Last harvest

As I picked the very last of the peppers , I began to think once again I like doing this!
I always wonder at the last of the harvest year if I will indeed try again. Pulling these last peppers allowed me to reaffirm my faith in the hipness of urban farming.

It is not always an easy road to tread. Though I have never chosen the easy road or followed the path that most people take, maybe it is this willingness to take the less traveled road that allows me to see the value in farming in the central city and finding value in this ground.

There seems to be so much that we just throw away. We don't even compost it. Old houses in the central city are full of history and they have stood for at least one hundred years. There is a history to be preserved in these houses as manifestations of the the original city planning  and economy that gave way to the creation of suburbs. I would argue that central city neighborhoods are a manifestation of the history of labor and industry in our society.

Maybe urban homesteading is a way to preserve the history of the people who helped to create our society. Could there be lessons to learn? I don't know, but it seems we will never know as long as we just throw it away. Seeing a way to compost it all, repurpose it, upcycle it, create new growth. . . That would be interesting. However, there are more than just buildings, but people in central cities. I like to think that my little hip urban farm is like being at my grandmother's house. She lived in the city and I lived in the suburbs, but I always loved going to visit grandma. The point here is that there really is some interconnection of the city to places and people. And there are memes in our ways of living that keep us connected to each other.

There is value in the last harvest.  That value is way to hip for words, though I try to explain it. It's only the hip thing to do!

Hip Urban Farmer by Blog Librarian by Day : Burning Desire for Urban Farming?

Ever wonder where your burning desire to be an urban farmer comes from? Well the Roots of My Obsession is an interesting book for people who ponder just this question. Each chapter is written by a different author who reflects on where their desire to grow plants has come from.  These authors have no limit to what they grow. You can expect to read about the desire to grow flowers, vegetables, and just about anything else. The casual gardener may be intimidated by the fact that each author has as their profession some part of horticulture or agriculture. If you want to learn the specific names of plants, however, you will find this a fun read. Each author in reflecting on the roots of their obsession  provide seeds for growing ever more abundant in desire to learn and grow. But more importantly, this book will spur the hippest of urban farmers to reflect on the reasons, they start in January to make a plan laying out the crops in their backyard.

What happens when the bees get together with the pumpkins and zuchhinni?

So funny thing happened this year on the urban farm. . .I wasn't paying much attention what with the heat and all, plus I was more tired than usual due to my sleep apnea issues. .

So I just watered in the morning and enjoyed the morning squash blooms and the bees hanging out. It didn't occur to me that the hanky panky on the farm was going to produce. . .

a puchinni? Pumpchinni?  Zumpchinni? Zumpkin?

I did a little research and talked to my local urban farmers. . .guess what? Cross-pollination.

Well, I'll be darned! If that ain't hip. . . .

Librarian by Day Hip Urban Farmer by Blog: Grow a Revolution

by HUF aka Melissa Jeter

It isn't easy being an urban farmer. It's not easy being a farmer period.

Well first of all there's the drought. You know there's a drought, right? The corn is nowhere near the height it should be. Well, if you don't notice now, you will the next time you go to the grocery store. And this issue makes me think about the book I’m currently reading.

I am reading the Good Food Revolution by Will Allen. He is no hip urban farmer. He is Urban Farmer Extraordinaire. Living in Wisconsin, this man has steadily changed the food scape in his community. If you are interested in true urban farming that brings people together and changes the lives of people in city neighborhoods, this is a book that must sit as a reference on your table.
What Allen has that is better than hip is Growing Power, a non profit organization that not only grows food, but also serves as an educational institution where people can learn how to grow their own food. And when I say food, I mean vegetables, fruit, and fish!

I found so many little seeds of information in this book that are ready to be planted. For example, did you know that Heifer International could serve urban farms by considering worms to be livestock? What that means for the urban areas is the potential to reclaim the soil. Worms are critical to a healthy soil that can grow food!

