Salt Lake County’s urban farming project yields bumper crop

Thayne Tagge displays a cantaloupe grown on land Salt Lake County is leasing near the Holladay Lions Recreation Center. The county leased three parcels as part of its urban farming initiative; Tagge says Holladay soil is particularly productive for melons. Photo by Erin Alberty | The Salt Lake Tribune.

Tagge’s fruits and vegetables are sold at the Holladay stand, at the South Valley Unitarian Church.

By Erin Alberty
The Salt Lake Tribune
Aug 15 2011 04

Excerpt:

That’s the goal of the farming leases, said Julie Peck-Dabling, director of Salt Lake County’s urban farming program. The three parcels — one in Holladay and two in Draper — were originally bought for future parks land, but funding shortages left them undeveloped.

“It actually takes staff time to go out there a few times a year and cut the weeds and spray them,” Peck-Dabling said. Until the space is converted to parks, leasing the land to local farmers is more productive, she said.

“You shorten the distance between the farm gate and the dinner plate,” Peck-Dabling said. “The food is fresher, it tastes better and it’s more nutritious when it’s just been picked.”

Farmers who lease the land are required to sell locally — at fruit stands, through community-supported agriculture (CSA) membership distributions or at farmer’s markets.

Read the complete article here.