What is a road block?

We move at the pace of nature. So that we observe, dip our toes, make a connection, spark an idea. And usually the idea remains dormant until conditions are just right for germination. Really, we cannot force things to be a way that is against nature—because nature has her ways, and as a part of nature we really have no choice in the matter but to accept her rules.

So what happens when an obstacle comes in the way of what we want? Well, it means to me that we have to re-evaluate our strategy. Its not a road block, merely a speed bump.

Urban Harvest has been working  very diligently—slowly but methodically—to create a fully-fleshed proposal for an urban farm.  I say full-fleshed because we tried to anticipate every question, every bit of skepticism and have an answer. We answered all the questions but one, and that one turns out to be the most important: What about the soil? A: If its contaminated, we’ll clean it up.

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the creativity of urban food

In honor of the last day of May, I’ve chosen to visually celebrate  a few noteworthy displays of international ingenuity and imagination in  urban farming…

rooftop vegetables

shoji of exterior lettuce

finally, wheels with a small carbon footprint

dumpster garden

recycled tire garden

a schooltop in Queens

a favorite, cabbage field planted outside of Tokyo Government building

Check out this video, and tap into your own imagination:

Happy Memorial Day.

http://www.urbanharvest-gso.com/

Spring CSA harvest overflowing at Dunleith Garden!

Nothing says good morning like turnips, radicchio, and red torpedo onions! These are just a few of the items that stocked the Urban Harvest CSA crates this week. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a weekly initiative that Urban Harvest provides to individuals or groups that have purchased a seasonal CSA membership. Every Tuesday afternoon, Spring members receive a hearty array of fresh herbs, greens, and colorful veggies that have been harvested, packaged, and distributed directly from the Dunleith Community Garden.

harvested produce waiting to be cleaned 🙂

CSA’s are a growing phenomenon (even in fisheries by the coast!) to increase the proximity of the food produced to the food consumed.  Swing by the Dunleith site on a Tuesday morning, and you will find the founder of Urban Harvest, Dawn Leonard and other Urban Harvest volunteers harvesting and cleaning vegetables straight from the Earth.

Dawn harvesting delicious veggies!

fresh raddichio

The harvest is then distributed based on share into hand-made wooden crates with a  personalized news-letter taped to the side.  Around five-o’clock an onlooker will find Leonard sitting with her crates awaiting pick-up, talking with neighbors, or pilfering around the garden making improvements. One thing for sure, when a CSA member arrives to pick up their crate that afternoon, they can rest assured that their produce was given the care and attention we should expect of all our food sources.

recyclable CSA crates, packed and ready to be delivered to their owners

To learn more about CSA, contact Urban Harvest at urbanharvest.gso@gmail.com . In the mean time check out this really neat video made by other urban farmers in New York City:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcR2J63_44c&feature=related

Listen up, Greensboro Gardeners!

Hello all,

May showers have brought in a stunning growth of fresh herbs and vegetables to keep us gardeners’ busy at  Urban Harvest’s Dunleith Community Garden. If you haven’t visited the garden yet, or are just hearing about Urban Harvest, you simply have to use some of your summer free time to experience this local movement.The garden is located  close to Summit Avenue in the Aycock Historic District (681 Chestnut Street) and offers a beautiful location for youth, families, and school groups to come participate in a true “urban harvest”.

it's thyme to get outdoors and garden

In fact, groups such as Greensboro Day School and UNCG will be hosted by Urban Harvest at the garden in the upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out for updates and renovations!

As we all know, summer is one of the best times of year to experience something new (perhaps because the kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful, the pollen is gone, your boss is on vacation, …. and the list goes on).  So why not seize this opportunity to become involved in a fresh local food movement expanding right here in the Triad! What’s stopping you? It’s simply too easy and enjoyable to pass up.

Currently, there are an array of promising projects, from tomato trellising to sprout production, that you could become involved in. Bring a few  friends, maybe a pal from work, or simply do something for yourself in June! Come learn techniques to expand your own garden, start a neighborhood garden, or simply feel more knowledgeable when you’re picking out groceries.

If you have never planted a seed in your life, or if you have been green thumbin’ it since diapers, it’s all the same. Come join us  for an unforgettable experience at the Dunleith Community Garden!

In one day you truly can make a difference.

To schedule a day of adventure at the garden or if you simply want to make a donation to Urban Harvest,  please contact urbanharvest.gso@gmail.com.

A Letter to Aycock

Urban Harvest?

