In residential areas near Battle Creek, backyard chickens, goats and honeybees may become more common. Recently, there have been proposed ordinance changes that would allow urban dwellers to keep small livestock, bees and grow gardens all in their backyard. The new ordinance changes would also allow urban residents to sell fruits and vegetables grown on their property...
You won’t believe what’s happening inside of an old military armory in downtown Green Bay. “The non-profit group NeighborWorks Green Bay is spear-heading the construction of the Farmory.” They are looking forward to serving it’s community with locally grown produce such as leafy greens and herbs. Not only that, but they’ll have...
Recently, Venezuela has declared a “food emergency”. Because it is facing a shortage of bread, milk, and meat, along with other staples…the government has urged Venezuelans to help feed themselves by growing food in their own urban gardens. They’ve also encouraged keeping chickens, even in urban areas. Josefina Requena is one citizen who...
When trying to figure out if it’s safe or not to grow your own food in urban soil, it’s important to first determine what real possible dangers there are. Is the risk is high enough to cause harm? “Urban farming does present some difficulties not seen in more rural environments; the greater concentrations of people and pollution can have an adverse...
New York City has been the home of major supermarkets, farmers markets and even the stock market but some residents are longing to turn unused or empty space within city limits to produce more local produce. Staten Island now even houses it’s first “LIVE-IN Urban Farmer”. “Zaro Bates has been hired as the resident farmer at Urby, a 900-unit,...
Even if you’re short on space, or gardening in urban areas, you can still grow some of your own food and enjoy a year-round garden. Container gardening can be very productive as long as you maximize your containers potential. As long as you have one large pot, (we suggest 18″ or larger in diameter) you can grow “10 different crops in a single...
If you want to get a jump start on your gardening outside, but temperatures are still quite cool, you can use milk jugs to create mini-greenhouses. “Three cold-treatment methods that work include: 1) Plant in recycled containers that are monitored outside; 2) Pre-chill the seeds in the refrigerator; and, 3) directly sow the seeds on prepared beds that are either...
Around the world, urban farming is becoming an important part of the city landscape. The new reality in which we live in, is that more than half of the worlds population is now urbanized. That number is expected to rise to nearly 70% by the middle of this century. “Today, urban farming is the buzzword for urban planners, whether it is in the industrialized...
Mr. Willie Anderson, an 82 year old Mississippi man, has been container gardening for over 8 years. He originally started out with 100 buckets, but now his garden boasts over 1000! He grows fruits, vegetables and herbs and even has a sprinkler set-up to water his “bucket garden”. The garden is totally organic. “I use grass clippings, soybean stalks,...
More than 50% of US land, is being used for agricultural purposes, but still land is a limited resource. Here’s two new innovative companies that are taking US farms to the rooftops. “The founders of the New York, NY-based Gotham Greens – Viraj Puri, Eric Haley, and Jenn Nelkin Frymark – had a vision for a local, ecologically-driven, urban farm operation...
Many urban dwellers have found that even in the smallest of spaces, you can create beauty through urban gardening. All you need is some creativity! “Inventive urban gardeners don’t dwell on what they don’t have, but use what they do have. ” Check out the full article here to find out how you can transform any piece of concrete, wall, rooftop or piece...
“All Freight Farms units are built in repurposed 40-foot insulated shipping containers. Everything from water to the LED lights in the units are digitally controlled, and each unit is also a Wifi hotspot, connected to the network of Freight Farm units across the country. Today more than 50 farmers are growing produce in refrigerated shipping containers known...
People living in urban areas are sometimes frightened about lead being in their soil. In a new study, they found that by using compost you can help keep yourself and your family safe from toxic lead poisoning. “Good compost will also guarantee that you will have plenty of vegetables to harvest.” The University of Washington led a study that looked...
People are becoming more aware about the benefits of plant-based diets, especially when it comes to the field of preventative medicine. Hospitals all over the world are starting to pay more attention to the food they serve. Instead of jello-cups, more hospitals are starting to use fruits and vegetables as healing tools. “Baptist Health South Florida’s...
One Japanese company is about to open up a “robot farm”, the first of it’s kind in the entire world. The plan is that the robots will carry out all but just one task needed to grow tens of thousands of plants each and every day. Starting in mid 2017, robots will do everything from watering, thinning, and harvesting lettuce. The farm should...
Join the club that delivers you garden seeds at just the right time of the year to plant them – hand selected based on your garden specs. Every month you’ll receive a collection of heritage garden seeds and everything you’ll need to get growing. Buy a subscription for yourself or give one as a gift! Sign up here: https://urbanorganicgardener.cratejoy.com/ How...
