Urban Farming Considerations

By mommierose | 0 Comments | Rating: 0 | |

I live in the city. I live a block from downtown, and half a block from the library. My yard is less than a quarter acre in size. Throughout the last few years of gardening, I have devoted over half of my yard toward growing useful fruits and vegetables. I grow so much produce that I even sell the excess that I cannot use. For all intents and purposes, I am an urban farmer.

Driving by my house, you can tell which one is mine by the front yard. There is virtually no grass growing in my front yard, because that is the area in my yard that happens to get the most sun. I grow annual vegetables there, including beans, peas, carrots, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, and pumpkins, to name a few. Around back I have more vegetables, including a plot of asparagus, and lots of fruits: strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and cantaloupe, along with blueberries in the front.

Why would I grow so much produce in the middle of the city? After all, this isn't Little House on the Prairie. If I don't put up enough preserves, my family is not going to starve. I'm not an idiot. I know, as well as you, if I run out of food, I'll go to my grocery store, or, even worse, Walmart, and buy food.

I grow and preserve most of my food for a few reasons. I really like fresh produce. Once you've tasted a fresh sugar-snap pea right off the vine, you'll never buy peas from the grocery store again. I also really like to garden. Gardening is as much a science as it is art. Fruit and vegetable plants can be beautiful, especially if placed in creative ways throughout the garden. Learning the different ways plants grow is fascinating. Gardening keeps me in shape, and I enjoy a degree of pride in knowing I produced this delicious bounty. Gardening also saves me a lot of money. The average garden can save the typical family $500 per year. Because my garden is so large, I estimate I save a lot more money than that, somewhere around $1000 per year. Finally, I want to lower my dependence on oil. I don't use any gas when I go out my door and pick my dinner. There are no artificial preservatives in my applesauce. A semi didn't drive the apples to the factory, then drive the applesauce to the store. I grow my own, with no pesticides or herbicides, peel the apples by hand, and use a hot water bath to preserve the apple sauce. I also grow a lot of herbs which I dry for later use in the winter. There are no ingredients in my herbs and seasonings I cannot pronounce! Now doesn't that sound good?

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