Farmer and Vendor Spotlight
Friday July 3rd, 2010
Growing Lots Urban Farm – Trending from local to ‘Uber-Local’….
by Farmer Stefan of Growing Lots Urban Farm
Farm-raised plant starts waiting for planting day....
The mission of Growing Lots is to create an economically viable urban agriculture project based upon the resources of the local community, and in turn feed & educate the local community. This project will work to enhance the overall viability and health of the local food system, the natural environment, and the economic well-being of the community it is embedded within.
What came before Growing Lots....
- assisting the city of Minneapolis in working through the undiscovered territory of permitting and regulations surrounding urban food production,
- on-the-ground ‘uber’ local food production,
- creating community-based fertility cycles,
- research and experimentation with production methods,
- & education.
During the first year of operation, Growing Lots has a few CSA members who will be picking up farm-grown produce weekly, with the intention of expanding membership in 2011. If growing food on a parking lot is not experimentation enough, Growing Lots is experimenting with Potato Towers as Living Fence Posts and planting using a bio-intensive method of growing lots of food in a small amount of space. Next year there are plans for extensive season extension experimentation, maximizing yield per square foot through vertical farming, and perhaps even a trial aquaponic system.
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Friday, May 14 2010
Container Gardens – An Urban Garden Alternative
vegetable garden in a pot(s)!
Are you one of those people who love the idea of growing your own food, but find yourself living in an amazing apartment with zero square footage of yard space? Well, don’t despair, because there are some amazing options open to you, even if you only have a small patio or balcony space. The only thing you really need is at least 6 hrs of good sunlight to hit the area.
Many fruits and vegetables can very successfully be grown in containers of all shapes and sizes. Some of the best candidates are tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, strawberries, miniature blueberries, lettuce, green bush beans, spinach, kale, chard, collards, cabbage, and even cucumbers, pole beans, peas and small vining melons if attention is paid to trellising them properly. Even zuchinni plants can do great in a pot.
What do you need to successfully grow a container vegetable garden? Here is a list covering all the important needs and considerations:
1. Sunlight – most vegetables do not produce abundantly with less than 6 hours of sunlight, especially plants that need the energy to set and grow fruit. If you are indeed short on the sunlight, try sticking with the leafy vegetables that can get by on less sun, like the spinach, chard, kale, collards, etc. I have seen both green bush beans and cucumbers produce amazingly well in very shady conditions. Don’t despair.. experiment! Every gardener/farmers truest teacher.
2. Containers – any pot or container will do that holds enough soil for the plant to grow in. I would personally suggest using at least a 3 gallon container or bigger. The larger plants like tomatoes, squash, broccoli or cauliflowers, etc., could use an even bigger pot (4-5 gallons). You can use beautiful ornamental pots, wine barrels, plastic tote containers or even 5 gal buckets if that is your aesthetic. The just need to have good drainage.
Vining vegetables in a pot can be both beautiful and productive!
3. Soil – Pick up a good potting soil mix, and know that not all potting soil mixes are created equal. Seek out a potting soil that is a blend of such ingredients as compost, composted manure, coco fiber, worm castings, soil, etc. Shop at a local garden center or nursery such as Mother Earth Gardens or Urban Earth Flower and Garden Co-op in south Minneapolis, Urban Garden in the North Loop neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis, Egg/Plant Urban Farm Store in St. Paul, Interior Gardens in NE Minneapolis, or other local favorites you may already know! Talk with the employees about their knowledge and experience with any of the potting soils. Us gardeners absolutely LOVE talking gardening 
4. Fertilizer – This is an important part of a successful container garden, since the plants are growing in a confined space and can only pull the nutrients found right inside the pot. Any of the garden stores listed above would have a great selection of both dry and liquid organic fertilizers. When initially potting up a plant, a good 1/2 – 1 cup of dry or granular fertilizer as a base. Look for a fertilizer that is formulated for vegetables, with an NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) rating of 6-5-4 or 5-5-5, or 7-2-5, etc. A liquid fertilizer would be a good option for giving the plants a little added boost mixed in with the irrigation water a few times through the season.
5. Water – Staying on top of the watering can be a touch trickier with a container garden. Containers and pots will tend to dry out faster, and will need watering every couple of days during the heat of the summer. However, you don’t want to keep the soil constantly wet… a ‘moist’ soil is the pie-in-the-sky to aim for. Stick your finger into the soil, and if you can feel moisture a few inches down, then hold off on watering for the day, but if it is dry, then give it a good watering.
6. Plants – you can find quality plants and seeds at local farmers Markets ( Mill City Farmers Market , Midtown Farmers Market , St Paul Farmers Market , Kingfield Farmers Market or any of the garden centers listed above.)
7. Pick a nice day and have fun playing in the dirt!
Brought to you by:
Farmer Stefan of My-Erth Agricultural Enterprises and Growing Lots Urban Farm )
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Aquaponic Farms – the wave of the future!
What is the future of farming? What new innovations will be inspired by the desire to re-localize our food, while reducing our ecological footprint? These are exciting times as such questions are asked, and occasionally answered. Steve Meyer of A Future Farm, Baldwin, WI, certainly has his own idea of how the future of farming may take shape, only he is doing it here and now.
Swimmin' tilapia!
We have just begun carrying Steve’s amazing lettuces here in the store, and they are amazing not only because they look amazing, but because of how they have been grown. These lettuces have been grown aquaponically – what’s THAT you say? Well, it is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture (the raising of fish). The fish waste in water is an excellent fertilizer for plants, so the water from aquaculture tanks is piped through the lettuce grow beds, which absorb and utilize the fish waste. Then the cleaned up water is cycled back into the fish tanks. What a great use of resources!
‘But wait’, you say.. ‘what about the extra energy used to heat a greenhouse in the winter here in this climate?’
Well, Steve has also put forth a creative and resourceful answer to that pesky little problem. He also has a herd of cattle who produce a lot of waste, which can be used to create a biogas (methane) to be used for heating the greentunnel.
For more information on his operation, check out his website: www.afuturefarm.com
Ann – you got me hooked on all their jams – but you are right about the Ginger Pear – good lord I can’t get enough of it – I have loved it in many ways – but lately I like it with a dab of goat cheese on a plain water type cracker – I swear I have been reaching for it first thing in the morning before I even start my coffee maker! Good Stuff – no – GREAT stuff!
Posted by: MeganG on November 20th, 2009 at 3:10 pm