No matter how much I want to feed my whole family from my city lot, the reality is without a lot more time, know-how and energy, it ain’t going to happen.  So what is urban ag really doing?  From the Sustainable Food blog here is an article on some of the things urban ag does even when it’s not stocking the pantry.

To hear the media tell it, urban farming is all the rage. Take, as just one example, the happenings here in the eco-chic San Francisco Bay Area. At the newly created Hayes Valley Farm, the San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that a small staff and a huge crowd of volunteers have created a “freeway food forest” on what used to be a traffic on-ramp. On the other side of town, the New York Times adds that the two-woman team that runs Little City Gardens is breaking ground in reforming San Francisco’s zoning laws around the selling of local produce. In Berkeley, Spiral Gardens recently chalked up an award from the East Bay Express, joining Oakland food programs City Slicker Farms and People’s Grocery as a press darling. And photo editors at the Wall Street Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle can’t resist running (and re-running) bucolic pics of San Francisco’s Alemany Farm, which I help to manage.  More…

From Cleveland.com here’s news about potential passage of an ordinance similar to Seattle’s recent urban ag code amendments. 

Have you seen anyone selling in your neighborhood?  Is there talk of setting up a stand?  I have been thinking about it but this year was so cold I don’t really have a lot to spare beyond the needs of my family.  (I’m sure my daughters would be fine with me selling off the brussel sprouts…)

The foreclosure crisis and the demolition of thousands of properties in Cleveland appears to have an unintended, but positive consequence: the emergence of a farm movement in the city.

Cleveland City Council has begun to consider an ordinance that would allow urban farmers to set up stands to sell the fruits of their harvest in residential neighborhoods.  More…

Here are some new videos out on urban farming.   They are inspiring!

• Ecoveggies video in Newark schools.
• Farmer John talks about Urban Farm Fresh bringing produce to the people.
• A garden grows in Toronto.  This one has great music too.
• East Austin community puts in a farm.
• Homegrown revolution – growing food makes you free.  6,000 pounds of produce on 1/10th of an acre.  Go Pasadena!

Park budgets are suffering and there are huge waiting lists for community garden plots.  Could there be a solution to both of these problems?  A study by Mark Francis suggests that this might be the case as community gardens are cheaper to maintain.

A City Farmer excerpt of the article states:

It is worth noting here that development and maintenance of garden space is less expensive than development and maintenance of parkland. A Sacramento study compared the development and maintenance costs of a park containing 140,000 square feet with the same costs in a community garden that contained 121,300 square feet. The researcher found that the park cost $46,000 to develop and $15,000 per year to maintain while the garden cost $2,200 to develop and $550 per year to maintain (Francis 1985). It has been suggested that the costs of garden construction and maintenance have increased relative to the costs of parks since this study was completed. There are likely regional differences based on climate, as well. Clearly, however, community gardens are less expensive to build and maintain than are parks.

This growing season is beginning to wind down so now it’s time to start planning for next year!  From the EcoHearth blog, here are some excellent ways to get your urban farm started.

Whether you have a tiny yard or no outdoor space at all, you can become an urban farmer. Growing your own produce saves money, beautifies your space and reduces your carbon footprint. It is a lot of fun, a great learning experience for kids and strengthens your connection with nature. And harvesting dinner directly from your garden can provide you with the healthiest and most delicious produce available.

Here’s what you need to get started:

Location, Location, Location
First, take some time to plan your garden. The most important consideration is the amount of available space. Do you have a back, side or front yard? Or is your living space surrounded by concrete? If possible, dig directly into the Earth. If you rent, be aware that some landlords may require the use of outdoor containers. If no outside space is available, place a few containers on your deck, balcony or even windowsill. More…

The daylight is decreasing, the heat is gone and the tomatoes are done for.   It hasn’t been the best year in Pacific Northwest history for gardening yet, I suppose it is all part of the cycle of things.

As fall approaches, I’ve done less in the garden, despite my proclamations to have a fuller winter garden, than I intended.  I diligently nursed fall/winter crops from seed and planted them only to let the chickens ravish them.  Oh well. It seems we’ll be buying starts this year to add to our always-abundance-of-kale.

Come along and see what is winding down. Also leave me a comment if you have any answers/thoughts to my questions!

Still looking strong. After I took the picture, I harvested all the green tomatoes & that ONE red one! See it? And ripped out the plants for (city) composting

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Eating dinner at my Montana aunt and uncle’s house was always an adventure; there would be pickles from the neighbors, venison from a poker buddy and wine from the cousins.  About the only thing they bought was coffee and whiskey.  This was pretty easy for them to do as they lived in the middle of farm country and they had sheep they could barter.

I’ve wondered for a long time how to do this in the city.   I have been trading goat cheese for kimchee and jam for squash but would like to do more.  Here, in a post from  Gigabiting, are some great suggestions.

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Each year we celebrate our anniversary with a trip to the Evergreen State Fair. I know, terribly romantic! Still, nothing makes me smile like baby piglets, stroking the mane of a Clydesdale, or watching the pygmy goat kids play.

But what about the chickens?

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When the gloomy weather hits Seattle for its semi-permanent stay, it’s difficult not to let it affect your mood. The chilling drizzle and overcast conditions can drive one to take refuge indoors and try to stave off the blues with refills of hot cocoa for at least eight months.

However, that may not be the best course of action. According to this scientific revelation, going outside to garden may lift your spirits. Of course, this is the case when the sun warms the ground and the birds are chirping. But what about when there’s nothing but gray clouds overhead? That may not be relevant as it’s the dirt that matters.

Apparently soil releases a bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae that signals to the brain to produce serotonin, a chemical that makes you happy. This discovery is a great excuse to get out in the garden in between droplets of rain to dig in the dirt, get a little muddy, and boost your mood during our drought of sunshine.