Grow Pittsburgh, which promotes regional urban agricultural initiatives, plans to expand through a $50,000 state grant that will help pay for a new greenhouse. Jake Seltman, executive director of the Homewood-based organization, said Grow Pittsburgh would continue to partner with The Frick Pittsburgh for use of its greenhouse. He said a second greenhouse would provide...
When Christian Echternacht gets invited to dinner, he likes to bring tilapia and basil rather than wine or flowers. His friends have grown used to it by now. They know that the fish and the plants have something in common: Both are harvested by Echternacht himself. They make great fish burgers topped with basil mayonnaise. The ingredients prosper in the urban farm...
On his way home, Darnell Eleby paused before boarding the commuter train in Atlanta’s Five Points station and maneuvered his wheelchair to a stop not seen on many mass transit platforms: a fresh food stand stocked with colorful fruits and vegetables from city gardens that are adding some color to the Chicago streets. Aided by a volunteer, he filled a basket with...
Bob Udeck gingerly uses his hands and feet to slowly steer his four-wheeled walker carefully through the dirt- and grass-covered field, adeptly maneuvering through the ruts, divets, mounds of dirt, rocks, and plants that line the path leading to the Heroes Garden. The 74-year-old Vietnam veteran pulls up to a section of raised garden beds filled with rows of radish...
Standing between two buildings on 127th Street, a group of campers on the cusp of adolescence mulled over a change in schedule. Normally, they would spend the morning planting and gardening as part of Harlem Grown, a youth development nonprofit that uses gardening and cooking to teach and empower children in Harlem. But on this Friday, they would become amateur cartographers,...
Habitat gardens are purposeful, planned and planted areas that support our native flora and fauna ecosystems. These gardens follow a few steps that promote healthy life cycles for pollinators and create pockets or bridges that help connect the fragmentation of our natural areas. In all geographic areas, plant, animal and insect species evolved together over millennia....
Tucked between rows of brick homes in Northeast Baltimore, Atiya Wells discovered an extraordinary place. The budding naturalist was driving around her neighborhood in February 2018 when she stumbled upon a vacant lot bursting with flora and fauna on Plainfield Avenue in Frankford. Wells spotted a red fox slinking through the unruly tangle of trees, grasses...
In the Bible, planting is a metaphor for faith, pruning is a response to disobedience and the harvest is a blessing to be shared. Those and other lessons come to life in the half-acre gardens of Passage Home, an East Raleigh faith-based nonprofit that helps its clients break out of poverty. Working in the community gardens is one of several job-training opportunities...
The Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG) is an award-winning public children’s garden free and open to all every day of the year, from dawn to dusk. Its mission is to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, and does so through authentic, hands-on, child-led engagement with the natural world. Ithaca Bakery is a local destination that has stood the test...
BEREA, Ky. — A pilot program in Berea where women in recovery learn job skills through farming saw its first batch of graduates this month. Harvesting Hope is a partnership between Sustainable Berea and Liberty Place, a recovery center for women in Richmond, along with several local businesses. Program director Cheyenne Olson said many people might be surprised...
In Chelsea, Massachusetts — a 2-square-mile chunk of mostly industrial land across the river from Boston — a tiny urban farm sits in a gravel parking lot, sandwiched between towering, tarp-covered salt piles and a tightly packed residential neighborhood. The farm was created to provide food for the Waterfront District’s high concentration of undocumented people,...
This month, Green Umbrella’s Greater Cincinnati Food Policy Council announced that the long-awaited Urban Agriculture Zoning Ordinance has finally passed in the City of Cincinnati. With this legislation comes increased freedom for residents and communities to take their food security into their own hands. The Greater Cincinnati Food Policy Council is a formal initiative...
“Community Roots uses the entire city as a classroom. It sees place-based learning as essential to teaching and learning. Urban gardening serves as a departure point for learning about land and relationships, as well as food, consumer culture, and social activism.” “Raven, a student who grew up in Coney Island, recalls a reading in Community Roots...
Gardening in a small space can be just as rewarding and fun as growing in a large garden area. These days, urban gardeners are growing more of their own food in sometimes less than 100 square feet. Balconies, patios, even indoor windowsills are a great place to grow vegetables and herbs. Almost anything can be grown in a container, and if you’re wanting...
➡️ JOIN our NEW FB GROUP! ✅ “Urban Organic Gardeners” Post YOUR practical container gardening tips and encourage others to grow their own food. Share your gardening pictures, tips, or questions today. 🤗See you there! 💪Let’s build this community! 👨🌾 JOIN TODAY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2258156797781381/ ...
A herb spiral is one of the most clever permaculture techniques for utilizing space and allowing plants to work together in the garden. Usually located just outside the kitchen door, a herb spiral provides a menagerie of culinary and medicinal herbs, while saving space and helping with pest management in the garden. Easy to build and fun to work with, herb spirals...
If you are a parent, you should probably think about one good question: should your children be taught to grow food at school? The modern era is marked by the constant advancements in technology, and the new inventions have provided the comfort and conveniences that we never even imagined to live in. However, we lost a large part of the needed real-world knowledge...
JESSICA GRIFFIN / FILE PHOTOGRAPH A group of Bhutanese refugees in South Philly cultivate a garden of Thai roselle, the fruit of which can be used to make a beverage. The Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild recently reported an “overwhelming demand” for beginner classes for beekeeping. And in Grays Ferry, seniors and youth tend an 80-year-old community garden. Those...
Did you know that tomatoes hate cucumbers? While they might taste great together in a salad, tomato plants actually dislike growing in close proximity to any member of the cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers. Tomatoes love carrots and basil, however – so planting these together will actually make them each grow more vigorously! Planting your veggies in neat...
Milwaukee’s past is often seen through the lens of industry and big factories, but “Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming,” now at MSOE’s Grohmann Museum, shows there were more ways to grow a city. Milwaukee was a frontrunner in gardening dating back to the late 1800s, laying the groundwork for the urban farm visionaries of today. Guest curators...
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