Backyard Revolution – The Canberra Times, Australia

Michael Levenston — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:59:30 +0000

Concrete Jungle – The jilted generations are turning the mean streets green

By Jake Lynch
Canberra Times, Oct 22, 2008
(Australian journalist looks at North American urban agriculture and reports for an Australian readership.)

As my first American winter gave way to my first spring, I saw veggie patches sprouting up all over the place – in backyards, but also on the strip in front of houses, and in planter boxes on concrete pathways. The local school built a garden out front where people were free to take whatever grew there. The proliferation reminded me of some poorer cities in Asia where people grew food for survival.

But in the Seattle suburb of Queen Anne, there are BMWs and European hybrids in the driveways. The demographic is similar to Mosman, and there is plenty of disposable income to spend on organics.

Link to PDF of the complete article here.

Byron Bay Herb Nursery – Job Training, Urban Agriculture

Michael Levenston — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:07:36 +0000

All the way from Byron Bay, Australia, Lesley Bayliss describes an herb business she started for people with intellectual disabilities. Part of the program is funded by the herbs that clients grow. Sales are upwards of $50,000 per year, all grown on a half acre of land in an industrial area of town. Over 150 varieties of herbs for sale:

Bush Tucker
Lemon Myrtle (backhousia citriodora)
Davidsons Plum (davidsonia pruriens)

Herbs for Cats
Catnip (nepeta cataria)
Catmint (nepeta mussini)
Catgrass (dactylis glomerata)
Cat Thyme (teucrium marum)
Dogbane (plectranthus neochilus)
Pennyroyal (borago officinalis)

Link to Byron Bay Herb Nursery here.

City Farmer News » Australia urban agriculture

Backyard Revolution – The Canberra Times, Australia

Byron Bay Herb Nursery – Job Training, Urban Agriculture