City life doesn’t mean you have to squash your desire to grow

I recently visited Sundari Kraft's farm.

She showed me her plans for the crop schedule and layout this year, and worked on building plant spacers while we talked.

From where we sat, I could see where the garlic had started to come up, the section where the asparagus would soon surface, and other areas which still needed to be prepped for this year's crop.

I didn't have to look very far—Sundari's farm (a part of it, at least) is right in her North Denver back yard.

When did she think about turning her yard into a farm?

"I saw just how much food I was able to grow in a relatively small space—just 300 square feet—when I started a garden in half of my backyard,” she explained. “Small spaces offer us the opportunity to grow intensively, and we can produce a whole lot of food!"

Intrigued by her creativity in using urban space, I was inspired to learn more about local food.

Urban Farming

Supported by her husband Brian and a team of members and volunteers, Sundari has transformed her yard and several others in the North Denver area into a multi-plot urban farm.

It all started with a back yard garden, and a passion for locally-grown food.

Sundari loves growing things and was so successful with produce from her own back yard that she started thinking about selling the excess.

She connected with a business that sells and distributes locally-raised food that sold her extra vegetables to customers who were interested in local produce.

The next step was expansion. She'd heard about Kipp Nash, who has a multi-plot farm in the Martin Acres neighborhood of Boulder.

Sundari researched his methods and then contacted him to discuss her own budding venture, Heirloom Gardens .

She then recruited several nearby people to become members and allow their yards to be farmed.

I wondered how hard it was to convince people to give up their yard space.

"Actually, it wasn't difficult at all," Sundari said. "We have a long waiting list of people that want a garden in their yard. There are so many people that are tired of maintaining their grass, or have empty unused space, or would just love a garden but don't know where to begin.”

The homeowner pays a small initial fee for sod removal, soil testing and soil amendments, and may have a small increase in their water bill to support the produce on their land.

In return, they receive fresh produce all season long, a landscaping service and maintenance of soil health in their yards.

Sundari has recruited six plots (8,000 square feet) this year with plans to expand further to 12 plots next year.

Why Eat Local?

On the surface, eating local and in season may seem like a lot of work on the part of the consumer.

You have to search for produce grown locally by checking labels at the grocery store or maybe going to farmer's markets, which are only open a few days a week.

There's the inconvenience of eating seasonally as not all foods are available from natural local sources year-round where you live.

So, what is so great about it?

"There are so many things!" Sundari exclaimed. "First of all, I love to eat good food, and absolutely nothing tastes better than food that is fresh and produced locally. It makes it very difficult to go back to supermarket produce. I call those jet-lagged vegetables. I also like the idea of participating in the processes involved in what I eat. Food is precious, and it means more when we've had a hand in producing it."

When buying produce at your local grocery store, you may or may not be able to tell where it was grown. Some stores post this information on signs near the fruits and vegetables, or it may be on labels on the produce itself.

Over time, the direct connection between farmers and consumers has diminished.

Food grown on large-scale farms is often subjected to long travel times or processed at distant facilities before being distributed. Farmers within large-scale agribusiness have become accountable to intermediate players in the system rather than directly to the consumer.

Much of the food that we see in our stores has come a long way. It is estimated that an item of fresh produce grown commercially travels an average of 1,500 miles.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University has estimated the average total distance traveled by the food in three meals.

Locally grown food travels an average combined distance of 1,198 miles.

Conventionally grown food travels a total distance of 12,558 miles.

Transport for food across these distances is accomplished primarily through the use of trucks. Local sources of food decrease the distance traveled, which decreases the amount of fossil fuels. Using less fossil fuel means less greenhouse gas emissions.

Growing and eating food in season means minimal energy is expended to grow the food compared to food produced in artificially heated and lighted facilities.

Proponents of local food networks also point to improved food quality as a benefit.

Locally-grown produce is generally consumed immediately after harvest, and is therefore fresher than foods which must travel long distances.

