Inside Urban Green International

Farming Concrete » Plant A Driveway

This personal micro-farm is one of the most fabulous I have seen on the web. It's hard to believe that it is growing on a concrete driveway. The miracle of this garden is due to the unique functionality of sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), in this case EarthBoxes.

There is arguably no method of growing food in the city or suburbs that is as productive, water conserving and user-friendly as SIP growing.

I discovered this jewel of a garden on Flickr. The location is not stated, but my guess is Southern California. The grower and photographer is Anita Canfield who deserves a standing ovation in my opinion. She has done us all a public service by publishing her garden. Incidentatlly, her auto-irrigated garden is going into its fourth year this summer.

What if everyone in the country knew how feasible a garden like this is. Sure, it took some serious work to do what Anita has done but it wasn't the backbreaking type of work required to do this as in in-ground garden. There was no need for shovels, spade forks and hoes to create this gem. There was also no exposure to the health hazard of often-contaminated city soil.

It seems clear that if these methods were more widely known, we would significantly alter the local fresh food supply in the U.S. Is this why the USDA through its Extension Program ignores the subject. Is there a USDA strategy to protect commercial farms or is the education program out of date due simply to mismanagement. 

Whatever the reason, as consumers we have a very serious governance problem with the use of our taxes relative to the local urban food supply. We are not getting the information we deserve. Am I stating the obvious?

View the entire photo set on www.flickr.com

Community Gardens for All the People, Not Just a Select Few

ACGA photo

In yesterday's post about the Rooftop Garden Project in Montreal, I questioned why I do not know of any community garden in the U.S. doing what they do to serve their surrounding community.

We have more than 600 community gardens serving less than 1% of the population here in New York City. To my knowledge, there is not one of them offering modern method options to growing in the ground.

Long time New Yorkers will remember the ConEd motto "Dig We Must". That seems to have stuck with the community gardeners.

In my view, it is not enough to simply provide a small plot of land to a limited few when there are modern methods that are portable and can serve an unlimited number of people in the community.

Why should a community garden be synonymous with dirt gardening only and be anchored to a scarce parcel of city land? Why should a community garden be a clubhouse for a very small number of people? Why should there be a waiting list? Using modern methods an urban community garden can serve both garden plot holders and residents of the surrounding community. 

Following are two community gardening guides among many on the web. The first is authored by a national organization called the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA). The second is by the U of Missouri Extension program.

There is no information in either of these guides about modern methods such as sub-irrigated raised beds or other types of sub-irrigated planters (totes, tubs, buckets) that could be used for outreach to the local community including the aged and infirm.

Community gardens could be and should be educational leaders to their local communities. It is not enough to be a mono-method dirt gardening teacher. There are other more modern methods of growing fresh vegetables. There is life beyond often-contaminated dirt in the city.

via communitygarden.org

There are many ways to start a community garden. Whether you're working with friends, neighbors, or a local organization, there are many things you'll want to consider before you ever dig the first hole.

This fact sheet is designed to give many different groups the basic information they need to get their gardening project off the ground. These lists are in no way meant to be complete. Each main idea will probably trigger more questions, so an assortment of ways to carry out that idea are presented; pick and choose those that seem to apply to your own situation. Also check our LINKS, TOOLS, RESOURCES and STORE pages to find more helpful articles and resources. Also visit our RebelTomato website for tools for planning a community garden and enjoying the harvests.

Click here to download a PDF version of the publication.

Read this community gardening toolkit guide from the U of Missouri Extension Program (PDF download available on the website).

There is no mention of modern urban gardening methods such as sub-irrigated planters (SIPs - raised beds, totes, utility buckets). The assumption once again is that a "garden" means in-the-ground dirt. That is clearly an incorrect assumption.

via extension.missouri.edu

Montreal » Rooftop Garden Project

 

If you are not familiar with the Rooftop Garden Project in Montreal, it is arguably the best place in the world to learn about rooftop gardening and urban gardening on any level.

Short of going to Montreal you can visit their website and download a free rooftop garden guide (PDF).

They make and sell sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) in their local community (see below).

It is difficult to understand why community gardens here in New York and elsewhere are not doing this.

Learn more about them in prior posts including their partnership with the award winning McGill University Edible Campus.

The construction of the sub-irrigated planter (SIP) above and the one I called the Laptop of Fresh Food are basically the same. Neither of them require power tools to make. Both are very simple designs.

Back to the Roots Meet the Mushroom Farm

Coffee grounds and mushroom growing appears to be a new urban agriculture frontier.

This gallery exhibit in Seattle has much in common with the two young entrepreneurs who launched the successful Back to the Roots mushroom growing kit business. They are both growing mushrooms in coffee grounds.

It looks like we have local mushrooms and lettuce covered. Ever onward!

