Raised Bed Prep for Fall Greens

The raised bed had fallen into disuse over the past half decade. Earlier this year it was filled with roots from nearby shrubs, and dirt clods from long periods of drought. The irrigation system had been disrupted after we had the house repiped, and never brought back online. Our son built the raised bed years ago (see Building a Raised Garden Bed), and it has yielded some delicious, tender vegetables (see Vegetable Garden - Three Weeks, Adventures in Lettuce, and The Harvest). 

Water helps soften up the soil

Time for an overhaul! I used water to soften up the soil, and a shovel and clippers to expose and clean out the roots. I also used a small auger, typically used to plant bulbs, and a hand drill to "till" the soil and work in some fresh soil. The irrigation system still needs work, but we have a water source (and winter rains will be welcome).

A planting auger helps break up the soil

Finally the long and arduous process has paid off, and the raised bed is ready for fall greens! Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, late summer and fall are the perfect time to plant cool weather greens. I planted seeds for lettuce, chard, and spinach, and ordered more seeds from Renee's Garden for basil, dill, and parsley. 

Ready for fall planting

One hitch - Mr. Squirrel is busy harvesting acorns from the oak tree, and seems to think I prepared the garden bed just for him. He has no regard for tender vegetable shoots, only a mad drive to bury his winter supply of acorns!

Community Supported Agriculture

While learning more about urban farming in the San Francisco Bay Area, I kept reading about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and CSA plans. That made me curious to know more.

CSAs provide a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food from a farmer. Typically a farmer works out a plan with stakeholders describing what the farmer plans to grow.  The farmer offers “shares” of produce to the “shareholders.” A share may be a box of fruits and vegetables once a week. Shareholders subscribe in advance and receive their share. Farmers are paid in advance based on the subscriptions. Shareholders share in the benefits of fresh produce, as well as the risks associated with farming.

Photo by Madame Furie under Creative Commons non-commercial licnese
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/madame_furie/3649737943/).

There are variations on this model. Shareholders may be able to modify the contents of the box, to work out alternate schedules. Multiple farmers and food producers (bakers, meat, honey, and so forth) may form an informal cooperative, offering additional choices to the subscriber. The plan is submitted for inclusion in the CSA database. To find a CSA close to you, search the database: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/.

Urban Farming Exhibit

By chance, we encountered the urban gardening exhibit at the Oakland International Airport while seeing our son off to fly back to University of Alaska, Anchorage. The exhibit is presented by the Oakland Museum of California at the airport from June 24 – October 7, 2011, and was organized by guest curator Sean Olson. The installation describes and shows the basics of soil, composting, and vermiculture (use of worms).

Urban farming exhibit at Oakland International Airport

The exhibit also introduces three Oakland nonprofit organizations:

• City Slicker Farms – empowers West Oakland to meet basic healthy food needs by creating urban farms and backyard gardens: http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/

• OBUGS (Oakland Based Urban Gardens) – uses gardens to build healthy communities for children, youth and families in a network of school and neighborhood gardens, green spaces, and farmers’ markets: www.obugs.org/

• Planting Justice – is dedicated to food justice, economic justice, and sustainable local food systems, by helping families build their own gardens, fostering an understanding of food, and enabling them to grow fresh food: http://www.plantingjustice.org/

These organizations provide a proactive and positive solution for bringing fresh, affordable, and delicious food to the urban setting in West Oakland, building a healthy community, and helping to create green jobs.

Urban Farming

Here is an interesting LA Times article about urban farming, written by Lee Romney, and shared by an Eden By The Bay reader: Across the Bay Area, urban farming is in season. The article describes a legal urban farm that is operating in the San Francisco city limits. Two enterprising women run the small commercial farm, Little City Gardens. This is possible because they challenged the San Francisco Planning Code, and the San Francisco Planning Commission revised the code! The revision enables small parcels of land to be used to grow horticultural crops and sell them within the city limits. According to the article, Oakland and Berkeley are also revising their city planning codes for urban agriculture.

Little City Gardens green house (photo by David Silver,
under Creative Commons non-commercial license:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsilver/5438375239/)

This seems like a great idea - small urban farms close to the people they serve. It saves fuel, provides delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables to city residents, and provides a respite green zone in the cityscape. This could pave the way for more community or roof top gardens for restaurants, homeless shelters, and apartment dwellers. Without zoning changes, it may be illegal to sell or give away produce from your garden, or to grow vegetables in your front yard! Some oversight would be beneficial, to ensure soil is not polluted, and harmful chemicals are not used. But overall this seems like a great idea.

To read the ordinance: http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/planning/article1generalzoningprovisions?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_102.35

Farmers’ Market to Your Door

An option for obtaining fresh produce in the San Francisco Bay Area is to subscribe to a co-op or distributor. For years I’ve subscribed to Spud (formerly The Box, until it was acquired by Spud; http://www.spud.com/). Every two weeks I receive a box of organically grown fruits and vegetables, mostly from local or nearly-local farms and orchards. The produce is beautiful, delicious, and farm fresh.

Organic peas grown in the Bay Area

I typically get a standard box with in-season produce every two weeks. I can customize if I want, but I typically like to be surprised with what is in season, and adapt my meals accordingly. Their Web site makes it easy to change my delivery schedule and box contents if I choose. I receive an e-mail in advance that lists the produce I will receive, which helps for planning meals and other shopping needed for the week. The packing slip lists the local or imported source of each product. Delivery is free with a minimum order amount.

Another option in the Bay Area is Planet Organics (http://www.planetorganics.com/), which enables you to shop online for organic produce and other products. They also offer a delivery service. Their Web site provides a resource for producers, growers, and consumers.

Farmers’ Markets

I love going to the Farmers’ Market in Montclair after church on Sunday in search of good food and culinary treasures. What a treat to purchase the week’s fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, eggs, meat, and seafood directly from a local grower or producer, or street food right from the vendor. This is the idea behind year-round or seasonal farmers markets in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Farmers' Market in Montclair Village - a great place to shop

The produce is freshly picked, in season, and full of flavor. Small growers may offer heirloom or special varieties, which big producers cannot grow and distribute. Purchasing directly from the producer and mingling with your neighbors creates a sense of community and relationship. Buying locally also reduces fuel consumption to get product to market. The markets are typically on the weekend, but some are offered during the week.

The Montclair market is part of the Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association (to find a market near you: http://www.urbanvillageonline.com/). But they are just one of many such associations. The Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association manages the Sunday market at Jack London Square (http://www.jacklondonsquare.com/events/farmersmarket.html); some Kaiser Medical Centers host markets on site (https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/redirects/farmersmarkets/in-northern-california.htm); and many San Francisco Bay Area cities and towns offer markets (check the Internet for what’s available in your town). One of my favorite markets is the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace for its cut flowers and produce (http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php).