By Vanessa Richins

The urban garden movement is growing larger every day, as people find their food budget stretched and long for the taste of fresh foods.

In Ferndale, Michigan, Trevor Johnson runs the Ferndale’s Good Neighbors Garden, a community garden allowing people to rent out plots so they could grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs.

He didn’t want to just stop there, however.

He knew there were homeowners with land, but no gardening experience.

“To that end, Johnson has started his own business called “Rent-a-Farmer,” which offers clients the chance to use the expertise of real farmers to help them grow fruits and vegetables in their back yards. “This is not about going back to the farm,” said Johnson, who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in horticulture. ‘It’s about bringing the farm back to us.'”

What services can you get with “Rent-a-Farmer”? It’s all up Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

At my last residence, we had two lovely old apple trees.

One year, I collected apples and made crisps.

However, the next year, I was busy with working 2 jobs and more. Many of the apples just fell to the ground and were wasted by the time I stopped and noticed the tree.

We did have people politely ask sometimes if they could have some of the apples, and we were happy to share. I hated to see them go unused.

It is in this spirit that Lisa Kivet of Sustainablog shares her 3 tips for adopting your neighbor’s fruit tree.

As she says, “Step up to the plate — or bushel — and tap into these unwanted fruit on trees in backyards across the nation that could be making the world a better place through more pie — or jam or cobblers or muffins — you get the picture.”

1. Approach

Be sure to ask permission before you Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Their motto is, “Living Wisely. Living Well.”

Natural Home magazine is committed to help people live a more natural and fruitful life.

Recently, they featured their choices for “America’s Top 10 Urban Farms”.

As the Santa Cruz Sentinel notes, “The Top 10 Urban Farms list is a fun way to recognize urban farms that we believe are doing an exceptional job of building a community where people can learn about food and buy great local produce,” editor in chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence said in a statement.

“It’s a terrific move toward getting people involved in sustainable projects in an urban setting. Plus, these farms often create jobs and revenue for the city by selling the produce to city dwellers and restaurants.”

Santa Cruz’s own Homeless Garden Project was named as number nine on the list. Next year is their 20th year of operation. They use the program to give jobs to homeless people. The organic produce is sold to local markets.

The farms are found throughout the nation, from Santa Cruz to the Brooklyn Rescue Mission Bed-Stuy Farm in Brooklyn, NY.

The winners are :

1. City Farm, Chicago
2. Green Youth Farm, Chicago Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Once you start venturing into the wonderful world of urban gardening, you may notice that plants can be called by many different names.

Every plant has at least two names – a common name and a botanical Latin name.

Why would you want to learn the Latin (botanical) name of a plant?

The Latin name of each plant is determined using a system called binomial nomenclature, invented by a botanist named Carl Linnaus. This system gives each plant (and animal, too) a specific two word name – the genus and the species. The genus refers to a group of plants with similar characteristics. The species refers to one specific plant.

One advantage to knowing the Latin name is that you can Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

The community garden movement has reached the global level.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that a community garden will be planted at every USDA facility in the world.

The announcement was made on February 12th, 2009, in honor of President Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

Lincoln was instrumental in changing the science of agriculture and gardening forever. In 1862 he created the Department of Agriculture, and also signed the Morrill Land Grant Act, which created the state university system to teach and study agriculture and the extension service to bring this information to the public.

The first community garden to be planted will be the “USDA The People’s Garden,” located near Read the rest of this entry »