Grow your Own Food
VFW
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://tinyurl.com/ycguo73
Local firms take root, aim to assist people raising their own food
When the world was at war, Americans went to their backyards, rooftops,
porches and porticos to plant vegetables for family consumption in
Victory Gardens.
Two local companies are hoping the current economic malaise will
encourage Central Virginians to fight tight finances, be healthier and
even reduce their carbon footprint by digging in their own dirt.
C�Ville Foodscapes and Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest are offering area
residents a chance to enjoy fresh food by setting up gardens in their
homes or on their properties. Both companies, run by experienced
gardeners, offer services that include designing, building, tilling,
planting, fertilizing and even harvesting the fruits of the homeowners�
soil.
C�Ville Foodscapes will toss a party Sunday celebrating its opening. The
event, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Random Row Books, across from the bus
station, will feature music, garden crafts, food and the swapping of
seeds.
�We came out of the local foodmovement and, about a year ago, a couple
of us were talking and we thought that what Charlottesville needed to do
was grow more food in the city,� said Wendy Roberman, one of six
founding partners of C�ville Foodscapes, a worker-owner cooperative. �We
realized there was an alternative way to landscape someone�s property
and that it could include growing food.�
The three partners of Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest have grown groceries
on small area farms and vineyards, raised chickens for eggs and raised
rabbits for food. Although they offer to help build chicken coops, their
focus is on crops.
�When you grow your own food, you know it�s quality, you know it isn�t
subject to being recalled, you know it wasn�t harvested by workers at
slave wages,� said Guinevere Higgins, of Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest.
�At the end of the day, it�s not just what you eat, but what you grew.�
Both companies base their concepts on Victory Gardens popular during
World War I and World War II.
While the government bought up food supplies for soldiers, it encouraged
Americans to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs. Communities set aside
garden areas in public parks and people dedicated portions of their
yards, basement or homes to growing their own food.
By the end of World War I, millions of gardens were being tilled. At the
end of World War II, there were an estimated 20 million gardens,
including one at the White House.
In 2008, a civic effort in San Francisco attempted to bring back the
gardens as a way to decrease carbon emissions.
Because each garden is tailored for each homeowner, company officers say
the costs vary depending on how large of a space is being planted and
the specific needs of the homeowner. Basic set up of a garden can cost
as little as $75 to $150 while larger gardens can run from $400 to $700
or more.
The companies may be contacted through their Web sites at
http://www.blueridgebackyard.com and http://www.cvillefoodscapes.com .
�A lot of people want to garden, but they don�t know how to go about
building one up or what to plant or when to plant it. We can help,�
Higgins said. �Other folks don�t really want to have to do anything but
want to have fresh vegetables. We can do all of it or just some of it.�
Higgins noted that Charlottesville residents are allowed to have
chickens, providing the birds are enclosed.
�We�re lucky here because you can have chickens and have access to fresh
eggs,� she said. �A lot of times neighbors go together to take care of
chickens and then share the eggs.�
Roberman said the garden growing idea works similar to local landscapers
who take care of yards and shrubs.
�We�ll do as much or as little as the owner wants. If they want to do
very little, we�ll come by on a regular basis and keep everything
running,� she said. �The idea is to help people eat healthier.�
--
Dan Clore
New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035LTS0O
Lord We�rdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
--
Money; What a Concept !
Rod Speed
Didnt cost me anything like that.
Al
>
> When the world was at war, Americans went to their backyards, rooftops,
> porches and porticos to plant vegetables for family consumption in
> Victory Gardens.
>
that trailer and you will find a ton of mushrooms to eat that were
nourished from all the plumbing leaks.
VFW
"Rod Speed" <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote:
> VFW wrote:
> > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/ycguo73
> > Local firms take root, aim to assist people raising their own food
> >
> > When the world was at war, Americans went to their backyards,
> > rooftops, porches and porticos to plant vegetables for family
> > consumption in Victory Gardens.
> >
> > Two local companies are hoping the current economic malaise will
> > encourage Central Virginians to fight tight finances, be healthier and
> > even reduce their carbon footprint by digging in their own dirt.
> >
> > CđVille Foodscapes and Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest are offering area
> > residents a chance to enjoy fresh food by setting up gardens in their
> > homes or on their properties. Both companies, run by experienced
> > gardeners, offer services that include designing, building, tilling,
> > planting, fertilizing and even harvesting the fruits of the
> > homeownersđ soil.
> >
> > CđVille Foodscapes will toss a party Sunday celebrating its opening.
> > The event, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Random Row Books, across from the bus
> > station, will feature music, garden crafts, food and the swapping of
> > seeds.
> >
> > ģWe came out of the local foodmovement and, about a year ago, a couple
> > of us were talking and we thought that what Charlottesville needed to
> > do was grow more food in the city,ē said Wendy Roberman, one of six
> > founding partners of Cđville Foodscapes, a worker-owner cooperative.
> > ģWe realized there was an alternative way to landscape someoneđs
> > property and that it could include growing food.ē
> >
> > The three partners of Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest have grown groceries
> > on small area farms and vineyards, raised chickens for eggs and raised
> > rabbits for food. Although they offer to help build chicken coops,
> > their focus is on crops.