I'm going to combine my understanding of these seeds for thought with some other information. . . . Watch out now! I am a professional. . . . Library and information specialist in my day job. . .

If you are interested in being more than hip with your urban farm, but also interested in creating a food revolution as Will Allen has in Wisconsin, you could apply for grants.

If you have ever read the blog Free Money Ate My Brain, by Linda Koss then you know there is some good information there.

Yes! As a professional librarian and information specialist, I can offer more than just books with information but digital information. . . . blogs.

And she’s also a professional, folks, don’t try this at home. .  . unless you are on your computer and using information backed by an authority! Of course, you could go to your local library. . . just sayin’. . .

If you haven't read it, well get over there right now and look for information about the Awesome Foundation. Awesome Foundation gives small grants for community gardens and even more.

Thinking about green jobs? Why not start up your own mobile composting business? Think worms, compost, soil, and food. And maybe you can find some real start up funds for that business.

I'd do it myself, but really aren't I hip enough?

Look, there's only one Hip Urban Farmer, but you could be an extraordinary urban farmer growing a food revolution!

Look into city and county land banking programs. In some cities, there are programs for urban gardening where you can lease or buy a vacant lots where you could grow your own power.

You can do this. Go on. Do it.

Grow a revolution!

Blooming later is better than never.

Just when I think nothing is going to happen and all this urban farming business is nonsense. . .something grows. . .

It's hip to watch it grow

Months ago the farm looked like this

Opening up to morning

The flowers on the pumpkin vines open up every morning seeking bees for pollination. If I am quiet and walk gingerly around my vertical pumpkin patch, I can hear and see the little bees and even some polka dotted pollinators I have yet to identify. This is morning.

I am at my best in the morning. I am up st 5:30 am.

You know it's hip to keep urban farmer hours.

I slowly ease into the day lifting five pound weights, while I sit on my exercise ball. My cat lingers around me, laying on the exercise mat. He refuses to move, no matter how close the ball or weights get to him. Anaerobic first then aerobic. . .jumping rope and Tae No style ab work. Then I go out and water my little patch of land. Much like the flowers in the pumpkin patch. I open up to the day.

Home grown garlic

Oh yeah! That's hip!

Slug Warfare

One morning, I spied a slug trailing its way up a purple cone flower plant in my garden. I quickly located a spray bottle of neem oil mixed with dish detergent and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed the slug until my friend cried,"Enough!, I'm sure it's dead already."

I, however was not so sure.

In this Organic Life, Joan Gussow states that something somewhere dies for your food. For my food, slugs die. I'm sure that there are some other creatures in my garden that get stepped on, dug out, sliced, etc, but what I know for sure is that the slugs must go.

Though on this occasion, I grabbed the spray bottle of neem oil and dish detergent, I have used beer to get rid of the slugs. Joan Gussow has confirmed for me the righteousness in killing for the sake of my food. As I said before, the slugs must go.

And what better way to go than a beer party?

That's right- a beer party for the slugs!. This may not sound like war, but trust me it is.

Listen closely people. . . there's a war going on for the food in my garden and my sanity. And though, I'm usually not one for a zero-sum conflict where the situation requires there to be someone who wins and someone who loses, the war on slugs is without a doubt in my mind the right thing to do. I know, there are some of you who may ask if this war is just? Is it necessary to kill the slugs? My answer to YOU gentle vegan hippie isYES!

Justification for the Slug Warfare- My Sanity

My garden is an urban oasis. My garden is the Eden where I lay down my burdens and relieve the stress that could drive me to drink- literally and figuratively. Honestly, outside of locally grown food, the next benefit to gardening is peace of mind -sanity.

For about a year, I reminded myself to maintain my sanity by keeping a bottle of Olde English 800 prominently displayed on my mantel. This beer display acted as subtle reminder to myself to refuse to let anyone drive me to drink. So instead of coming home, declaring, it's Miller time and cracking open a cold one, I go out to the garden and dig in the dirt.

However, this summer I did succumb to cracking open that large gold can of Olde English 800.

