Over the last couple of weeks, I‘ve been sharing my tomato seedlings with my friends who are able to give them good homes. The starter cells are getting crowded with little guys fighting for sun and nutrients, so the call for caring tomato parents goes out!

Today around the Farm Aid kitchen table, Ted, Jen, Glenda and Anna all grabbed a few for their EarthBoxes and back yards. Wendy doesn’t know it yet, but she is the proud mamma of four heirloom (two red, two black) plants, too – come and get ‘em!

Fast forward a few months...I reap the rewards of my generosity. Mmmm...tomatoes...
**An update*** It is not advised that you plant the actual newspaper, as it does take a long time for the paper to biodegrade. Our friends at Homegrown Evolution also say that the newspaper tends to wick precious moisture away from your fledgling veggie plants.**

CSA Roulette

Now that we’re enjoying the first signs of spring after a long winter, the yearning for fresh local veggies is strong. I signed up for my first CSA share this summer with Revision House Urban Farm and I can’t wait!
While I know that the first box will be heavy on just a few ingredients (definitely not a problem), I’m looking forward to June’s more diverse boxes so we can play “CSA Roulette” (our friend Severine’s term) – essentially, make a fabulous and delicious meal out of a random grab from the box. A pretty obvious thing to do with a bunch of vegetables, but using a sexy casino term in concert with fresh vegetables might just get us to dress up for dinner!

DIY - Organic pesticide made from vegetables!

The tomato seeds I harvested from last summer's yummies have sprouted into delicate, yet ambitious, wisps. It won't be long until my nephew plants them in his raised bed garden in the country. In the event that any unwanted visitors shack up on the plants, I want to provide him with a safe pesticide alternative.

Our friends at Instructables have just the recipe - using onions, hot peppers and a little bit of dish soap - brilliant!
link

The bounty of spaces large and small

I just returned from three days in New York City - took in The Whitney Biennial, Scope, Volta and toured dozens of galleries in Chelsea. People in New York sacrifice the convenience of having space in return for other conveniences: 24-hour living has its appeal. Seeing how art is displayed in such a dense urban area got me thinking more about how we use space, and the economy of space.
In the world of HOMEGROWN, space is about connecting to the land and to people using your hands: growing, crafting, cooking and, of course, eating. Since we've started this blog, I've encountered so many people who are thinking about growing - and the space in which they grow - in modern, creative ways. A few examples:

Edible Estates "is an attack on the front lawn and everything it has come to represent!"

It "is an ongoing series of projects to replace the front lawn with edible garden landscapes responsive to culture, climate, context and people!"
Basically, turn your yard into a farm!

Our friend Mark in the Pacific Northwest sent us a link to WebUrbanis -3D City Farms: Sustainable, Ecological and Agricultural Skyscrapers.

Blade Runners as farmers!


























And, again, The New York Times shows us how urbanites are living HOMEGROWN.
A Fruit Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Tell us about YOUR space - how do you choose to use what you've got?

HOMEGROWN Progress

Cows Grazing in the Rumpus Room

An excellent article from The New York Times about how some of us are responding to the "development" and misuse of land. In dirt we trust.

A drag and drop garden planner

Whether you've got a significant amount of earth to till, or a full-shade back porch like me, everyone can appreciate this fun little toy! Simply drop your crops of choice into the grid and see how they grow from March to October.

From the Eat Close To Home blog

Also check out the link to GrowVeg.com , which is a snazzier garden planner that costs about $30.

This weekend, I'll be starting the tomato seeds I saved from some luscious Vermont heirlooms I slurped on last summer, as well as organic cherry tomatoes and summer squash. My city apartment is great for sprouting seeds, just not growing successful vegetable plants, so I'll be looking for good homes for my elfin veggie sprouts soon!

Our favorite Urban Homesteaders' movie

A short film from the Dervaes family

Homegrown hero: We heart Jamie Oliver

UK dollface and chef activist Jamie Oliver is sparking a rash of gasps across the pond with his new FoodTV show. His methods for taking "know your food" to a whole new level are changing the way people think about how they eat... And that makes us love him even more.
In today's New York Times Food section: Looking Dinner In The Eye

Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

This is how the introduction to Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” begins:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. That, more or less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy.”


Of course, he goes into exquisite detail about what constitutes real food, versus what Americans find on many grocery shelves today. And, of course, we couldn’t agree more: Eat food. Know where your food comes from and how it is grown.

Read the entire introduction to “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” here

Urban Homesteading - our HOMEGROWN heroes

We all have our heroes, who are yours?
Urban Homesteaders are a group that we've been paying reverential attention to lately - those who take what little patch of land they have and strive for an independent, sustainable, and self-sufficient dwelling. From growing their own food to sourcing solar and wind energy to making their own clothes - these folks are models of self-reliance and resourcefulness.

If you’re dreaming of becoming a modern-day Thoreau, or simply looking for tools for sustainable living, check out these links for more information:
Path to Freedom
Homegrown Evolution
Urban-Homesteading.com
Urban Homesteader blog
Mother Jones article about city-owned urban homesteadsBackwoods Home Magazine

Who are the people that you think of as HOMEGROWN heroes?