Urban Garden Project wants 100,000 urban gardens by 2010

With veg gardening now all over the news, a new project has emerged to channel all that attention into actual gardens.  It's the Urban Garden Project, the brainchild of two guys in Idaho.  Their goal of 100,000 registered gardens within city limits by 2010 seems pretty doable to me.

I asked Ben, one of the Idaho organizers, if living in my town of 16,000 qualifies me as an urban gardener and he said yes, so I'm in.  How about you?

Comments

[shira]

Just signed up our community garden. Thanks for sharing the link.

[Local Flavor Knoxville]

I'm in!

[Rosella]

I live in Arlington county, not a city -- I guess that's OK. Going to sign up this morning.

[Jay]

Pass :)

I have a garden; It brings me peace, enjoyment, and beauty. That is good enough for me. Registration seems vain and smug.

I'll read the page and maybe join the Facebook group though, they look like a useful resource. I would love to join a seed exchange.

[greg draiss]

Pass here too:

Remember a tree hugging anti-farming wacko came out and said everytime you plow a field or dig a hole you relase carbon into the atmosphere.

My conspirarcy-theorist mind tells me this is front by O'bama. When they get 100,000 gardens registered they will place a carbon tax on us for every seed we plant and radish we harvest.

Hydroponics? No that takes water and they may want to tax that too!

Gardening is not supposed to socailistim. Just a social past time

The TROLL

[suzq]

Troll, you are always so provocative. In order for me to have a vegetable garden, I'd have to cut down one of my trees.

Instead, I'm thinning one out that desparately needs it and experimenting with partial sun container gardening. I already grow herbs in the sunnier patches of my landscape.

Anyway, sometimes these sorts of campaigns seem silly. But if that's what it takes for someone to try making their landscape more productive, more power to 'em.

[Renate (Town Mouse)]

Pass as well. I remain to be convinced that every garden must produce items edible by humans to count. In drought-stricken California, I trust the family farmers whose booths I get my fruit and veggies from to produce them with less water.

Gardening for wildlife is gardening too!

[Dan Eskelson]

"Paranoia strikes deep" in comment above - how ridiculous!

Kudos to my "neighbors" here in north Idaho. Any effort that encourages folks to grow their own food is commendable.

Keep up the good work!

[nycgarden]

Its the registration part that alerts me. Why is that necessary -unless they are thinking of having a large list of "customers" (educated, good earners) to sell their site to advertisers. I am sure their interest is in earnest and they know well about gardening, but "registration" speaks to me negatively. After all, they did mention the "garden girl," and from what I see on her page, she's commercials all the way.

[Ben Fairfield]

To All -

Thanks for the overwhelming support that you all have shown. Reading the posts above, especially the one about the Obama front made me laugh. If you knew me you would understand that this is furthest from the truth!

Regardless, the project is simply out of motivation to change the way people think. The registration is not for re-sale and it's purpose is so that gardeners who sign up can be kept in the loop about regional seed exchanges, plant exchanges, and community service efforts to establish new community gardens in the gardeners city to partner with local food banks. Communication and mobilization are difficult if not impossible without email addresses.

Thanks to you all for your support. It is because of this support that we are ahead of our projections. We have secured the use of vacant land in our city and are taking the steps neccessary to mobilize the local gardeners to establish the garden and work it for the benefit of the food bank and the community. We welcome any and all of you to check out our site and if you choose to join our project to make a difference in your community!

Sincerely,
Ben Fairfield
The Urban Garden Project

[Veggie Master]

We need more of this kind of wonderful project. I just wrote about Neighborhood Food Growing at www.GreatGardenInfo.com - a slightly different take on local food gardening.