Cheap Food in the City? Grow Your Own. When Janell Fairman and her husband moved to Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, they didn't have a backyard. So, Fairman secured a small plot of land in their local community garden and began growing cherry tomatoes, eggplants and more. Gardening, Fairman said, has been a beloved hobby for years. And the 68-year-old retired archivist recognizes that growing her own produce could have economic benefits, too. "I think we eat better for the amount of money that we spend," she said.
As food prices continue to rise, many urbanites are beginning to share Fairman's reasoning. For city dwellers who don't own outdoor space, community garden plots -- which are typically owned by cities or nonprofit organizations -- are their answer to suburban backyard gardens. "You get these things, such as increasing food prices and the high cost of gas, and it really bites into a family's budget," said Rachel Surls, the county director for University of California Cooperative Extension, in Los Angeles County.
Wisconsin Man Starts 'Good Food' Revolution. Will Allen is a towering figure in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin, field. Working as a farmer, missionary and coach, he preaches the gospel of good food grown in the heart of the city. "Our new farmers will not come from rural America," Allen said. As president of the nonprofit organization Growing Power, Allen promotes urban farming among diverse groups in the inner city. Farming Is in His Blood Farming is in Allen's blood. Allen's parents worked as sharecroppers in South Carolina. "There was a sign, 'for sale,' for this place and something made me stop," Allen said. Now, Allen and 40 farmhands grow 160 different crops in solar-powered greenhouses.
"We grow enough food to feed 10,000 people," Allen said. Food Deserts The idea is to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to inner-city neighborhoods that the big grocery chains have abandoned. "The only place they can access good food is right here [at the farm] because we grow it and we bring it in from other farms that are in our co-op," Allen said.
Market Gardening - UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension Office. Roots In The City. Urban gardening.