On this a particularly challenging summer day, I went out to my garden to find trails of slugs eating my lettuce, greens and whatever ever else they could slide to for a little snack.

My heart raced, this kind of aggression could not stand. (reference to the Big Lebowski).

Immediately, I headed back into the house and reached for the Olde English 800 on the mantel. On this day, I'd crack this warm baby open and give it to the slugs.

Wuah ah ah ah ( evil laughter).

The war had begun.

Strategy, tactics, and remains

Any war has a strategy. My strategy involved direct and indirect tactics. For the direct tactic, I sprayed the garden with neem oil and dish detergent. For the indirect tactic, I poured the beer in bowls and set those bowls in my yard in locations away from my precious edibles. Slowly, the slugs changed their direction. Party ova' here! I exclaimed gleefully. Heh heh heh. . .

The next morning the remains of the war could be seen in the bowls. There were at least twenty 3-inch slugs, floating in each bowl of beer. Heh heh heh! The battle was a success!

Even though the battle was a success, the war is not over. As exemplified by the day, I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed a slug slinking its way up the leaves on the purple cone flower, I will not stand this kind of aggression-man.

When will there be enough neem oil sprayed? How many slugs have to die? How many times must my friend witness the death by my hand of these slimy leaf snacking culprits?

I'm not so sure. Heh heh heh. . .

Pulling the lavendar & remembering my Grandmother

When I was a kid I used to sit on the porch with my grandmother and pull weeds. In my mind I was cooking. I'd pull all the weeds and strip them of their leaves and berries. I'd put them in a pot and stir it up.  It was hot outside, much like it is now.

Grandma lived in the city and visiting her was a great joy for me.

Now, I live in the city and as I harvest the lavendar, I remember Grandma. And this is the reason I keep gardening.

And that is the reason, urban farming is hip.

Whoa! I knew it. That is so hip!

Plants Can Talk To Each Other by Clicking Their Roots | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building - StumbleUpon

Hip Advice ?

Talking about urban farming in a car going down a country road inevitably leads to a road side stand.

So on my way back from seeing the buffalo, my friend and I stopped at the flower depot in Blissfield, Michigan.

So can you grow cucumbers now?

How much should you water?

When do you water in the morning or at night?

I don't know anything about this. You write a blog. Tell me what to do.

And you are wondering what the answers are, as if you don't already know!

Look out for beginner hip advice!

Max begging for corn

Yep. Uh huh. . .he's hip.

Max

The alpha male

Here comes Max, the alpha male.

Buffalo Ranch

Ummm, I'm more hip and urban than. . .

I am at the Buffalo Ranch in Hanover, Michigan. Though I recognized the wood furnace outside the buildings, I didn' t recognize this farming. . .and well it ain't for sissies.

These buffalo are raised for meat. They are vegetarians and not hippies. They have three stomachs. The hair on the buffalo is a little softer than wool. Buffalo live for 40 years. These ladies and gentlemen eat corn, hay, and grass.

They eat free range on 240 acres of land. It is much more sustainable than other steer. And even though they have names, they are taken in young and slaughtered. They don't have a lot of fat on them so eating them is better for you.

Now that was hip!

What's growing?

Ask me what's growing and I'll tell you, nothing.

But my nothing is different from yours. After digging out the compost, I start looking around.

I feel like I started late. And then there is the stuff growing that looks like I planted, but I can't identify it.

Omg! There's got to be something hip about that right?

The answer is. . . .

Searching for meaning in a blank canvass

I was looking for a blank canvas from which to begin last year. So I created a blank canvass and nothing is growing there.

What is the meaning of this?

The squirrels have dug up my newspaper mulch. And nothing. . .no beans.

On the other hand, the place where I have done nothing. .  it grows freely.

There must be some other meaning other than I am not a landscaper.

Eh, maybe I'll throw some onions in there.

That'll be hip.

Urban Farming in Detroit.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkEPs3Ta-6eg&v=kEPs3Ta-6eg&gl=US

What's the good news?

