Farmscape's Dan Allen writes today in the Huffington Post about the financial side of the gardening hobby. He finds that, at least for the average would-be edible gardener, that the labor and materials for hobbyist gardening will not paint such a thrifty picture as is generally assumed. 

In an article today, Nate Berg from The Atlantic talked with Dan Allen about Farmscape and the urban farming movement. The piece explores the crucial but often overlooked ingredient for an urban farm project's success: a diligent farmer. 

Berg writes:

They're growing like weeds, but often growing only weeds. Urban gardens and farms are appearing in backyards, schools and empty lots in cities all over the country. But people with the actual know-how and willingness to tend them – in other words, farmers – are far less abundant.

Read the full article here.

Farmscape's own Dan Allen published an article today on Seedstock, identifying one of the most common problems with urban farming attempts. Dan writes:

Urban farming has a dirty secret: the vast majority of garden plots in backyards, schoolyards, community gardens, rooftops and vacant lots are in a state of disrepair. Weeds outnumber thriving vegetables, soil nutrient levels are depleted, and irrigation is irregular at best.

What's missing is the patient, diligent farmer. Read the whole article here.

Lauren Lloyd at LAist wrote an article today covering our recent garden project on the Jonathan Club rooftop in downton Los Angeles. Check it out to learn more about the project. At the close of the piece, Lloyd asks:

Angelenos, any suggestions for their next urban garden mission?

 

 

 

Of course, this question is very much on our minds as well. If you have good ideas for locations or institutions ripe for more urban farming projects, please let us know! Let's turn the city back into a farm.

Ashley Archibald writes today in the Santa Monica Daily Press about Farmscape participation in Santa Monica:

People flock to Santa Monica's thrice-weekly Farmers' Markets for their pick of fresh produce from the Golden State, but a handful of Santa Monicans are joining a movement that takes "local" to a whole new level. 

With the help of a Los Angeles-based company called Farmscape, approximately 10 Santa Monicans brought the farm home to their front and back yards in the form of raised beds that Farmscape's employees tend once a week.

Check out the full article here and read interviews with several Farmscape members.