Brick City Urban Farm in downtown Newark, New Jersey

See larger image here. Photo by wbgo
See photo set here.
There are about 1,000 boxes sitting on a previously empty lot in this center city location and on a rooftop nearby.

Excerpt from:
Farm fresh, in the city
by Jennifer Weiss/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday October 08, 2008

“We put EarthBoxes up there, and I couldn’t believe how well the plants grew,” Haberthur said. “It was like I had a green thumb.”

Taylor found out about the 29-inch-long containers at a Whole Foods store. EarthBox says they can produce double yields, using less water and fertilizer than conventional gardening. Taylor bought 500 of them at a wholesale rate of $13 each, and he said EarthBox donated 500 more. Gibbons, the lead investor, contributed $20,000 and said about half that was spent on the containers and soil.

EarthBox recommends using a peat-based potting mix (one that doesn’t have a fertilizer mixed in) amended with one cup of dolomite, or hydrated lime, in its containers, and adding a band of granular fertilizer down the middle. EarthBoxes are watered through a tube that connects to an under-box reservoir; the water wicks up to the seedlings. A fitted plastic cover (cut to allow seedlings to sprout through) helps keep the potting mix moist, protects plants from rain and prevents weeds from butting in.

See complete article here.

Brick City Urban Farms utilizes empty lots in Newark to grow food for the city. Founder John Taylor, half brother of Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, describes the local initiative. (Video by Mitsu Yasukawa)

Brick City Urban Farm website here.

See Day in the Life photo set by SPIN Farming at Brick City Urban Farms here.

The EarthBox website here.

The Growing Connection website here.

Update: August 21, 2009

I am excited to introduce you to the newly founded Garden State Urban Farms (GSUF).

We’ve had so much interest from so many different parties – schools, religious and community groups, local government agencies, other farming ventures, universities, and restaurants – that it makes sense for us to launch a broader organization to conduct all of our efforts. GSUF will be able to operate a variety of projects that are independent of one another yet stay true to the mission to provide healthy, delicious, locally grown produce to the communities in which we work.

We’ll continue to operate the Brick City Urban Farms garden located in the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District. That garden was operated by the now dissolved Brick City Urban Farms, LLC with the help of John Taylor and Kirsten Giardi whose valuable assistance I want to acknowledge. That farm utilizes Small Plot Intensive farming (SPIN) methods and is planted in Earthbox containers. New GSUF ventures may also incorporate hydroponic greenhouses, green rooftop gardens, and traditional in-ground farming methods. Tony Gibbons, Vice President at GSUF, will continue to supervise our restaurant supply efforts.

As we explore other urban areas, GSUF will continue to offer fresh food to residents of Newark. Our produce is sold at the Branch Brook Farmers’ and Community Market, the Brick City Development Corporation’s farmers’ market at the Seth Boyden Homes, and the Newark Emergency Family Services farmers’ market. Neighbors and customers can stop by the farm, located at the corner of Spruce and Washington Streets, to purchase fresh produce on Wednesdays from 3 pm to 7 pm; Thursdays from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 973-885-3894 or
lorraine@gardenstateurbanfarms.com.