Growing produce down on the farm just down the block in Saanich, BC

Deb Heighway in a greenhouse in one of the eight Gorge area home gardens that she has under cultivation. Photograph by: Arnold Lim, timescolonist.com

Urban farmer does the work; neighbours provide land, water

By Pedro Arrais
timescolonist.com
July 13, 2011

Excerpt:

Deb Heighway’s journey into SPIN farming began with the germ of an idea. Today, three years later, her urban farm in the Gorge area of Saanich has taken root in eight of her neighbours’ yards.

SPIN stands for Small Plot INtensive, an inexpensive-to-implement farming system for plots under half a hectare. The concept was created by two Saskatoon farmers, who have popularized the idea in North America.

What is different from traditional farming is the scale. Instead of large tracts of land, SPIN farming flourishes on smaller pieces of land — such as backyards in the city.

“It never occurred to me that I could grow food,” says Heighway, who started her venture, Donald Street Farms, three years ago. “Now I have eight gardens in six back yards — four of them on my street.”

Read the complete article here.