SPREADING SEEDS

A couple o' blogs to check out

2010-01-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Justin Tilson, founder of the Railway Guerrilla Garden by Granville Island, runs a couple of blogs which are well worth checking out.

The first - thetilsons.com - is run with his wife Lisa, and is focused on their experience of urban homesteading in Vancouver. Much useful and interesting information can be found through a quick browse.

Justin's personal blog - Conscious Living in Transition Times - covers issues as wide ranging as Peak Oil, social media, and community building.

Please, go check them out.

Justin was huge in making our video Spreading Seeds (yes, shameless self promotion again) what it is, and provided us with invaluable insight into the world of urban agriculture in Vancouver.

Thanks Justin.

TED Talks: James Howard Kunstler

2009-12-23T22:50:00.001-08:00

For those interested in urban agriculture and the issues entangled in it, this video might be of some use when thinking and talking about those issues - particularly public space.

If you'll remember from our documentary Spreading Seeds, we identified the decline of public space as being one of the fundamental issues that urban agriculture helps to mitigate.

In this insightful, passionate, and sometimes genuinely funny talk, James Howard Kunstler speaks to the "tragedy of suburbia", and the need for citizens to reclaim, and redesign public space. Kunstler insists that we need space in our cities to be proud of, space that is meaningful to human life, and space that we can and want to care for. Moreover he is arguing that change is needed across the spectrum of life, (and with regard to agriculture), "The days of the 3000 mile caesar salad are over".

>>Click here to watch The Tragedy of Suburbia

SPREADING SEEDS - The Movie

2009-12-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Finally available online: Spreading Seeds - our short documentary on urban agriculture in Vancouver.

What else to say?
>>WATCH IT
ENJOY
Let us know what you think!

>>Click here to watch Spreading Seeds

Growing Carrots From Seeds

2009-11-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone attending the premiere of Spreading Seeds will receive carrot seeds to start growing.

Instructions - Growing Carrots From Seeds:

Sow thinly 15 mm deep allowing 30 cm between rows. Keep soil moist.
Repeat fortnightly for succession.
Thin out to 10 cm apart and water well.
Suitable for deep freezing but best eaten fresh!

*Special thanks to Adel at Home Depot who donated the seeds!

What You Can Do - Spread Seeds!

2009-11-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

We are only a few hours away from the premiere of Spreading Seeds, the urban agriculture documentary we have been relentlessly working on throughout fall.
As excited as we are about presenting the fruits of our work to our fellow "communicators for social change" we believe it's important to emphasize that our ultimate goal is to get people to engage actively in the food system, to raise awareness, care and spread seeds!

Here's what you can do:

Start growing in your backyard, on your balcony, in pots!
Tell your friends and tell your family about growing a small amount of their food.
Find out where your food comes from.
Join a community garden!
Ask locally grown food.
Re-think your space, re-think the food system!

Ready? Set. Grow!

West Coast Seeds

2009-11-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we posted some tips on how to get started.
Now here's a good source of help for you: West Coast Seeds!
A lot of people we've been talking to have referred to West Coast Seeds as a good place to start with if you want information and, of course, the seeds you need to start growing your own food.

The entreprise's website is well designed, providing detailed information on how to grow what where and when.
How to use this resource:

Drop by their store: 3935 64th Street, Vancouver.
E-mail them your questions. >> Click here
Give them a call: 604-952-8820 or at 1-888-804-8820.
Order seeds, plants, soil and tools online. >>Click here
Browse through their website for more info. >> Click here

Happy Gardening!
www.westcoastseeds.com

SFU Local Food Project: Survey

2009-11-26T14:10:00.001-08:00

The SFU Local Food Project invites you to participate to their survey .

The survey aims to assess the amount of local food consumed and/or grown on SFU's campus and the UniverCity development. The findings will help shape future projects and assess current successes.

It takes only 10 minutes to complete and you will have the opportunity to enter our draw to win a $50 gift certificate for the local farmers' market of your choice!

The survey closes on November 30, 2009.

>>To access the survey, click here

Did You Know?

