When Suburbanites Become “Urban” Farmers
Faced with rising prices of water, fertilizer and lawn mowing implements, more and more homeowners are turning their acres of grass into cultivated garden land. Around the country, these “urban” farmers are growing tomatoes, bok choy, garlic and beets.
Between May and September, neighbors give weekly bagfuls of fresh-picked vegetables and herbs to people here who have bought “shares” of his farming operation. Neighbors who lend their yards to the effort are paid in free produce and yard work.
Farmers don’t necessarily live in the country anymore. They might just be your next-door neighbor, hoping to turn a dollar satisfying the blooming demand for organic, locally grown foods.
Unlike traditional home gardeners who devote a corner of the yard to a few rows of vegetables, a new crop of minifarmers is tearing up the whole yard and planting foods such as arugula and kohlrabi that restaurants might want to buy. The locally grown food movement has also created a new market for front-yard farmers.
