Urban Homesteading with Plants – Part III Traditional Gardening
Traditional gardening has changed as more and more farmland is eaten up. Today, traditional gardening can be tied into the local food movement. This movement has its own terminology that describes many modern day urban homesteaders. These terms include hyperlocal, Locavore, edible landscaping, yard sharing, and community gardens.
Location of Food Source
The hyperlocal and Locavore concept is very important to the urban homesteader. Both terms simply mean that the products you use only come from your local environment. Hyperlocal typically indicates products that one has grown while Locavore can be loosely defined as an individual that only uses products grown in their local environment. This environment can be as small as a local gardener’s yard to a 100-mile radius such as in the 100-mile diet.
Edible Landscape
The place where gardening occurs has also changed. Today edible plants can be found growing in different landscape designs. Formal gardens are being sprinkled with tomato and pepper plants along with a resurgence of the traditional kitchen garden. This European form of gardening incorporates shrubs along with herbs and vegetables.
To integrate an edible landscape into your existing landscape plan, you will first need to survey your needs and your environment. Most vegetable plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight so keep this in mind during the planning process.
The edible landscape is a great time to utilize the technique of companion planting. This concept utilizes the principles of plants that are good neighbors and bad neighbors. Good neighbors grow together well and provide protection from pests or sun while bad neighbors create a harmful environment.
A simple edible landscape can be created around the rose garden. An assortment of herbs and vegetable work with roses and provide protection from many of the major pests and diseases that attack roses. Herbs, such as sage, garlic, parsley, and lavender add beauty, help conserve soil moisture, and protect roses from Japanese beetles and aphids. They also attract a beneficial insect called a hoverfly and enhance the smell of the rose.
Vegetables also provide protection from blackspot while providing food. Kale, eggplant, Swiss chard, broccoli and peppers are all good neighbors for roses. Tomatoes, as well, work with roses and can be trellised along side these beautiful flowers.
When utilizing this technique, keep in mind that you cannot use any pesticide in the landscape that is not safe for edibles. The best approach one can use when confronted with a pest or disease problem is to follow organic gardening principles.
Yard-Sharing
Yard sharing is a concept based on sharecropping. The principle is simple. An individual will allow someone to garden in his or her yard in exchange for a portion of the crop. Both the back and front yard is utilized in this technique. Many landowners who are participating in yard sharing prefer that the backyard be used for security reasons.
If the homeowner involved in yard sharing wants to contribute to his or her community food supply, then the front yard is a great location. Many gardeners enjoy vegetable gardening in the front yard and invite their neighbors over for the harvest. In some areas, where the economy has had a major impact on budgets, front yards are turned into vegetable gardens to reduce community hunger. Squash your sidewalk & squash hunger is a program started in Portland, Oregon to promote and encourage gardeners to grow food in their front yard. This food then becomes free for those who need it.
Before participating in yard sharing, make sure that everything is in writing. This includes who can be on the property and what percentage of the crop the homeowner expects to get. Also include what type of pest management is acceptable, time you can be in the garden, and who will pay for the water used for the garden if it needs to be watered.
If the yard sharing or your own garden is going to be in the front yard, make sure that your community does not have any bylaws against this practice.
Community Gardens
Community gardens are a new idea that has resurfaced in the gardening community. This technique started during WWI and was carried over to WWII. Civilians could contribute to the war effort by growing food. This food would then be used to support the troops and the American people. The White House even had community garden on the great lawn during this time. During this time, people were encouraged to garden anywhere they could and human ingenuity created many unique garden spaces. Some converted the broken down cars that they stayed in into garden spaces during the summer. Truck beds doubled as movable gardens that could be relocated anytime a possible job became available.
Today, community gardens serve several purposes. They provide people land to garden on and a social network of like-minded people. Many community gardens donate to local food banks, schools, and homeless shelters. They also provide a knowledge base that today’s society lacks. Beginning gardeners can get help and guidance from more experienced gardeners. This is very important since our older generation does not have the gardening knowledge to pass on to the next generation.
Beyond gardening advice, many community gardens offer classes on canning, food preservation, worm composting, and permaculture.
Today, the urban homesteader has many different opportunities to garden. These range from gardening in the landscape to gardening on someone else’s property. All these techniques will help everyone eat, drink and be merry in their own local environment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mindy McIntosh-Shetter has been an Agricultural Science educator, and is a horticulture and/or environmental blogger who earned a degree from Purdue University in Agriculture Education with a minor in biology, and natural resources. Presently she is finishing up her Masters in Environmental Education and Urban Planning for the University of Louisville while working on her own agriculture/environmental blog.