2009-11-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

Every $1 spent on seed and soil can save $2.50 in food purchases, according to the Free Range Network’s “own grown economics.”
A 10’x10’ plot can provide a family with 322 pounds of food, based on the Ecology Action group’s “biointensive agriculture” program.
Adults with a household member in a community garden were found three times more likely to eat fruits and vegetables at least five times a day in a study of 766 Michigan adults reported by the Society for Nutrition Education.
The two biggest barriers to growing in Vancouver were lack of land (15% of respondents) and lack of knowledge (12%), according to a VCAN survey of 120 adults interested in community gardening.

Source: Community Agriculture Network/Environmental Youth Alliance (2008)

Gardening 101 - How to Get Started

2009-11-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

1- Who?

Who will be involved in your project? Are you only growing for yourself and by yourself or is it going to be for your household, neighborhood, community? Talk with the different parties involved (including land owners if the space isn't yours!).

-Community garden: PLAN. Get a committee together, know what you want to do, how you will organize your group and deal with issues.

2-The Land

Select a space that gets light (sun!), good soil, and where access to water is easy. Also make sure that the zoning and the land owner allow you to grow there.

-No land?
Get some pots in your home.
Join share a backyard or ASK someone to let you grow on their land.
Start guerilla gardening!

-No good soil? Construct raised beds and put healthy soil in there.
-Space: Start little. A common mistake is starting with a too big plot.

3- Get the tools, the gear, the soil!

A pair of gloves, a shovel and a little garden rake should do it to begin.
You may want to use kneelers, a garden hoe, a hand trowel and gardening shears. A hose would be good to have to get the water to your garden.
Soil: It’s cheaper to buy topsoil, manure, sand, compost and/or combinations in bulk rather than to haul bags from a garden store. Check directories or ads for companies/contractors which also deliver. Tell them how big is your garden plot and they'll tell you how much you need.

4-Budget
Consider how much you can spend and how much supplies will cost you (seeds, plants, soil, tools). This will influence how much you grow and what can you grow.
*Don't hesitate to ask around, you may know someone who has some of the tools you need sitting in their garage.

5- Growing!
Select what to grow based on what the plants will need versus what you can offer to them: sun, shade, water, growing season, amount of care, space needed, etc. Ask the people at your garden store, get a book, read the instructions on little seed packages and use google!
Here's a calendar to help with your selection:
Final word:
Dare to do it; you'll learn along the way.

>> Info on community gardens
>> Map of community gardens in Vancouver
>>Video with tips on how to start

How To Feed The World - The Economist

2009-11-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

This week's edition of The Economist pays attention to the current food market.
The article calls for a better food market in which food security does not equate "food self-sufficiency" but rather means better global trade. This is not really in line with our own micro-level approach but it is a different perspective which we consider worth reading.

HOW TO FEED THE WORLD - Business As Usual Will Not Do It.

In 1974 Henry Kissinger, then America’s secretary of state, told the first world food conference in Rome that no child would go to bed hungry within ten years. Just over 35 years later, in the week of another United Nations food summit in Rome, 1 billion people will go to bed hungry.

This failure, already dreadful, may soon get worse. None of the underlying agricultural problems which produced a spike in food prices in 2007-08 and increased the number of hungry people has gone away. Between now and 2050 the world’s population will rise by a third, but demand for agricultural goods will rise by 70% and demand for meat will double. These increases are in a sense good news in that they are a result of rising wealth in poor and middle-income countries. But they will have to happen without farmers clearing large amounts of new land (there is some scope for expansion, but not much) or using up lots more water (in parts of the world, water supplies are stretched to their limit or beyond). Moreover, they will take place while farmers also wrestle with the consequences of climate change, which, on balance, will do more harm than good to farmland round the world.

>>Read the full article

Backyard Sharing in Metro Vancouver

2009-11-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

The idea goes like this:
A - You have a backyard and you're willing to share it with others.
B - You want to start growing your own fruits and vegetables but don't have a space for it.

A + B = Backyard Sharing!