Olson Kundig Architects’ [storefront], Seattle’s homegrown gallery for urban experimentation, has been overhauled once again. Last month, it was a music lover’s haven, rekindling the cultural narratives of the world’s fast-disappearing record stores by inviting visitors to browse through neatly filed vinyl collections and stage listening parties. Their latest experiment takes advantage of the city’s thriving coffee culture, taking the form of an indoor mushroom farm nourished by nutrient-rich coffee grounds salvaged by local baristas.

via www.theatlanticcities.com

A Houseplant Luxury From Hammacher Schlemmer

Does the world really need a $40 (plus shipping) "self-watering" houseplant pot? Maybe it doesn't matter if you're in the 1% but it probably does if you're in the 99%.

I have not researched the patent to see what the "patented vacuum capillary" system is all about, but it looks like a new version of an old idea.

This planter looks very much like the Natural Spring vacuum sensor system planter from the 1970's. That patent has expired so here we go again.

Why spend hard earned money to buy this when you can make a sub-irrigated planter (SIP) for free. Install it in a decorative cache pot, an inexpensive clay pot for example and your plants will like it just as well.

p.s. "Sufficiently hydrated for up to 120 days" might be true if you grow plants in a closet.

via www.hammacher.com

This is the planter that uses a patented vacuum capillary system to ensure a house plant is sufficiently hydrated for up to 120 days. Designed by an Oregon University PhD horticulturalist, it eliminates the guesswork that can lead to under- or over-watered plants-it even keeps sensitive, hard-to-grow plants such as phalaenopsis properly watered. A potted plant in its plastic container is inserted into the planter's chamber, and its vacuum reservoir is filled with water and sealed. The bottom of the pot chamber is lined with an absorbent mat and a wick that automatically and efficiently draws moisture from the reservoir to the plant's roots. The planter accepts 4-6" diameter pots (plants can also be transplanted into the planter directly, if desired) and is made from lightweight, transparent ABS. Includes extra mat and wick. Gray. 9" Diameter x 7" H. (2 lbs.)

 

Horticulture-speak From the Extension Program

How about the horticultural misconstruction "self-watering". I don't see that on the list. Nor do I see the correct horticultural term sub-irrigation. Oh well, maybe next century.

From a Tweet via www.aces.uiuc.edu

"In the world of gardening and horticulture, there are plenty of terms that look downright confusing if not intimidating," said University of Illinois Extension horticulture specialist Greg Stack.

"A new gardener who does not understand these terms could make the wrong choice of plants for the garden. On the other hand, understanding the vocabulary can make your gardening a lot more enjoyable, productive, and successful."

"Knowing a little bit about some of the words that are found in the horticultural world will help to make you a more educated and, hopefully, a better gardener," said Stack.

The Ultimate Enabled Garden

Is this a peek into aging boomer life in the future?

via singularityhub.com

The movie was showcased at the latest Sundance Festival.

Enabling Stand for EarthBox SIPs

via sarsnavy05 on Flickr

What a cool design for an enabling EarthBox stand made from PVC pipe.

Enabling stands and no-drip, water conserving, high productivity sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) like this could be on urban balconies all over the world.

Think about the aging boomer market. What a manufacturing or service business opportunity. There are new jobs here if we had the education system to help create them.

MIT OpenCourseWare » An Idea to Modernize Consumer Horticulture Education

The consumer horticulture and agriculture education system in the U.S. is grossly out of date. This is particularly true as it relates to our ever growing urban society. The system is out of touch with the realities of urban life and is stuck in an outdated paradigm of drain hole pots and often-contaminated city dirt.

The bedrock of the system is the USDA, the Extension program and its partnership with the land grant universities. There are more than 100 of them. It is highly unlikely that there will be the political will to reform this broken system any time soon since there are powerful forces dedicated to keeping the status quo.

We all know the story of David and Goliath. Watch this video and you will see the germ of an idea of how David can defeat Goliath again. Stay tuned for more posts about the "David idea."

via www.youtube.com

Here is the official video for the MIT OpenCourseWare 1800 event: Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds: A Milestone Celebration. The event celebrates the publishing of the 1800th course on MIT OpenCourseWare

Sub-irrigated Ancient Royal Garden?

Artist's rendering of Ramat Rahel site. (Credit: Image courtesy of American Friends of Tel Aviv University)

Aha, rainwater harvesting and underground channels, tunnels and gutters.

Could they have been sub-irrigating their plants? It looks like a very strong possibility.

One of the unique features of Ramat Rahel's garden is its advanced irrigation system. The scope of the garden is even more impressive, says Dr. Gadot, because there was no permanent water source at the site. Rainwater was efficiently collected and distributed throughout the garden with aesthetic water installations that included pools, underground channels, tunnels, and gutters.

via www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers have long been fascinated by the secrets of Ramat Rahel, located on a hilltop above modern-day Jerusalem. The site of the only known palace dating back to the kingdom of Biblical Judah, digs have also revealed a luxurious ancient garden. Since excavators discovered the garden with its advanced irrigation system, they could only imagine what the original garden might have looked like in full bloom -- until now. Read more...