems of some African nations, urban farms are still expanding in major cities such as Vancouver on the west coast of Canada.

Michael Levenston, the executive director of City Farmer, part of Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture, told CNN that there were a number of models being deployed.

"There are people growing stuff in their back gardens and then there are bigger models like the University of British Columbia, which has a market-sized farm in the center of the city selling produce every Saturday at a farmer's market ... that is a very strong and vibrant entity," he said.

The United States has sizeable urban agriculture projects in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Pittsburgh. One U.S. collective of urban farmers says it is has 800 city-based plots that last year produced 150 tonnes of food.

The group Urban Farmers says on its MySpace page: "We locate and secure unused land, space, rooftops and walls for the purpose of bringing people together to plant organic food gardens in low-income urban areas throughout America and abroad."

In the UK, urban agriculture has not been adopted with the same gusto as other wealthy, densely populated countries such as Japan, although it is growing according to some experts.

Ken Elkes of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, told CNN: "There has been an increase of 190 members in the last two years. But it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to run and maintain a city farm."

And that's where community spirit and a cooperative effort, as embodied by the urban farmers in Cuba, come in.

Getting Down to the Dirt Workshop: Container Planters

No yard? No Problem!

DATE: Wednesday, April 14th 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
TIME: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM.
PLACE: Puyallup Activity Center
210 West Pioneer
Puyallup, WA 98371

(Forza Coffee is located in the building. Plenty of parking across the street from the Post Office)

Anything can be grown in containers:
Evergreens, annuals, perennials, and of course vegetables.

This class will demonstrate how to make interesting and colorful container planters
Jo Anne Slaybaugh, Pierce County Master Gardener, will be covering the basics needed for success, then move on to designing ornamental containers as well as edibles in containers. There will be slides to analyze and inspire! You are sure to come away with many ideas as well as information.

This is part of the GETTING DOWN TO THE DIRT WORKSHOP SERIES, sponsored by Puyallup Community Garden and taught by Pierce County Master Gardeners. The complete series can be found in the Puyallup Parks and Recreation Department Program Catalogs Winter/Spring and the upcoming Summer.

* Pre-register today by calling Parks and Recreation 253-841-5457

If you are interested in reserving a Plot at the Puyallup Community Garden you can talk with Parks and Recreation as well. 253-841-5457

Raised Beds and Tomato Planters

Check out these pictures of the amazing containers that Kerri has constructed. Kerri is on our steering committee and has been a valuable asset to the garden. She has put together some amazing raised beds both this year and last.

History of Our Garden

Puyallup’s community gardens offer opportunities for growth

Joan Cronk / for The Herald


In 1980, the family of a man referred to as Farmer Brown donated a approximately 17.5 acres of land to the city of Puyallup, said Puyallup Parks and Recreation Manager Dick Weber.

Brown was known to be a quiet man, married to an American Indian, and they had no children.

“He didn’t have much to say,” Weber said, adding that when Brown talked, his intelligence shone through. During harvest time, the Canadian Indians came to the Brown farm to work. Brown and his wife housed them in a shelter on the property and they all lived together during harvest season. When Brown deeded the ground to the city, he stipulated the ground had to be used for either parks or a cemetery.

Thanks to that generous gift, passionate gardeners in Puyallup who were looking for a spot to dig in the dirt and grow fabulous vegetables now have that opportunity.
Seattle has been doing it for years, but the Puyallup valley folks are just now getting on board with community gardens. The Brown tract of ground sat vacant for years, but this year Kathy Powell took up the reins of the project and ran with it. The response has been huge and unexpected, Powell said.

Powell and her husband live in an area of Puyallup that is peppered with trees and moss, so she was looking for somewhere she could fill her need to dig in the dirt.

Their research found no local community gardens, so they signed up for one in Seattle. When they started attending the Puyallup Parks and Recreation meetings, they heard of this plot of ground in Puyallup that was donated more than 20 years ago.

Powell kept nudging the department and finally snagged someone who could till the area. She set 2009 as her target date to get folks involved.

Powell is a Master Gardener herself, and so roped others from her group into the project. With the help of Puyallup Parks and Rec Department, Powell rustled up a bunch of bookmarks advertising the fact that garden spaces were available. Suddenly they had a ball game. All of the 12 plots at Farmer Brown’s garden spot are now rented. Six of the plots are 10-by-10 feet and six are 10-by-20 feet. The rate for residents of Puyallup is $15 a plot and $17.25 for non-residents for the smaller plots and $20 and $23 for the larger ones. The planting season runs from May 1 through mid-October.