Sharingbackyards.com is a free (and easy to use) service which connects potential growers and land owners together. All you have to do is enter you address, your status (seeking or offering) and provide the website with an e-mail address for people to reach you at!
>>Share a backyard in Vancouver

Guerilla Guardening - local food, community building, security, beauty!

2009-11-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago we visited a fantastic guerilla garden located just by Granville Island on the site of an old CP railway. The city does not own the land and CP cannot do anything with it -no trains are likely to pass by the garden since there's a Starbucks built right on the tracks about 300 meters from the garden: what a perfectly grey area for a guerrilla garden!
So one day, Justin Tilson, who lives next to the tracks, decided to clean that unused piece of land that and turn it into a simply amazing garden. Other residents soon joined the "revolution", namely Jen Gauthier and Trevor Hodgson, who also met with us that weekend.
Basically, these guerilla gardeners completely transformed a space where people felt more or less safe (dark, dirty, where thieves would hide stolen merchandise) and that others used as a dump (apparently an incredible amount of garbage came out of that site!).

Now, the garden produces locally grown vegetables, fruits and flowers for the residents (and for bypassers' enjoyment...). People say they feel safer when walking in the area since the land is being taken care of and there are often people working at the garden. Also, Jen and Trevor mentioned that through gardening, they've met so many of their neighbourgs that they've created a community that would otherwsie be inexistant!

The place became so popular that the gardeners are often asked: "How do I join this community garden?". Well, this is the beauty of guerilla gardening; there are no basic rules except: clear the land and it is yours to cultivate! One of the downsides of that practice is that since it is a guerilla tactic, gardeners are never sure how long their garden will last but, on a positive note, the garden has been running for seven years!

The moral of the story: Do not wait to own a piece of land to do something; available land is nearer than you may think!
Rethink your space!

>>To see the complete photo album click here!

Our sincere thanks to Justin, Jen, and Trevor for taking time to show us around their beautiful gardens.

Putting the fun back into social activism!

2009-11-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

David Tracey, author of Guerrilla Gardening: A ManualFesto, wrote with reference to the rationale behind guerrilla gardening: "Yes, the earth is in drastic shape, and OK, we're all going to die, but no, we will not in the meantime be driven into becoming dour, hand wringing, finger wagging scolds. We will have fun and we will save the planet at the same time." We would like to think that we are taking a similar approach with this blog and our campaign. This compilation of clips that we've captured over the past few weeks show that yes, social activism can be...FUN!

The community gets together for the SOLEfood Inner City Farm

2009-11-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

In only one day, last Saturday, a vacant parking lot besides the Astoria Hotel on Hastings has been transformed into an urban farm, thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers and the people from Projects In Place in collaboration with United We Can.
The Green Thumb Citizens were on site to witness the power of a group of people who decided to change the city's landscape. It was truly amazing to see people from all ages and backgrounds joining efforts to transform this part of the Downtown Eastside.
Now that the project has be "physically" implemented, much work remains to be done. Saturday was a real success, with the weather cooperating and lots of people volunteering their time but, much work remains to be done. As Kira Gerwing, a Vancouver City Planner involved in the project, pointed out, "this farm will be operating rain or shine, we've got volunteers now but one challenge will be to keep the people involved as the project evolves".

Getting involved: If you want to donate some of your time or to learn more about the SOLEfood Inner City Farm please visit the Projects In Place website or contact them directly at projectsinplace@gmail.com

New Urban Farm in the Downtown Eastide: Volunteers Wanted!

2009-10-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Green Thumb Citizens will attend the kick off event of the SOLEfood urban farm in the Downtown Eastside (located at the corner of Hastings and Hawk street by the Astoria Hotel) this Saturday October 31st at 10 am.
Volunteers wanted: Come help out build planters, compost bins, a community mural and a garden shed. For more info & pre-registration please contact projectinplace@gmail.com.

This is fantastic news: A new street garden will be implemented in the Downtown Eastside. An unused parking space will be turned into a fully functioning farm; this means not only 3,500 square feet made available for growing fruits and vegetables but also new employment opportunities, increased economic capacity (the organic food produced will be made available to community kitchen ), improved aesthetics and community building.