It's Easter weekend and I'm newspaper square foot gardening!
So, I told you how I plan it. Here's what it looks like.
Those pieces of newspaper are laying on dirt and I just watered the seeds I planted in the squares for lettuce and beans. I used those landscaping fabric pins to hold the paper down. Now, when those plants come up, I'll take up the pins.

Yep, newspaper mulch will help keep the weeds down and keep the soil wet. I'll post more as things grow.

Stay hip! Stay urban! Keep farming!

How do you grow it?

If you haven't checked out my friends, click this link: http://gardens.multifaithjourneys.org/

Check this out. My friend suggested it.

http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-ShowSimple?cid=7914

It's cold out there!

Just as it's supposed to be.
I took a little time to inspect the beds on the urban farm.
Well, black raspberries are coming back. . .so is oregano. The tulips are up. And well it's time for a new book case raised bed. And doggone it, if I couldn't find the plans I made on paper. Thank goodness for the blog.

Yep, I said that!  And that's hip!

Seedlings of faith

And so it begins. . .

Grow Your Own! Make Your Own!

Not so Urban Farm?  How about Yarn?

Some folks don't have their own urban farm, but that does not make them any less hip. In fact some people's urban farm is not a farm at all. . . . 

HUF, you say,  you've lost it!  What are you talking about?

Well, (sits in rocking chair, starts chewing urban straw) sit for a spell and I'll spin you a yarn about this not so urban farm and a brave woman willing to take risks don't be deceived, though her name really fits.

HUF:What do you grow on your urban farm?

Misfityarns:

I spin my own yarn out of wool fiber mostly. I used to belong to a fiber CSA through Juniper Moon Fiber Farm  and it was a lot of fun reading the blog and keeping up with the animals. Even though I do not belong to the fiber CSA anymore, I try to buy for small farms.

HUF: How do you feel about growing what you grow?

Misfityarns:

I enjoy spinning my own yarn very much. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and creativity. I enjoy trying to figure out knitting projects that will go with a particular pattern. One of my goals this year is to knit more projects with my handspun yarn.

HUF:Do you ever feel a sense of inspiration from growing what you grow?

Misfityarns: 

Yes. Just like I said in the last question, I am learning to pair up knitting patterns with yarn I spin. It’s fun to go through the yarns I spin and remember what I was thinking when I spun or dyed that particular yarn.

HUF:What does growing your own inspire you to do?

Misfityarns: 

be more creative with my knitting or dyeing. When spinning my own yarn, I can experiment with colors or experiment with different knitting projects.
Have you ever felt a sense of self sufficiency from growing what you grow?

Misfityarns: 

Sometimes. It’s fun to be able to make a yarn you want, however I still rely on commercial yarns to get me through most patterns or stuff I knit. As I said, I want to start using my own handspun yarns more and it will lead me more a sense of self sufficiency with yarn.

HUF:Does that sense of self-sufficient sense lead you to want make thing? If so, what do you make?

Misfityarns: 

Yes, it inspires me to try to use my handspun yarns in different patterns. For now, I make scarves, wraps, gloves and other smaller items.

HUF:How do you make it?

Misfityarns: 

I knit them.

HUF:Does it matter how you get the supplies to make it? Why or why not?

Misfityarns:

 Yes, I try to buy fiber from smaller farms and not commercial places. I like to buy fiber unwashed and process it myself. And I like to patron those smaller farms if I can over and over. I think it is important to support smaller farms so you know where the fiber is coming from.

HUF:What would you say to folks to encourage them to make their own?

Misfityarns: 

Just go for it. Often times when I wanted to do something and I hesitated, I chickened out. But when I just delved into something and learned, I was braver and take more risks. Just do what you want to do and don’t look back.

HUF: Delve in, learn, and don't look back! Thanks Misfityarns. That's really hip!

How does she plan it?

