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


Helpful Resources


Green Restaurant Association, DineGreen.com Kitchen Gardeners International, KGI.org Northwest Edible Life, NWEdible.com


The Peterson Garden Project, PetersonGarden.org Uncommon Ground, UncommonGround.com Urban Farm Online, UrbanFarmOnline.com Urban Garden Magazine, UrbanGardenMagazine.com Urban Gardens, UrbanGardensWeb.com


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 Serendip- ity Bed & Breakfast, in Browntown, WI. They grow 70 percent of their organic food; the cost savings helped them become mortgage-free in their mid-40s.


16 NA Twin Cities Edition natwincities.com


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