“The vision,” said Powell, “is to offer education there, not just for the gardeners, but for other members of the community. There is a bigger picture for the Brown farm.”

A small area is used for the gardens, but other space is available for these larger projects.

Randy Hynek, Sumner City Council member, spearheaded their community garden project in Sumner.

“When I first got on the council, there was a piece of property the City had that I thought would be a nice community garden,” said Hynek.

He spent some time driving around with one of the city shop guys who showed him every single piece of property the city owned. They found a tract the city owned and had been leasing for 20 years as a horse pasture. Hynek went to the council and got the go-ahead.

That piece of ground is on Valley Avenue East, adjacent to Hesselgrave Bus Service. Stacy Ota of Ota Farms rototilled it for them. Sumner Tractor also donated time and equipment to help on the project. When folks rent a plot at the community garden located on Valley Avenue behind Christ the King Lutheran Church, they will have access to this other space as well. That area will include corn and pumpkins and gardeners from the community garden can share in the bounty by donating just a little bit of time in the garden, such as weeding or planting.

The area behind Christ the King Church used to be a sheep farm. This garden area is 1.2 acres. Each plot is 6-by-12 and rents for $10 for the season. Fifty-one plots have been leased so far.

The sudden interest in growing vegetables seems to stem from the price of food and the fact that people are paying a great deal of attention to products grown organically.

Hynek said they could have waited until the conditions at the sheep pasture garden were perfect, but they wanted to get started. For that garden area, Windmill Gardens donated a tractor with a rototiller and the community has been generous with donations.

Joan Turnbull of Sumner is a master gardener and is over the moon with excitement about the gardens. “A lot of people have been gardeners for years and don’t have a space for vegetables,” she said.

On a recent Saturday at the Puyallup Farmer’s Market, as Powell passed out her bookmarks to advertise the Farmer Brown garden plots that were available, she met a woman who said she had been looking for just that opportunity.

“My husband and I have been praying for this,” said the future gardener. “You are an answer to our prayers.”

Powell said that comment and the woman’s excitement made all her efforts worthwhile.

Reach freelance reporter Joan Cronk by e-mail at editor@puyallupherald.com.

Winterizing Your Garden

As we have entered our official cold season and skipped what other areas of the United States calls "Indian Summer" in favor of our splash into the wet season, there are a few things gardeners can do to save time and, more importantly, frustrations.

Prepping a garden during the winter ensures that time and frustrations are minimal and that growth is maximal. Want to prevent your garden from harboring weeds, pests, and volunteer starts? Will you be ready and able to plant at the first hint of spring or will you be like me and the past two years, wondering where my head is as I realize I am a month late in my plantings? This year, I am gearing up to create a successful, and early garden.

Fall Clean Up

By now, we should all have cleaned out our garden plots of weeds, garden debris, spent vines, and any fruits or veggies that were not harvested. Some believe that leaving these refuse adds nutrition to the soil, but it can also add diseases, weeds, insect eggs, and other not-so-wanted pestilences.

Add Soil Amendments

Now is a fantastic time to add compost, mushroom soil, and leaves to our plots; by incorporating these amendments now, they will ensure that tiny microbes in the soil can decompose and expose the nutrition before spring's planting begins.

Winter Plantings

The Northwest climate is ripe for winter plantings, such as garlic, shallots, beets, lettuce, etc. if properly covered during frosts. Sowing a cover crop is also a fantastic idea so the soil can recover lost nitrogen and other nutrients.

Mulching and Applying Organic Material

If sowing a cover crop is not a feasible option as it is for some, then covering your plot with a mulch of compost, mushroom soil, or three to four inches of shredded leaves will restrict weed growth and encourage earthworm multiplication for easier spring clean-up and planting. Mulching protects plants from drastic temperature changes, insulates plants, and prevents soil erosion. A secret tip is to not mulch too early as it may encourage pests and disease--wait until after the first frost has occurred. 4-6 inches of pine needles, leaves, straw, corn stalks, and other organic material is a great use of mulching and composting.

Evaluating Garden Design

Lastly, before starting preparations, take a moment to review what worked and what did not. I used grow beds, but built the tops too steeply and caused too much water run-off and therefore soil erosion this past growing season. I will definitely not make that mistake again! A thoughtful plan will save hassles and money.

Soon it will be time to order and plant seeds, so make sure your garden and soil is as ready as you are.

Square Foot Garden Demonstration, May 16

Bill Rigsby, a Pierce County Master Gardener, will be demonstrating how to construct a squarefoot garden space May 16, 2009 starting 10 a.m. at the Puyallup Community Garden.

