Thursday, January 28, 2010

Share your Backyard!

There is a great new program that I want everyone to know about:

www.sharingbackyards.com

Imagine a world where everyone has plentiful access to healthy, local, organic food. The goal of the sharing backyards program is to further that goal by making sure that anyone who wants to garden and grow food for themselves can. One of the biggest barriers to growing food in the city is access to land. A full 40% of North Americans do not live in single detached housing where the yard space is unequivocally theirs. The other 60% who do have access to land in the cities often leave it underutilized.

Sharing Backyards encourages urban gardening by connecting those who have space to garden and are willing to share with those who would like to have a gardening space. The program makes maximum use of city space by making sure that even those who dwell in apartments, condos, and shared housing have ample place to garden. It connects neighbours of different socio-economic conditions together in a atmosphere of trust while doing something that beautifies the homeowner's yard and provides food for everyone.

So what makes an effective sharing backyards program? Location, location, location! Our program links people who are geographically close to each other. A garden that is close to where the gardener lives is more likely to receive the love and care it needs to thrive. Our system uses web-mapping technology to deliver a very intuitive interactive online map where users can instantly see which listings provides a potential partner.

If you enjoy delicious, fresh produce and have a sunny space to use, but maybe don't have the time or desire to till the earth yourself, consider sharing your yard and earn half of the yield!

If you live, or know someone who lives downtown, Liberty Heights, Sugarhouse; I am happy to share your backyard. Here are the benefits of sharing with me:

  • I will provide all of the tools, compost, amendments, seeds or seedlings and necessary time to grow delicious fruits and veggies.
  • I will assist with 25% of your total water bill each production month (not including sewer or trash since I make compost with all garden scraps)
  • I will assist with constructing raised beds or other yard projects that you would like completed to assist with the project.
  • You will receive half of the yield of produce
  • I will grow whatever foods you designate but I am not interested in non-food growing. I will grow any edible plants of fruit, vegetable or herbal variety.
  • I will provide all labor for said garden unless you desire to assist.
There you have it; you can hire an experienced gardener to help feed your family delicious and nutritious food from your very own land with little or no effort on your part.

Please pass this information on to anyone who is looking for land or someone to share theirs with.

No comments: