Bremerton, WA.
The house next door:
Bremerton: The house next door to Jean and Glenn's.
Jean and Glenn’s house:
Betsey, Renee, and Erin observe the front yard with Jean. Zucchini, peppers, eggplant, lettuce.
Betsey took us on an awesome field trip a couple weeks ago, to visit StartNow Gardens in Bremerton. This is an urban farm built since 2003 by an amazing couple named Jean and Glenn. They have taken two city lots (they own two houses next door to each other, live in one and rent out the other) and transformed the space from boring yard into blooming farm. A composting system, fruit trees, berry bushes, raised beds, tomatoes in pots, an abundance of beautiful vegetables. Solar panels. A walk-in cooler powered by a window air conditioning unit. Three levels of rooftop garden connected by wooden catwalks. Everything meticulously maintained and every inch of space seemingly used.
Glenn by the greenhouses, salad bed, and herb bed in the front yard
The pictures speak for themselves. Farming is possible in the city. Imagine how much food could come out of Seattle if every neighborhood had a farm like this. Alternatively, imagine if every family had a single raised bed in their yard that made up a distributed, shared farm.
Fruit trees, strawberries, and solar panels on the multi-level rooftop garden
Jean and Glenn sell their produce, and soups they make from their produce, through a tiny, new, grocery store in Bremerton called FreshLocal. They have a secure market for their food as long as the store can stay in business. What do the Seattle city regulations have to say about growing food for sale on a residential lawn? What if you could feed yourself and make money from your little front yard garden?
Parking strip full of kale
I was definitely inspired by the visit and by seeing Jean and Glenn’s commitment to making a difference in their own corner of the world. Makes me want to go out and follow suit. Starting Now.
More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rwarner2/StartnowGardens#
"This is super cool!" Me and Betsey with Glenn and Jean on the roof
Filed under: farm visits, field trips, philosophical ramblings | Tagged: Bremerton WA, farming, organic farming, StartNowGardens, urban farming, vegetable gardening | Leave a comment »
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