Square foot gardening is a new innovative way to garden efficiently while using less space, less water, yet producing more growth. The demonstration is designed to benefit both beginners and experienced gardeners.


PLANNED DEMONSTRATION TO INCLUDE:

* Basics of square foot gardening
* SOIL how to mix your own
* Potato Tower- sample of
* How to Instructions/Potato Tower

All attendees will be invited to participate in an informal question and answer session.

Bill has years of experience in gardening, and is pleased to have the opportunity to meet local people and share some of his knowledge towards Square Foot Gardening. "This demonstration is just the first of many we plan to have available to the public at our learning garden," said Kathryn Powell, Chair for the Puyallup Community Garden and Master Gardener. " To be able to provide opportunities to learn more about gardening is extremely rewarding."

The demonstration will be held at the Puyallup Community Garden located at Brown's Park, 1111 19th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA and will begin at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, May 16. The demonstration is FREE. Bring your lawn chairs. Call Kathy Powell at 253-820-8996 for more information

April 19, 2009 Garden Clean-Up Pictures!

This article is being reposted with the author's permission--Emily Knudsen--from The Melon Online. Original article is located HERE.


Well, I have to admit it—the Obamas have surprised me. Late last week, Michelle Obama announced that she will begin converting and cultivating the White House lawn into a fruit and vegetable garden. And, according to her, the whole family is required to pitch in to keep it weed-free (with the exception, of course, of Grandma, who will do whatever she damn well pleases as the matriarch). A local elementary school will also be tending to the garden.

While I expected great things from our new president and his family, I wouldn’t expect such a bold move. Why do I consider this so bold you ask? First of all, the Obamas are planning on tearing out an 1,100-square-foot chunk of the iconic South Lawn. This area has largely been left untouched, but for the notable exception of Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden. When author Michael Pollan wrote an open letter to the future president in October, he suggested the idea of planting an edible garden. Yet, he also quickly conceded that the move would be controversial since the lawn (and lawns in general) has become something of an American symbol itself.

Secondly, this action sends a huge signal to the food industry. This move certainly seems to represent Ms. Obama’s discontent with the food industry’s offering of unhealthful, over-processed foods.

The importance of diet was first brought to her attention by her daughters’ pediatrician. Once she was aware of how the food she gave to her children was negatively impacting her girls’ health, she changed her ways. She realized the true importance of a home-cooked meal (with a substantial serving of vegetables)—nutrition. She suggests that those who can’t have their own garden can still beneficially modify their diet by purging their cabinets of processed foods. Since the food industry, as it stands, does not offer many healthful choices, she is simply striking out on her own to provide her family with nutritious meals. (Food harvested from the garden will also be donated to a soup kitchen.) She hopes that as her own children tend the garden, they will be less hesitant to eating their veggies. She further wishes to see the other schoolchildren go home to their families to teach them about the importance of a fresh, local diet.

Back in 1943, the USDA protested Eleanor Roosevelt’s gardening plans, thinking the food industry would take a hit from a proliferation of home gardening. Yet she continued with her effort and ended up inspiring 20 million households to plant their own victory gardens. If we are so fortunate to have the Obamas be equally or even more successful, it is quite possible the food industry will suffer the consequences.

But if you ask me, that’s precisely the point. As consumers, we need to demand better from those who provide us our meals; our health depends on it. And there is no better way of doing that than relying on our own soil and capability to provide ourselves with our own sustenance. So, the fact that Michelle Obama is thumbing her nose at the giant lobbying forces of the Monsantos and Cargills of the world for the well-being of her family and the nation is a daring move indeed. If the new White House garden catches on in suburbia and cities across the country, the following may be large enough to force change upon the food industry. Then we can declare our victory over the now destructive food industry.

Garden Clean-Up with Parks and Recreation Appreciation Day, April 18th

Bring your gloves and tools and...

GET BROWN AND DIRTY!

At Brown Property, our very own Puyallup Community Garden.

When: April 18th, 2009

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Contact: Puyallup's Park and Recreation for more information at: 253-841-5457 or email Jen at: puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com

Address: 1111 19th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA

For more information on registering for your own garden plot, visit Parks and Recreation's garden website.

American Community Gardening Association Membership!

Puyallup Community Garden has officially joined the prestigious ranks of the American Community Gardening Association.

You can view our specific webpage by clicking HERE.

If you have recommendations or changes to make, talk to Jen by emailing puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com

We are gearing up for a new and improved location and season, so keep checking back to find out more.