Most of you in Aycock are probably familiar with the name Urban Harvest, or at least know something about the community garden that was installed at Dunleith back in June of 2009. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you said, “so what’s going on with that?” or “who are they again?”

Though you may have seen many other faces at the ground-breaking event in June, Urban Harvest is composed of Dawn and Justin Leonard and Lou Gamble. We began as an LLC in the fall of 2007 by installing residential vegetable gardens or as we like to call it “edible landscaping.” We soon realized that what we really wanted was to educate citizens and teach people about the benefits of local food in addition to providing sustainably produced food within the city of Greensboro. Over time, we’ve changed our mission to reflect these new ideas:

Our mission is to provide and promote local urban food production, distribution and education, made accessible to all citizens, using the principles of sustainability. The vision of Urban Harvest is to create a community where all citizens have access to healthy, fresh food grown right in Greensboro.

Community Garden at Dunleith

The installation of the garden at Dunleith was an important first step to achieving some of our goals,

Community Food Projects Grant

Sometimes I think Urban Harvest is starting to get lucky. But then Justin reminds me this “luck” is actually the meeting of our preparation with the right opportunities. And we’ve had several of these “lucky” opportunities in the last couple of weeks!

As this point, Urban Harvest is funded by our blood, sweat and tears, and a few installation projects. But our vision for a Greensboro where all food consumed in Greensboro is grown in Greensboro, needs some real funding. Here is where we got lucky: At the Alice Waters’ breakfast for policy-makers in September, we had a conversation about a mobile market with Leslie Armenoix of Get Healthy Guilford, and she told us she knew how to get it funded!

Dunleith Development Conversations

The last two weeks at Urban Harvest have been formidable. We’re having a conversation about Dunleith, started a new conversation about another community space, and are applying for our first major grant. News on the latter two as they develop.

As for Dunleith, lets start out with some history. The land at 677 Chestnut St, in the Aycock neighborhood is known as Dunleith because that was the name of the antebellum estate that existed on the site of prominent North Carolina Judge Robert P. Dick from about 1858 until 1969 when it was demolished and planned for new construction. (Greensboro’s Treasured Places) Since then

Another Fantastic Volunteer Day

Well we’ve removed just about all of the summer stuff!! The Montagnards worked had as usual, despite the damp and cold weather. We had about 20 “students” and 4 native English speakers, so we broke up into 5 groups and tackled the last vestiges of the summer crops. We pulled up all of the tomatoes! Hallelujah! (Most of the time we’re clinging to the summer and scorning the first frost, but for those of us with tomatoes still coming out of our ears, the first frost is eagerly anticipated)!

We also had strong bodies (despite Daniel’s claims to strong mouths—which may do more work than the hands sometimes) that helped to dig 2 more aisles and rid them of crabgrass. Then we laid down cardboard and covered the aisles with mulch—thank you neighbors for the huge pile of mulch courtesy of a chopped down oak. We are much closer to having all the aisles dug then we were yesterday!

Finally, we began to plant some fava beans and cover crop. That means all of our winter crops will be in the ground soon. And a happy little surprise was awaiting us upon our return home: row cover has arrived (no more nibbling for you rabbits)!

Nip in the Air

Fall is here! As sweaters are being pulled out of the closet and soups are being prepared, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank all of the people that have helped us make it this far. Dawn, Justin, and I would not have been able to make it this far without the help of the entire community of Greensboro. From volunteer groups in the garden like the Montagnard-Dega Association and community advocates, to our Advisory Board and the Aycock Historic District, we are thankful for all who have lent a helping hand to bring local, food production back to our city. Thank you for your support and your efforts both in the garden and throughout Greensboro.

Farewell and Good luck Daniel!

Since starting Urban Harvest, a year ago, we have had a fantastic time getting our hands dirty in Greensboro, NC! From the groundbreaking at Dunleith Community Garden to the individual residential installations, we have met individuals from all walks of life that are dedicated to making Greensboro as sustainable as possible. Throughout this process we have had many ups and downs, as any business has, but remain dedicated to bringing local food back into the city of Greensboro. Dawn, Justin, and I would like to thank Daniel Leiker for his service and dedication to Urban Harvest. Daniel had decided to pursue other interests and will be no longer working under Urban Harvest. He has put in countless hours ensuring the overall success of Dunleith Community Garden and we wish him luck in all that he decides to do. From our hearts and our gardens, good luck and thank you!