After years of working in non-profit organization and attending the neighborhood gardening workshops, I learned a thing or two. Plus, I'm an avid reader who likes to give the words on the page a reality check.  So here's two things I learned:

1. Newspaper mulch suppresses weeds and

2. squarefoot gardening allows you to grow more in a small space.

I took these two ideas and put them together and what did I get?  Squarefoot newspaper mulching!

Here's an example.  Take some of the newspaper that lacks any pretty pictures or bright colors.  You just want the black and white facts of the news paper. Cut that newspaper in a  1 foot by 1 foot square.  You could make several of these 1 foot by 1 foot or  you could make them bigger.

Now here's where you have to put your thinking cap on. If Mel tells you that 16 carrot seeds can go in 1 square foot then you must fold that paper so that you get 16 squares.

Take the square foot newspaper, fold it in half, fold the half in half and keep folding until when you unfold it you get 16 squares.  It seems like this is hard, but it really isn't.  If I get out my web cam, I can show you this, but for right now just fold til you get 16 squares.

In each of those 16 square, 1 carrot can grow.  Make a whole in each center square or just poke one whole in the  folded newspaper.You might want to put a couple in the square just to be sure that the seed sprouts. Listen to Mel, he knows what he's talking about.

So what I am doing here is using the newspaper to mark the square foot instead of using the string and wood to mark off the square foot in the garden.  I don't know if it is more accurate or not. I just know that this works for me.

I plan for the Spring, Summer  and Fall. I've thought hard about doing winter, but I just haven't had the heart to farm in the winter.  Maybe this year?  Who knows?

So I have a plan where I use the technique I just told you about and add in some crop rotation. It may seem like a lot of work but this is urban farming and it is serious. So here's my plan:

Spring

Summer and Fall

So remember, people don't plan to fail ,but they do fail to plan. Plan it. Do it! But don't do it  because I said so, do it because it's hip!

Grow Your Own Make Your Own

When the Harvest is Small Don't Give Up Hope; Make Some Soap!
by Melissa Jeter aka HUF


When I arrive at Mama B's homestead, I am greeted by the dog, a 50 pound  tan and white collie.  I return the excited greeting and she leads me to the door. I knock on the door and turn the handle. Mama B greets me with a big hug and we move into the dining room, where there are bagels, cream cheese and tea.  After nibbling and a few sips of tea, we begin our conversation.



HUF: What do you grow in your urban farm?


Mama B:

I have grown many things over the years in my suburban garden most notably "All Blue" Potatoes in containers and heirloom tomatoes and peppers.  I tried to grow catnip once, but the cat ate it.  I unfortunately did not get the green thumb that runs in my mother's family, so my yields are quite small.

HUF:How do you feel about the small yield?

Mama B:

No matter how small though I do like the connection to the earth and teaching my children how the food actually grows and what needs to be done to harvest it.  I like to see things growing and I like the hope and excitement of what might be produced. I tend to get sad though when I don't get the results I want.  That is why I tend toward making things from scratch like soap, lotion, etc.  If they fail I know right away.  I don't have to wait to be disappointed.

HUF: Yes, I  have that same hope and excitement about what could grow. So when I grow vegetables, I like to  use compost and organic fertilizers. It's really important to me.  How do you make your own soap?

Mama B:

I make soap the old fashioned way with lye and mostly vegetable oils.  Seeing the chemical reaction occur and feeling the heat from it are exciting and fun and I my entire family benefits from it.  Not only do I get a sense of self-sufficiency from it, I have soap that is better on my skin than any store bought bar.  I also feel a connection to my ancestors.  My grandfather (and I'm sure others in my family way back in Scotland) used to make soap.  I was never blessed with knowing him in person, but when I make soap, I always feel like I honor his memory and he is there.  I also see him in my bleeding heart plant in my garden which has actually been handed down directly from his garden to my mother's to mine.

HUF: Wow!  So you get a quality bar of soap and this connection to  extended family. I can relate to that. I think that my extended family in rural southeastern Ohio grew a lot of things.  Somewhere in the family there's this photo of my great grandfather growing peanuts. He's just holding them up in the air.  It's so inspirational. Now, tell me, is it important to you to use specific supplies when you make soap?

