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Posted by Donna Smith on February 10, 2008 at 9:25pm in Urban Farmers

Please feel free to post to this group anything that has to do with growing with in our city limits, How do you go about growing food, what has been the challenges and succeses in doing so. do you farm for farmers markets, community supported agriculture, Sprin farming, Backyard Farming, community garden grower, Foodscaping Lets bring it to the table, a place to all come together for a great cause.

Tags: agriculture, backyard, community, farming, foodscapers, gardens, locavores, supported, sustainable, urban

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Permalink Reply by Bruce F on March 10, 2008 at 9:36am: Hi,

I'm interested in growing food, specifically heirloom vegetables, in the city. My friends and I have built about 40 homemade earthboxes that we put on our respective rooftops. We're trying to get others to do the same.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to cheaply automate all those tubs. Any ideas?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Morgan McDow on April 27, 2008 at 11:14am: Hello ! I just found this Ning site, and am so glad to have found all the info availabvle here !
I got the gardening bug about a year and a half ago, after listening and reading about sustainability, and how most of our transportation costs go to carting food from one side of the country to the other. I live in California, in the Central Valley.I could DO something about it in my own backyard.
My first try was unsucessful. I rent, and the patch of ground I chose was too polluted. I am trying again this year with good imported dirt, and I am trying to pay close attention to the needs of my plants.
I am growing heirloom vegetables, and so far so good !I am looking foreward to harvesting - and eating - my wonderful homegrown foods.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Donna Smith on May 4, 2008 at 11:38pm: Keep us updated on how it is going, Soil takes time to build but if you keep giving back to the soil thru compost, manures, etc. you in no time with have your vegetables growing in abundance. Philosophy: feed the soil, feed the soil, feed the soil.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Donna Smith on May 4, 2008 at 11:33pm: When you say automate all those tubs, do you mean connecting them to a water source and automatic watering system? If so Soaker hose or drip lines set to a timer would be efficient and getting the water to where the plant needs it at the roots.

I would love to see the earthboxes on the rooftops that you are growing in, any pics?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce F on May 5, 2008 at 9:14am: Hi Donna,

You can see pictures of what we did last year, including links showing details on the boxes, here.

Because each of the tubs has it's own water reservoir and can grow different vegetables that need water at different rates, a one size fits all soaker/timer loop wouldn't work well.

I've got another idea, using the principle of a Water Level.

I'll keep a central reservoir full at a constant level with something called a Hudson valve. I can run any number of irrigation tubes out of that reservoir, which if they're free of air bubbles/siphoned out, can keep the containers they feed at the same water level as the original water reservoir. Because the "earthboxes" are all about the same level, I can do it.

It's a simple solution to a complex problem. That said, I haven't got it up and running yet. I'll let you know how it turns out.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Morgan McDow on May 10, 2008 at 12:01am: Hi all
My veggies are all coming up !! I dressed my ( tiny ) beds with aged horse manure & compost, and everything is JUMPING up. My tomatoes already have blossoms , and I will be enjoying my lettuces soon.
Already things are MUCH better than last year !; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sugar's Ma on May 11, 2008 at 10:03pm: Great Morgan! I saw some blossoms on my tomatoes this week too (in Virginia). I'm excited! My first time didn't go so well either last year, but I've been reading up and this year I'm much more organized and ready! I am container gardening on the back patio of my townhouse.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rachel on May 19, 2008 at 9:28pm: Hi,

Just introducing myself. I'm a fairly newbie, but very enthusiastic, urban gardener in Melbourne, Australia. No questions for the moment, but I wanted to say hi!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Morgan McDow on June 4, 2008 at 10:06am: Hi Rachel ! Welcome, from another enthusiastic newbie.
I just put in some more squash plants, so I now have the classic Native American " Three Sisters" : corn, beans growing up the corn plants, and squash on the ground, keeping weeds down.
What are you growing in Austrailia, Rachel ? This is your Autumn, isn't it ?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bridget Lamp on June 9, 2008 at 8:08pm: I joined a CSA this spring, and it wasn't all what I had expected. I live in Seattle, and was curious what I would get in my produce box at this time of year.

Found out that the farm I subscribed to has a distributor that brings in organic produce from outside the state and the US: California, Mexico, Peru. I know this organization helps support other farms/farmers, but I thought CSA was about locally grown organic produce.

The arrangement was week-to-week, so I cancelled and signed up with a different farm. Since we're approaching the growing season, I signed up for a half-share so I can still shop around at the market and eat what I harvest from my own garden.

I'm curious if anyone else has had this experience, or maybe my expectations were naive?; ▶ Reply to This