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When you think of Bath, England, you mostly think of the ancient Roman Baths or stately Georgian architecture. That is, if you think of anything at all besides claw foot tubs and jokes about drinking the bathwater. You most certainly don’t think of a thriving food system and underground guerilla gardening. 
A little white sign tucked in between the plants offers passersby this invitation: “Need a snack? Come over and have a bite. We’re showing space-saving ideas for vegetable patches and showing that veggies can be pretty and yummy. Go ahead and munch on a tomato as you wait for the bus!” 
Gardening not only provides a connection with nature, it connects us to our food. As more and more people are concerned about the provenance of their food – where it comes from and how it is grown – gardening has given “local” a new meaning: “Zero Food Miles.” 
Everywhere you look there great leafy greens and plump fruit. It’s halfway through the growing season with no end to the harvest in sight. Just the thought of another salad or summer squash is enough to make you want to call for a pizza. Now what do you do? 
Andrés Duany, architect and urban planner, breaks down the methods of incorporating agriculture into urban environment in a Pecha Kucha* format in this video from CNU 19 in Madison, WI. The visuals may be a bit rough, but the audio is good and the content is terrific! 
This will be the first of several columns and interviews resulting from a recent 4-day Congress for New Urbanism Conference, otherwise known as CNU 19, held this year in Madison, Wisconsin, home of dairy, bicycles, and wacky politics. How many other states have a quarter of their state senators up for recall or host tractor protest rallies around the state capitol, have 6 months of winter, and a burgeoning organic foods industry? 
Truck Farm tells the story of a new generation of quirky urban farmers. Using green roof technology and heirloom seeds, filmmaker Ian Cheney (KING CORN, THE CITY DARK) plants a vegetable garden on the only land he’s got: his Granddad’s old pickup. 
It’s been a cool, late spring here in Puget Sound, which means there’s still time to plant a garden. In fact, we’ve just gotten the tomatoes we bought at the Seattle Tilth Edible Plant Sale in the ground! Buying starts and seeds from local growers and at local sales ensures that you get plants that are climate-appropriate. There are some plants that just don’t do well in our short summers! 
My favorite berry is black mulberry, because it is so delicious, and such a rare treat to eat in Seattle. I have requested that a black mulberry tree be planted on my grave. 
Imagine growing vegetables that require just about the same amount of care as the flowers in your perennial beds and borders–no annual tilling and planting. They thrive and produce abundant and nutritious crops throughout the season. It sounds too good to be true. |
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