The QCF Vision

Crops are Growing

The last couple weekends have been very productive. Our new farm manager and staff were able to spend some time working to get beds made and plants in the ground before their official start date of July 1st. We have nearly 200 tomato, pepper, cucumber, radish, melon and others in the ground. We are looking forward to doubling the size of the current field with more summer and fall crops. Our 13 fruit trees are doing well and we are looking forward to a cherry harvest next month.
We have an irrigation system in place watering our crops automatically. This doesn't sounds like much but it eliminates over an hour of work each day that can be focused on other efforts.

We look forward to building a greenhouse this season and materials are needed for this effort. If you would like to contribute to this effort that will extend our season and reduce our costs contact Rod by sending an email to rod(at)queencityfarm(dot)org.

Grace and peace to all.

Urban gardens ease bills, brighten cityscape

Check out the article from USAToday about the success of urban agriculture in Detroit:

The neighborhood garden a block from her home was the source of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers for her family last summer.

So on a recent sunny Saturday, White, 48, enlisted two of her kids — Katherine White, 9, and David Smith, 13 — and her grandson Robert Puritan, 8, to start planting for this year's growing season.

White says the garden helps ease her grocery bill and "helps the community and makes it look better."

Keep reading:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-06-02-urbangardens_N.htm?csp=usat.me

Here we grow again!

Today was a huge blessing. Our neighbor took his dump truck out to Amherst's municipal composting facility this morning and picked up 10 tons to beautiful soil. He backed into the vacant lot that we own and tried to dump the load. Unfortunately for me, even his skilled driving couldn't get the soil out of the bed. I ended up climbing inside and shoveling the remaining soil out of the truck.


Duffy, a volunteer from the Wesleyan Church at Hamburg came over and spent the morning helping me remove the sod and mound our raised beds with soil. A few hours of back-breaking labor and we have several beds almost ready for planting. Come Memorial Day we will set out 150 tomato plants and a variety of other veggies. Thanks to all who lent a hand.

Recognition

Urban agriculture continues to receive recognition from national organizations. Will Allen, the founder of Growing Power in the heart of Milwaukee, Wisconsin recently received a MacArthur Fellowship (a.k.a. genius grant) and is currently nominated for the Natural Resources Defense Council's 2009 Growing Green award.

As the Queen City continues to grapple with its changing identity lets hope that leadership will be able to recognize the potential that is gaining national prominence and attention from the White House to the row house.

http://www.nrdc.org/health/growinggreen.asp

The Queen City's Potential:

An Urban Farmer is Rewarded for His Dreams

At home in Buffalo.

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