Portland Urban Farming at People’s Co-op

Just got back from a great event at the People’s Food Co-op in SE Portland.  It was a community meeting and discussion on the topic of urban farming.  I first want to thank everyone who showed up to explore this topic of urban farming and what it means for our community.  I also want to thank Calliope from Calliope’s Table for organizing this event.  I’m sure this is the first of what will be many community efforts to explore and develop the concept of urban farming.  It’s all so new to so many of us.  While the concepts have been around for a while, widespread acceptance is just now starting to happen.

So many of the people driving this important effort where in attendance tonight.  I want to take the opportunity to highlight just a few of the shining stars of this budding movement.  First, there was Martin Barrett co-founder of City Garden Farms.  He was an inspiration to all.   Just a year ago he worked as a retail manager at Powells Books.  Now he is motivating others to follow their dreams of becoming a farmer.  You could say that he is leading by example.

Martin Barrett, co-founder of City Garden Farms

There were so many that I’ll just list a few of them here:

Farmer K -  Sunroots Gardens

Bob New – Interstate FarmersMarket Manager and Portland Urban Farming Project

Naomi Montacre – Concentrates

Philip Yates – Singer Hill CSA

And so many more…

I spoke to a really nice guy outside as I was leaving and he told me a story about someone he knows in Florida who was trying to find out more about the concept and trying to understand how to get the laws changed there so that urban farming would be made legal.   “Legal!?!  Growing vegetables and selling them is illegal in Florida?!?”, I thought.  That’s actually the case in many places.  Residential zoning excludes any agricultural uses in many cities and towns around the country.  Inevitably, the search for information on urban farming brought the Floridian to discover Portland, OR.  Portland is obviously the epicenter of this movement.  Portland is once again on the cutting edge of a new movement as it has been so many times before.  I realized, as I have so many times before, how lucky I am to live in Portland, OR.  It’s so good here that some parts of the city government, like the Office of Planning and Sustainablity, are actually encouraging urban farming.

Portland is hungry for local food.  Portlanders want to know how to grow their own food.  The time is ripe for food security.  POP Farming can help.

Urban Growth Bounty – Urban Farming Classes

The City of Portland is putting on the the best gardening and urban farming classes in the area.  They’re calling this series Urban Growth Bounty.

POP Farmer - Dan Bravin is presenting at Urban Growth Bounty!

These are the classes you’ll want to attend to really get up to speed on producing lots of vegetables in the space you have.  Everything you want to know about gardening is covered here.  The best and most interesting class in the series is being presented by one of our own POP Farmers, Dan Bravin.  Check out the SPIN Farming workshop and learn how to grow your vegetable garden.  You’ll learn how to use the techniques of intensive gardening.  Are you familiar with John Jeavons‘ biointensive technique or Eliot Coleman’s 4 season harvest?  The work they’ve done is some of the inspiration for SPIN Farming.

Don’t let this season go by without starting your vegetable garden.  It’s a great time to learn to grow your own vegetables.  Food security sure is a good feeling!