Mama B:

For the most part, I am not too picky about my supplies although the shea butter I bought is fair trade and naturally pressed instead of processed with chemicals which makes me feel better.  I try to think of ways to use what I have on hand.  That doesn't always work.  I buy meat locally from farmers who I know and I plan on making suet cakes with bird seed for the birds with the lard that is stored in my freezer.  As yet, I have not found a use for the beef heart that still sits in my freezer awaiting an inspired recipe, but I can hope.

HUF: Well, I'm coming to the end of my questions for you.  What would say to folks to encourage them to make their own?


Mama B:

When it comes to telling people about making your own good stuff, it is a hard sell sometimes.  I used to tell people that lotion is as easy as making mayonnaise, and then I realized that most people have never tried making their own mayonnaise either.  We are bombarded with so many products that make our lives easier, sometimes we forget that some of the things people used to have to make were pretty easy to begin with.  They just took a little time and a good recipe and maybe some knowledge along with it. I don't think any of those things are necessarily obsolete.

HUF: Yes, I agree. A little time, a good recipe, and a little knowledge to go along with it.  Mama B that is hip advice!

How is the road to freedom farmed?

 by Melissa Jeter aka HUF

I've been blogging about my urban farm for a about a year now. And still there is more that I want to say about it.  Mostly I want to to talk about how urban farming is about the road to freedom.  I came upon a few websites that inspired my desire to become an urban farmer.

The path to freedom is one very good website. I've actually followed this site for years. It has really grown.  When it started the website was a way to document sustainability and homesteading.  It includes it's own blog as well as sections about organic gardening, energy efficiency and so much more.  This is a must follow website if you are interested in urban farming.

Freedom Gardens is another website along the same lines.  But if you want to get subversive. . . because that is the HIP thing to do.  Check out the Guerrilla Gardening blog. There is a little of this going on in Toledo by a few. . . if you happen to see some daffodil in spaces that really seem out of place. . . well you know it was all done in the spirit of the movement to put beauty in public spaces.

In these websites and their blogs, they seem to get out the sentiment that I really want to say.  There is that do-it-yourself spirit, as well as that spirit of self-sufficiency. Even more the path to freedom shows that there is way more to  urban farming than farming.  There's also the crafts that are derived from that DIY, self-sufficient spirit.  There's a motto that can be made from this, Grow your own, and make your own.

I'll be blogging more under the sub heading Grow your Own and Make your Own this year.

Hip Urban Farmer by Blog, Librarian by Day

 by Melissa Jeter aka HUF

Another thing I do to get ready for the farm, while it's cold out side is read books. When I happen to get to the library before my shift starts, I roam the stacks.  Upon roaming the stacks one day I came upon two wonderful finds. . .

Holy sh!t. . . is a great book.  I never thought that a book about manure could be so interesting. However, if you are serious about urban farming, then you are in the business of creating, spreading, and stirring manure.  There is a whole ecosystem that is dependent on manure. After reading about cow patties and cow flatulence in relation to green house gases, I actually began to think that these cows are getting a bad rap.  When the author discusses the amount of gases from humans in comparison, I begin to think that we might be shifting the blame.  You know how it goes, I didn't do it. Nope wasn't me. Must've been the cows. But seriously, the chapter that really got my attention was the one where the author discusses how his friend decided to go into cattle ranching not to sell the meat, but for selling manure!



And while I'm speaking about the other end of farming, why not build your own compost bin?
On another trip through the stacks, I found an oldie but a goodie, Build-it Yourself Homestead published by Rodale press in 1973.  I was but wee tot when this book came out, yet the structures suggested for homesteading have stood the test of time.  Any of these structures from cold frames to compost bins are in this book.  You may find many of these garden structures and their directions in  current books about urban homesteading today.  However, they won't give that sense of nostalgia.  Handle this book with care, if you happen to get a copy from your local library.