> >
> > ģWhen you grow your own food, you know itđs quality, you know it isnđt
> > subject to being recalled, you know it wasnđt harvested by workers at
> > slave wages,ē said Guinevere Higgins, of Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest.
> > ģAt the end of the day, itđs not just what you eat, but what you
> > grew.ē
> >
> > Both companies base their concepts on Victory Gardens popular during
> > World War I and World War II.
> >
> > While the government bought up food supplies for soldiers, it
> > encouraged Americans to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs. Communities
> > set aside garden areas in public parks and people dedicated portions
> > of their yards, basement or homes to growing their own food.
> >
> > By the end of World War I, millions of gardens were being tilled. At
> > the end of World War II, there were an estimated 20 million gardens,
> > including one at the White House.
> >
> > In 2008, a civic effort in San Francisco attempted to bring back the
> > gardens as a way to decrease carbon emissions.
> >
> > Because each garden is tailored for each homeowner, company officers
> > say the costs vary depending on how large of a space is being planted
> > and the specific needs of the homeowner. Basic set up of a garden can
> > cost as little as $75 to $150
>
> Didnt cost me anything like that.
>
> > while larger gardens can run from $400 to $700 or more.
> >
> > The companies may be contacted through their Web sites at
> > http://www.blueridgebackyard.com and http://www.cvillefoodscapes.com .
> >
> > ģA lot of people want to garden, but they donđt know how to go about
> > building one up or what to plant or when to plant it. We can help,ē
> > Higgins said. ģOther folks donđt really want to have to do anything
> > but want to have fresh vegetables. We can do all of it or just some
> > of it.ē
> >
> > Higgins noted that Charlottesville residents are allowed to have
> > chickens, providing the birds are enclosed.
> >
> > ģWeđre lucky here because you can have chickens and have access to
> > fresh eggs,ē she said. ģA lot of times neighbors go together to take
> > care of chickens and then share the eggs.ē
> >
> > Roberman said the garden growing idea works similar to local
> > landscapers who take care of yards and shrubs.
> >
> > ģWeđll do as much or as little as the owner wants. If they want to do
> > very little, weđll come by on a regular basis and keep everything
> > running,ē she said. ģThe idea is to help people eat healthier.ē
> >
> > --
> > Dan Clore
> >
> > New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
> > http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
> > My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
> > http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035LTS0O
> > Lord Weĸrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
> > http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
> > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
> >
> > "From the point of view of the defense of our society,
> > there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
> > speaking to each other about their condition and their
> > aspirations _without intermediaries_."
> > --Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
> > the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
and plant my fav. veggie. American Artichokes. nee; Jerusalem
Artichokes.
disease free, almost a weed. Stores in the ground all winter. the
earliest food from the garden and highly recommended for Diabetics.
Rod Speed
Mate of mine has just planted some. I'm planning
to try some and see how I like them eating wise.
Potatoes arent hard to grow either. I just dont eat
a hell of a lot of them in the summer, prefer salads
for most meals in summer.
Lettuces dont grow well here, the 10 days over 100F
tends to stuff them up pretty badly. Havent tried under
shadecloth yet tho, have to try that next summer.
We're just coming to the end of the summer here.
Susan Bugher
> VFW wrote:
>> http://tinyurl.com/ycguo73
>> Local firms take root, aim to assist people raising their own food
>> Because each garden is tailored for each homeowner, company officers
>> say the costs vary depending on how large of a space is being planted
>> and the specific needs of the homeowner. Basic set up of a garden can
>> cost as little as $75 to $150
>
> Didnt cost me anything like that.
My very thought! :)
Food crops with shallow roots can be grown in dishpans (one of my aunts
had a "garden" on top of her picnic table when she could no longer
engage in the more strenuous activities a "regular" garden entails).
That's a pretty frugal way to start gardening (no need to buy rakes,
hoes etc.)
I snipped some stuff about how *healthy* growing your own veggies is.
That's NOT always true. Soil may be lead contaminated if it's near an
older structure that was painted with lead based point. (Soil can be
tested if there's any doubt about its safety for food crops.)
Susan
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed wrote
>> VFW wrote
>>> http://tinyurl.com/ycguo73
>>> Local firms take root, aim to assist people raising their own food
>>> Because each garden is tailored for each homeowner, company officers say the costs vary depending on how large of a
>>> space is being planted and the specific needs of the homeowner. Basic set up of a garden can cost as little as $75
>>> to $150
>> Didnt cost me anything like that.
> My very thought! :)
> Food crops with shallow roots can be grown in dishpans
And the lids off modern storage boxes are free from dumpsters too.
And the deeper rooted stuff grows fine in the deep polystyrene fresh food
containters that you can have for the asking from the back of stores too.
> (one of my aunts had a "garden" on top of her picnic table when she could no
> longer engage in the more strenuous activities a "regular" garden entails).
Yeah, I plan to try it in those polystyrene boxes inside the big patio doors
all along the sunny side of my passive solar house this winter myself.
> That's a pretty frugal way to start gardening (no need to buy rakes, hoes etc.)
Indeed. And they are available for peanuts at yard sales
if you want to grow stuff in the dirt in the yard too.
VFW
"Rod Speed" <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote:
Have a great harvest. More power to you.