Urban Growth

I am a huge fan of urban gardens and urban farming. I've yet to start my own garden at home but rest assured, seed catalogues have been ordered and my parents are great gardeners, my grandmother, an expert. Hopefully they can help me along the way as I try to grow things on my own (I'm starting off with watercress!).

MNN just did a feature on several beautiful and creative urban gardens which you can see here.

Some of them are space-saving vertical gardens-- plants growing sideways off of walls and buildings. Check out this tutorial on Modish to learn how to set up your own vertical garden of low-maintenance succulents.

I also enjoyed reading a copy of a magazine called Urban Farm which talks about growing methods, techniques, and stories about urban farmers, from tips on starting a community garden, to where to buy supplies, to inspiring stories about eco-inspirations like Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady. I would really love to get a subscription to this.

Urban farming seeks to increase the local food supply in urban or even suburban areas by maximizing space and using innovative, creative methods of working with nature. I first became intrigued in the idea after watching an excellent documentary called Fresh where they showed a man named Will Allen who had created a farm in the middle of Milwaukee! I was inspired to find ways to do more to grow my own food. I want to start off with watercress and work my way up. My family already grows lettuce, spring onion, asian pears, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, and more in our backyard. I want to get in on this.

By diversifying our food sources and growing things more locally, we are ensuring our community's food security. For those of you all who don't know what that term is, it is basically the security of our food supply. This encompasses three main things:

Availability: Is there food? Can we feed our community with the food we have?

Accessibility: Can we get to the food? Can I pick it up at the local grocers? Is it affordable?

Utility: Is it nutritional? Am I eating more than just dyes and chemicals?

Believe it or not, Americans can be food insecure, and it's not just those living on the streets that face food insecurity. Americans living in urban areas are often in food deserts. (Wipe that smile of your faces guys, DESERTS not DESSERTS.) Think about availability: how much fresh food can you get? Accessibility: Is it affordable? Utility: That poptart you just ate? That hot pocket? How much nutritional value are you getting out of it? This is why urban farming is on the rise: protect the food, protect the people.

There are some great resources out there for people looking to learn more about gardening and farming. From magazines to newsletters to websites and documentaries. Go explore the world of urban farming and gardening!