The Urban Farmer Field School

Spring is here, and I hope everyone is able to spend more time outside and less time sitting in front a computer or being a slave to a smart phone.  I like being outdoors, so that's my excuse for not presenting new content on this blog since 2012. I was pleased to assist with the creation of this brand new front yard edible garden on a very sloping site in Seattle:

Whether you are starting from scratch or you are an experienced gardener, there is much to learn about growing food in the city.  Some useful courses given by SPEC in Vancouver have come to my attention:

The Urban Farmer Field School 2013

Happy Spring!

We’d like to introduce you to the 2013 season of the Urban Farmer Field
School, brought to you by the Society Promoting Environmental
Conservation! This spring, get ready for courses in sustainable
agriculture and DIY food systems – everything from starting your seeds
to starting an urban farm business.

We’ve expanded this year, offering 25 courses in total. This spring get
ready for:

•       Growing Food In Small Spaces
•       Fruit Tree Canopy Management
•       Grassroots Bioremediation
•       Organic Soil Management
•       Succession Planting
•       Seed Starting
•       Seed Saving
•       MarketSafe Certification
•       Urban Farming On A Budget, and
•       Medicinal Herbs

… And Much More!

To look at the full course list and to register for classes, check out:
http://www.spec.bc.ca/farmer-field-school

The Shortest Day

Leeks, strawberries, and kale in my front yard on the shortest day in 2012.

Detroit, Part 4

Potato plants carry on the automotive industry tradition!

The building in the background is unfortunately now a see-through building.  Because the city's ash trees are dying due to the Emerald Ash Borer, the city uses this now vacant land as a tree nursery for future transplants.

Nearby, surrounded by an expanse of lawn, there were raised beds and this long row of tomatoes, for selling at a market.

With another view of the butterfly and thistle, we now say goodbye to the Detroit blogs. Seeing the empty expanses and the endeavours to grow food in Detroit had quite an impact on me.  Cities are all so different, and they change and evolve.  I wonder what is ahead for Vancouver with all its high-end construction--what will survive and be viable in the future global economy?  If you want to learn more about Detroit, link here:   Urban Roots