See you there!

Current street view of the Hastings @ Hawk intersection:

Projected SOLEfood urban farm:

>> Click here for more information!<<

Quote of the Day

2009-10-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

We need to look at urban agriculture as a potential solution to problems in the city, whether it's the use of vacant lots, the greening effort, or health issues. - Daniel Heryer, who runs Bad Seed Farm with his wife, Brooke Salvaggio.

Earlier this week we mentioned the actions undertaken by the Bad Seed Farm and Kansas City citizens to enact policy change so to make urban farming part of urban development.
Well, it seems like things are moving; last Tuesday, about 100 people ( including urban farmers, community leader and city officials) gathered to discuss the process for potentially changing the development code in Kansas City!
Inspiring.

>>Click here to read the full article<<

Vancouver International Film Festival: Homegrown

2009-10-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

On October 5th, the three of us went to a screening of the film Homegrown, directed by Robert McFalls. The film documents the Dervaes family who, on their 1/5 acre plot of land a few hundred feet from the freeway in Pasadena California, harvest 6000 pounds of produce annually. The family's story is quite remarkable, and McFalls' treatment of it raises a lot of important questions surrounding urban agriculture. We were lucky enough to get an interview with McFalls, and have posted it here for you to enjoy.

Please visit the film's website at www.homegrown-film.com

Urban Farmers Facing Difficulties in Kansas City -"if you eat food, this issue effects you too"

2009-10-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a great example of some of the challenges faced by urban farmers when it comes to municipal regulation.

As a result of a neighbor's complaint about Brooke Salvaggio's urban farm the Bad Seed Farm is no longer allowed to have any volunteers or apprentices help them tend their bountiful beds, even if the workers are doing it for free! Also, customer now have to drive to the farm's downtown storefront as it is considered as violation of the city codes if they pick up their veggie boxes at the Bad Seed Farm (the production site).
The good news is, because of this issue, Kansas City citizens are now actively engaged in the elaboration of city codes supportive of urban agriculture.
Bad Seed's representative have exposed how current city laws can make life difficult for urban farmers to city officials who seem willing to change those laws. In fact, the city is currently in the middle of a lengthy review of the development codes.
Tonight, the community is getting together to discuss how city codes could be made more helpful for urban farmers.
Although this is happening in Kansas City, we are should equally be concerned with this issue as it indicates the need to secure a legitimate place for urban agriculture in urban development policies.

>>Click here to read the full article<<

Below: Dan Heryer - Bad Seed Farm Owner

Working With Urban Farmers For Food Security

2009-10-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has published a comprehensive study of the issues at stakes in what matters to urban population as well as developing countries and food security.

The United Nations predicts that over the next 25 years nearly all population growth will be in the cities of the developing world. At current rates, 60% of the world’s total population will live in cities by 2030. As the cities grow, so does the number of urban poor. Unemployment, hunger, and malnutrition are commonplace. In the big city, most of any cash income the poor might bring home goes to feeding themselves and staying alive; any food that does not have to be bought is a bonus. As a result, more and more people are attempting to grow at least some of their own food to supplement poor diets and meager incomes. But farming in the city — urban agriculture — is too often seen by municipalities as a problem to be eradicated rather than as a part of the solution to making the city and its environment more sustainable.

>>Click here to access the full study<<

The Green Thumb Citizens Take Over Vancouver

2009-10-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our blog!
We created this site in order to connect YOU with Urban Agriculture.
Here, you will find information on Urban Agriculture in Vancouver and around the world. This blog will also serve as a tool to monitor and showcase our progresses in our quest for a public space where urban farming is a well establish and recognized practice.
Every week, we will be meeting with the people who actively bring urban farming to the world (last weekend we went to the Trout Lake Farmer's Market and already met with some key members of the community!).
The final result of our social change initiative will be the production of a documentary, Spreading Seeds, which will connect Urban Farmers with YOU: you are the people who have the ability to engage in urban agriculture and transform your environment in a sustainable way.

Thank you for joining the ride, please drop us a line at anytime!

The Green Thumb Citizens