Photo: The Foley family, of Howe, Indiana from Mother Earth News.

Just Right for the Garden: a Mini-cow
By Chris Gourlay from The Sunday Times
August 17, 2008

For between £200 and £2,000, people can buy a cow that stands no taller than a large German shepherd dog, gives 16 pints of milk a day that can be drunk unpasteurised, keeps the grass “mown” and will be a family pet for years before ending up in the freezer.

“With high food prices, they are actually quite an attractive option if you like producing your own food,” said Sue Farrant.

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Breakfast TV Comes to the Vancouver Compost Demonstration Garden

Sharon talks with Tasha about how we make compost at the garden. City Farmer staff answer composting questions on the Compost Hotline six days a week all year long – that’s around 5000 calls.

Staff speak to the media every week about other subjects as well, such as green roofs, shiitake mushrooms, composting toilets, local food, natural lawn care, pest control without pesticides and so on – everything to do with being environmentally friendly at home in the city.

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Edible Flowers from the Dervaes Garden in Pasadena, California.

“At this little urban homestead in the big city, the family produces 6,000 pounds of organic produce a year. It’s amazing that their home is on a 1/5 acre and their garden is only on 1/10 acre! The front yard is 95% edible and the rest of the main planters are in the backyard. Every corner is used to grow food. Jules says he doesn’t need more space; he just needs to be a smarter gardener. He looks to the Japanese and Europeans for guidance, those who for thousands of years have had to grow food in a small space. In his garden, or “micro-farm” as he prefers, you’ll find more than 350 different vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries.”

Watch the video showing their home garden farm here.