Richmond couple creates urban farm to help feed their community

NBC12 – WWBT – Richmond, VA News On Your Side (WATCH THE VIDEO!)

“From high above, the Bellemeade-Oak Grove neighborhood looks like any other one in south Richmond. However, if you move in a bit closer, you’ll see one backyard on Wright Avenue that makes the neighborhood unique. That’s because you are looking at a farm right in the heart of the area, and it yields much more than fruits and vegetables. Farm life. It is the lesson of the day for these young ladies of Camp Diva.”

“They are showing them that no matter the size of a farm, if they till the soil and plant the seed, greatness can grow. It’s a lesson that applies in many areas of life. “If they feel like they don’t have access to it, well guess what? You can create it,” said Chambers. You can usually find Alia and Jeremy at the Birdhouse Farm Market every other Tuesday. However, later this month, they will begin opening the farm to everyone on Saturday mornings.

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “NBC12.COM“

Replacing Vacant Lots With Green Spaces Can Ease Depression In Urban Communities

“Growing up in Washington, D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood, Rebecca Lemos-Otero says her first experience with nature came in her late teens when her mother started a community garden.

“I was really surprised and quickly fell in love,” she recalls. The garden was peaceful, and a “respite” from the neighborhood, which had high crime rates, abandoned lots and buildings, she says.

Inspired by that experience, years later, Lemos-Otero, 39, started City Blossoms, a local nonprofit that has about 15 children-focused community green spaces across Washington, D.C. She wanted to give kids from minority and low-income communities easy access to some greenery.

Kids love the gardens, she says. It gives them a way to briefly forget their worries.”

READ THE REST OF THE STORY AT: “NPR.ORG“

Urban farmers forced off land find new ground to grow

“The wind-whipped rooftop of a converted warehouse in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor might be the last place you’d expect to find fertile farmland, unless you’re Jen Rosenthal, founder and owner of Planted Chicago.

“I got my start in farming on the rooftop at Uncommon Ground, the restaurant up in Edgewater,” said Rosenthal. It was the first certified organic rooftop farm in the nation.

These days, urban farming is increasingly common, but the burgeoning business sector is not without its challenges, namely space and literal room to grow.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE, HERE: ChicagoTribune.com

4 Trap Plants You Can Grow To Help Control Pests

Controlling insects in the garden may seem like a never ending battle for some, but have you ever considered that fixing the problem may be as simple as just planting a few “sacrificial crops” for the problematic bugs to feast on instead of your prized fruits or vegetables?

Planting a variety of “trap plants” will lure those pests away from your favorite crops. It is an organic, natural, and quite effective way to approach controlling pests and insects in your garden.

Different insects prefer different types of crops, so do your research to find out what those pesky buggers are drawn to, and plant them in your garden away from the crop you’re trying to protect. Usually a border of “trap plants” around your garden area will help minimize the damage to the plants you want to thrive.

Always practice good crop rotation, and companion planting to help maximize the effectiveness of growing “trap plants”.

When your “trap plants” become over-run with insects, feel free to remove the plant all-together and dispose of it to keep the pests from breeding and creating a larger habitat in your garden.

Nasturtium, Marigold, Chervil, & Radish are some of our favorite “Trap Plants”! Planting each of these will cover a wide variety of pests you may have lurking in your garden waiting to destroy your precious crops.

Ohio State Producing New Crop Of Urban Farmers [Radio Podcast]

“Farmer Mark Van Fleet started growing vegetables at Harriet Gardens on Columbus’ South Side two years ago. He came to this once-vacant lot with about a decade of experience in gardening.”

Van Fleet gave up his job as an arts administrator because he did not like working inside all day. Now he spends his days tending to his vegetables.

“I felt this scale of operation was something I could handle with my limited amount of experience,” says Van Fleet. “I never worked on a farm before starting this one. I don’t know how to drive or fix a tractor.”

LISTEN TO THE RADIO BROADCAST HERE

How to Create The Perfect Vertical Garden

“Vertical gardening is a great way to maximize your living space and enhance the beauty and enjoyment of your home. Easy to create, customize and care for, a vertical garden can be made of anything from hanging flower pots and plastic soda bottles to old mailboxes, wheelbarrow, and crates. And the many options allow you the flexibility to get creative and capture your unique sense of style. Here’s what you need to know to create a stunning, low-maintenance vertical garden of your own.

KNOW WHERE TO START

Knowing how much space and sunlight you have to work with is essential to getting your vertical garden off on the right foot. Whether you’ve chosen a window in the kitchen, a wall in your sunroom or the railing along your patio, it’s important to evaluate its size and surroundings, as well as the amount of natural light it gets, before moving forward with your project.

Once you have a better picture of the space you’ll be using, you can determine what you want to grow in your vertical garden and how.”

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AT: “HeraldCourier.com“

Dubai gets the world’s largest vertical farm — for an international airport

“When passengers board their flights at Dubai International Airport, most are served in-flight meals that include salads or greens atop sandwiches. These crops usually come from traditional, outdoor farms in the United Arab Emirates.

By 2020, flights taking off from the airport will serve greens and herbs grown from a more high-tech source.

Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the world’s largest airline catering operators, and Crop One Holdings, a San Francisco Bay Area food startup, are building a massive vertical farm to supply crops for in-flight meals.

EKFC provides catering for Emirates Airlines and all other airlines at Dubai International Airport, which is the world’s largest airport by passenger traffic.

Read the FULL ARTICLE at BusinessInsider.com

Best ‘Secret’ Urban Gardens Around the World

The contrast between the cityscape and the greenery is often striking. Pictured here: Oranjezicht City Farm, Cape Town, South Africa. – Courtesy Coco VanOppens Photo/Phaidon.com

“(CNN) — From derelict train tracks turned scenic walkways, to rooftop treasures atop train stations, sometimes the best bits of cities are the bits that don’t feel like cities at all.

Urban centers might be 24-hour hubs of activity, but often you just need some green space in the concrete jungle.

“One of the things I always like when I go traveling or go to new cities is trying to find a little place to get away from it all, a little bit of a retreat, a bit of a haven,” says Dr. Toby Musgrave, an eminent garden expert based in Denmark.

Musgrave has compiled some of his favorite gardens into a new book, “Green Escapes,” published by Phaidon: It’s an encyclopedia of green oases found in cities across the globe.”

VIEW THE FULL STORY, HERE: CNN.COM

Urban Farm Offers Opportunities to Ex-Offenders

“INDIANAPOLIS –A soon-to-open nonprofit urban farm on the south side of Indianapolis aims to give formerly-incarcerated women a chance to “craft a future story” while combating the city’s food desert issue. Bellfound Farm spans 17 acres and allows young women to run an urban farm while receiving counseling, coaching and business training. Founders Nekoma Burcham and Alena Jones, who are Women’s Fund of Central Indiana NEXT Fellows, say Bellfound coaches will continue to support the women after they leave the farm to help them earn a degree or certificate and find long-term employment and housing.”

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