It is also usually riper when harvested than produce that must be shipped, as food that travels a long distance is often picked unripe and ripened in transit.

Food harvested locally also has a reduced need for irradiation or chemical preservatives to maintain freshness compared to foods with long transit times.

Local food systems are also promoted as making our food supply more reliable and self-sufficient.

Sundari’s views are clear: "I believe that our current food system is unhealthy and unsustainable. I feel it's ridiculous that we've allowed ourselves to become so disconnected from our food supply. Part of caring for ourselves and caring for the Earth is bringing our food production closer to home. Supporting local food also inherently supports the local economy, so the money you spend stays in your community."

Networks for local food production take a variety of different forms: farmer's markets, on-farm sales, roadside stands, pick-your-own, partnerships between farms and local businesses, community gardens, seed-saver groups, food co-ops, and community-supported agriculture.

Community-Supported Agriculture

Sundari’s Heirloom Gardens is set up as a CSA.

A CSA is typically a partnership between farmers and consumers where consumers pay a fee before the growing season starts in exchange for a share of the yield for that year.

The consumer shares in some of the risk in producing the food—if there is a bad season, the consumer receives less food from the farmer. In good years, the share may be larger.

The food is either delivered directly to the consumer or is picked up at a designated location.

Sundari's CSA plans to distribute its shares weekly at the Highland Micro-market (MiMa). Heirloom Gardens is offering 15 CSA shares this year, and hopes to offer additional shares in the future as the farm grows.

There were several reasons Sundari chose the CSA structure.

"In most years, CSA members get far more than they paid for, since a successful harvest is passed on to the members. It also helps members expand their horizons and try new things, since there are sometimes surprises in the weekly veggie share! CSA is a vitally important way of supporting many, many small farms," Sundari says.

She plans to sell produce in excess of the CSA shares at the Highland Farmer's Market and the Highland Micro-market (MiMa).

Heirloom Gardens produce may also be purchased for home delivery via The Green Fooder.

Polyculture and Heirloom Plant Varieties

Many local food networks also promote polyculture (or multiple cropping), which involves growing a variety of crops in the same place at the same time.

This is in contrast to monoculture, where a single crop is grown on a large scale like most commercial farms.

Opponents of monoculture say the technique increases pest pressure and the use of pesticides, risk due to weather (growing multiple crops means variable harvest times, reducing the risk from weather), and risk from diseases, which are usually crop-specific. They also say monoculture decreases soil quality and biodiversity.

Heirloom Gardens grows many varieties of plants, including tomatoes, peppers, carrots, melons, cucumbers, herbs, eggplants, peas, beets, salad greens, spinach, squash, kale, radishes, broccoli, corn, onions, parsnips, turnips or edible flowers in the same plot.

Sundari has planned crop rotations and companion planting to maximize crop and soil health.

Heirloom Gardens, as its name suggests, has a focus on heirloom plant varieties.

Why go heirloom?

For Sundari, it's "mostly because they're interesting. It's so interesting to learn how many different colors, shapes and sizes vegetables can be! Also, they offer a wonderfully wide variety of flavors."

Heirloom varieties are plant lines existing prior to 1951, and have never been genetically modified. They are open-pollinated (maintaining genetic diversity), and can adapt to local climate conditions over time.

In addition, heirloom plants yield produce with an interesting variety of distinctive colors and shapes which add an aesthetic appeal.

Many people, Sundari included, believe that heirloom varieties have an exceptional richness of taste as well. Sundari plans to include recipes and information on various ways to prepare produce on her blog site.

Getting Involved in Local Food

Buy locally or regionally-grown produce when available at your store, or visit your community farmer's market.

Grow your own produce- it's about as local as you can get!

Encourage grocery stores and other businesses to support local produce.

Connect with a CSA in your area, buy a share, apply to have your yard farmed, or volunteer your time.

Get involved with a community garden in your area.

Photos Courtesy of Brian Kraft @ www.briankraft.com and Sundari Kraft

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