Feeding Ourselves Well
Urban Gardening Takes Root
70 percent of these gardens are in urban or suburban areas. “We’re seeing a new crop of farm- ers that defy stereotypes,” observes David Tracey, owner of EcoUrbanist environmental design in Vancouver, Canada, and author of Urban Agricul- ture. “Some are office workers leaving unsatisfying jobs, techie types learning the trade in universities and back-to-the- land folks that happen to live in cities. Others are activists taking on the indus- trial farm system, folks adopting trends or entrepreneurs that see opportunities in the rising prices of quality food and the proximity of millions of customers.”
by John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist “I
n just one-twelfth of an acre, including lots of paths and a compost heap, our family grows
the vast majority of the fresh vegetables we need, plus a decent chunk of our fruits and berries,” says Erica Strauss. “It’s not a huge garden, but we still feel nearly overwhelmed with the harvest in late August.” Her family of four tends a diversity of edibles on their urban lot in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Word has spread because Strauss writes about her experiences via North- west Edible Life, a blog about food growing, cooking and urban home- steading. “Every kid on the block has picked an Asian pear off my espalier and munched on raw green beans,” she notes. “Even picky eaters seem pretty interested when they can pick tasty treats right from the tree or vine.” We don’t need to live in a rural area or on a farm to grow our own food. By the close of World War II, nearly 40 percent of all fruits and vegetables sup- plying Americans stateside were grown in victory gardens in the communities in which they were consumed.
32 Collier/Lee Counties Today, these small plots are often
termed kitchen gardens, comprising parts of household lawns, schoolyards, balconies, patios and rooftops. Fresh taste and the security of local food supplies in case of manmade or natural upheavals are drawing more people to gardening.
Garden Cities
“Urbanization, a major demographic trend, has implications for how we grow and consume food,” observes Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gar- deners International. “If we agree that feeding more people fresh, local foods is a priority, we’re going to need to landscape and, in many cases, retrofit urban and suburban areas for increased food production.” Millions of Americans now par-
ticipate in growing mainstay foods. According to a 2009 study by the National Gardening Association, 31 percent of all U.S. households grew food for their families in 2008, and more have since the economic down- turn. Bruce Butterfield, the association’s research director, estimates that nearly
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Opportunities and Pitfalls Urban gardening has unexpected ad- vantages in its use of organic waste like coffee grounds from a local coffee house and rainwater from area rooftops. Con- verting lawns at schools, churches and empty city lots into community gardens fosters community connections, improves access to affordable nutritious foods and creates employment opportunities. A widespread challenge to the trend is dealing with the quality of ur- ban soil and testing for possible toxins. Often, urban soil must be improved us- ing compost and other nutrients before plants can prosper. A nearby irrigation source is also required.
“One potential problem for urban
gardeners may be the community reac- tion to an edible landscape,” admits Strauss. “In some cities, edible gardens in the front yard or even the common parking strip are celebrated and even of- ficially encouraged. But in communities where lawn is still king and city codes regarding vegetation are vague and open to interpretation, one complaint from an anonymous neighbor can become an exhausting political and legal fight.”
Feeding Community Community gardens often transform vacant lots and other marginal land into green growing places. In Chicago, The Peterson Garden Project, an award- winning nonprofit program, has been turning unsightly empty lots into raised- beds in which residents learn to grow their own food since 2010. “Nationally, it’s been found that
having a community garden on unused
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