land increases property values, decreas- es crime and promotes a sense of unity with neighbors and others,” explains LaManda Joy, president and founder of the project. “We work with property owners on the short-term use of their land to enhance the community in which they eventually plan to develop.” “Participating in a community


garden serves up a lot of individual victories,” says Joy. “Improved health and nutrition, learning a new skill, teaching kids where food comes from, productive exercise, mental well-being, connecting with others and saving money—community gardens help make all of this possible.”


Being Prepared “How many recalls have we seen be- cause some food item has been con- taminated and people have suffered or died as a result? I am concerned about the safety and security of our food sup- ply,” says Wendy Brown, whose family tends a quarter-acre garden with raised and landscaped beds and containers wrapped around their home plus an onsite greenhouse in a beach resort suburb of Portland, Maine. “As a moth- er, it concerns me that I might feed my children something that will hurt them. High-fructose corn syrup, genetically engineered crops and BPA-lined cans are all making headlines. It just seems smarter to grow it myself; that way, we have more control over what our family is eating.” Brown is one of more than 3 million Americans that are following FEMA rec- ommendations in preparing for any event that might disrupt food supplies. Her book, Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs, shares everything her family has done to safeguard themselves, including growing produce, caring for animals and canning, freezing, drying, cold storage or fermenting foods for later use. “For me, it’s more about being prepared for the everyday things that are happening, like increases in food and fuel prices or a loss of family income,” Brown says. “If we’re growing at least some of our own food, I have a lot less to worry about when such things happen.” The family also keeps rabbits and


ducks, plus egg-laying and meat-provid- ing chickens that can total 40 animals


in the summer at their “nanofarm”. These also supply natural fertilizer for the crops. Nearby beehives provide 20 pounds of honey each year. Because the foods they produce are solely for their personal use, the Browns are exempt from regulatory restrictions. “Our neighbors love what we’re


doing,” says Brown, whose house is close enough they can chat across their front porches. “One says our initiative reminds him of growing up in Maine pretty much self-sufficient. The other tells friends and coworkers they aren’t worried if things really go bad because they have us as neighbors.”


Growing Green Thumbs “With some effort, urban gardeners can grow great vegetables anyplace that affords enough light and warmth,” ad- vises Strauss, who gardens primarily in raised beds in her front and back yards. “I garden on the scale I do because I love it. It’s both relaxing and challeng- ing, and we eat well.”


Urban gardening methods are


as diverse as the growing conditions, space limitations and financial resourc- es of the gardener.


“Lasagna” gardening—layering newspaper or cardboard and other organic materials on top—can be effec- tive in urban areas because it involves no digging or tilling. Just as with mak- ing compost, alternate between brown and green layers. Once the materials break down, add plants to the newly created growing bed. Urban dwellers with limited space


may employ square-foot gardening, in- tensively growing plants in raised beds using a growing medium of vermiculite, peat moss and compost. This method can yield fewer weeds and is easier on the back. “It’s an easy concept to grasp for new gardeners,” remarks Joy. “We use it to both maximize output in a small area and ensure healthy, organic, contaminant-free soil.”


Rooftop gardens are becoming more common as larger agricultural operations use them to grow income crops. The U.S. Department of Agricul- ture considers anyone that sells more than $1,000 of produce to neighbors or area restaurants a farmer, rather than a gardener, so regulations may apply. For renters, just a few tomato plants in a well-maintained container on a patio or deck can yield as much as 50 pounds of tomatoes by taking ad- vantage of its microclimate, influenced by wind blocks, heated surfaces and reflected light from windows. Urban gardening is also thriving


indoors in terrariums, window boxes and small greenhouses. Even partially lit rooms can support certain vegetables or herbs with grow lights. Aquaponic gardening, a closed-loop system that involves both fish and vegetables, ex- pands the self-sufficient possibilities of a hydroponic system of growing plants fed by liquid nutrients.


Feeding Ourselves With more than 80 percent of Ameri- cans currently living in urban and sub- urban areas, the questionable nutrition of many mass-produced foods, increas- ing pesticide and herbicide use by non- organic farmers, greenhouse gas emis- sions from food transport and weather patterns altered by climate change, it’s past time to take back some control. Operating our own gardens and prepar- ing our own meals turns us back into producers, not merely consumers. “For the most part, we’re just aver- age suburbanites,” concludes Brown. “We just choose to have less lawn and more garden. A huge benefit is that we need less income because we’re buying less at the grocery store. Our goal is to semi-retire in our mid-50s—not be- cause we’ve made a bunch of money, but because we’ve needed less money to live along the way.”


John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist, co-authors of Farmstead Chef (FarmsteadChef.com), ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance, operate the award-winning Inn Seren- dipity Bed & Breakfast, in Browntown, WI. They grow 70 percent of their or- ganic food; the cost savings helped them become mortgage-free in their mid-40s.


natural awakenings March 2013 33


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