Production
Gardening
The Ghettostead has several spaces that could be feasibly converted to on-site food productioevelop a coordinated healthy food neighborhoods strategyn. In addition to serving as a demonstration garden and providing hands-on opportunities for gardening experience and education, produce from the site can be used in a variety of other food security projects, such as cooking and food preservation demonstrations or training, distribution enterprises, or community dinners and events.
The most productive or cost-effective gardening strategies depend on physical features that vary across the site, such as sunlight, water access, and soil quality (some potential garden sites have no soil currently). This section of the toolkit will outline the various options for gardening on-site, including in-ground garden beds, raised beds, parkway gardening, vertical gardening, and alley gardening. Case StudyLA Green Grounds
A volunteer-based group working to install edible gardens in front yards and parkways in South Los Angeles. The group advocates for residents to grow their own food and build community wellness by sharing produce and gardening skills with neighbors. |
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In-ground Gardening
An in-ground garden can be installed easily and with few materials and tools. However, before planting in-ground, be sure to test your soil for harmful contaminants such as lead. In-ground garden beds are also more prone to disruption from animals (typical garden pests such as rabbits and moles, as well as neighborhood cats and dogs) that have access to the site. If these are concerns, consider planting your garden in a raised bed instead. Whether you choose to plant in-ground or in a raised bed, consider the sunlight exposure and accessibility to water at your garden site.
Raised beds
Offers several benefits over in-ground gardens:
Raised beds also have a few drawbacks:
Design/planning questions to consider:
Vertical Gardening
Vertical gardening is particularly suitable for narrow strips of land along walls or fences. By encouraging climbing plants to grow up a trellis, you can make a small piece of land highly productive. The principles of vertical growing can also be used in standard in-ground or raised beds: install a trellis on the north end of a garden bed (so it doesn’t block sun for the rest of the bed) and encourage climbing plants to grow up, rather than out.
Alley Gardening
An alley garden can be installed either in-ground or in a raised bed (or series of raised beds); follow guidelines for testing soil quality and, if necessary, consider the most suitable type of raised bed to use. While an alley garden will be implicitly offered to harvesters outside of the Ghettostead, develop a plan for checking on and maintaining the garden (watering, weeding, harvesting as necessary). You may also wish to use signage or other methods to encourage neighbors or passersby to harvest.
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Gardening Resources
University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program
Raised bed construction instructions and tips
Sunlight requirements and root depth charts
Companion Planting Guide
Soil Testing
Veggie Planting Guide for Southern California
Root Growth
Beginning Farmers
RAUF Foundation
The Urban Homestead Project
Raised bed construction instructions and tips
Sunlight requirements and root depth charts
Companion Planting Guide
Soil Testing
Veggie Planting Guide for Southern California
Root Growth
Beginning Farmers
RAUF Foundation
The Urban Homestead Project
Regulations
When gardening is being conducted for non-commercial uses, the Zoning Code does not prohibit any specific kind of gardening on any part of a property where discretionary approvals are not being sought by the property-owner. However, in instances where discretionary approvals are being sought, a Landscape Plan Approval is required. If gardening is being conducted for commercial purposes, however, certain regulations apply. These regulatory limitations are discussed in the Food Distribution section.
Tactical Options
- Develop a garden for uses that could be private or educational.
- Develop a garden for public shared uses conforming to local land use regulation or advocate for a change in applicable regulation.
Parkway Gardening
After years of political battle, the City of Los Angeles now permits residents to plant parkway gardens. These gardens are highly visible and symbolic of an accessible public good; as such, a parkway garden may be an important tool for building conversation and community around the Ghettostead’s neighborhood food security projects.
Test to ensure that the ground soil is safe before planting and determine the most suitable type of raised bed if necessary. While it is the homeowner’s duty to maintain the parkway garden, it is legal for anyone to harvest from it (although the invitation is only implicit). You may explicitly invite neighbors and passersby to harvest with creative signage (“I’m ripe, pick me!” or “Hello, neighbor! Please help yourself!”).
Test to ensure that the ground soil is safe before planting and determine the most suitable type of raised bed if necessary. While it is the homeowner’s duty to maintain the parkway garden, it is legal for anyone to harvest from it (although the invitation is only implicit). You may explicitly invite neighbors and passersby to harvest with creative signage (“I’m ripe, pick me!” or “Hello, neighbor! Please help yourself!”).
Regulations
The City of Los Angeles Public Works Department, Bureau of Street Services has the responsibility to pant and maintain landscaping in areas of the public right-of-way such as parkways along sidewalks. Currently, residents are not permitted to plant in parkways without permission from the Public Works department. However, City Council has approved the final drafting of an ordinance that would allow “edible landscaping” to be initiated and maintained by residents without a special permit from the Department of Public Works. This action was taken on October 28, 2013 and is pending a final draft from the City Attorney’s Office before a final vote by City Council and implementation.
Tactical Options
- Plant edible landscaping on the parkway in front of the Ghettostead site while awaiting while awaiting the final implementation of the rules that would allow this use of the parkway.
Live Animals + Aquaculture
Even with limited space certain animals can grow in abundance and be productive in urban environments. Often, the systems of fish or animal farming complements traditional gardening. For example, fish wastes can be used as fertilizer for produce in an aquaponics system. Develop the capacity for large scale commercial production of fish as part of a food hub. Before deciding to rear animals on your site you will need to consider the type of resources the animal can provide, possible nuisances, and maintenance and harvesting requirements.
Case StudyTrinity Reach Farm
A collaboration between three friends and restaurant employees hoping to live a more sustainable life in the middle of Downtown Toronto, although it is currently illegal to raise livestock within city borders. A hen can produce about half a dozen of eggs per week, and their waste can be reused as fertilizer. |
http://www.motherearthnews.com
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Live AnimalsThe friendliest animals for a semi-urban residential homestead are chickens (refer to regulation on live animals). Hens produce eggs and meat for consumption, breast feathers for home needs and can be used for comforter-stuffing, and chicken manure for fertilizer. If you live on a larger lot with limited regulatory restrictions other low-stress animals to consider are geese, goats, sheep, bees, and pigs.
AquacultureThere are more advanced aquaculture set-ups, but the most simple is a home recirculating system. This will require an above ground vinyl-lined swimming pool, a garden hose, and water quality instruments (e.g. drum clarifier, biofilter, aerator). Fish are much like plants and can be cold-hardy or heat-loving types, and your decision for particular fish will depend on your culinary preferences, site-specific characteristics, and your experience. Common and hardy fish types to consider for your homestead: tilapia, catfish, and carp.
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Regulations
Animal Keeping is not permitted for any commercial use and cannot be slaughtered outside of an Animal Slaughtering Zone. Where Animal Keeping is permitted for private use, certain conditions must be met. Equine, poultry, rabbits, and chinchillas are allowed to be kept on properties zoned R2 for non-commercial uses. Goats, cattle, bovine, and swine may not be kept on properties zoned R2. Animals that may be kept must be in the rear of the main building and a certain distance from dwelling units, shared walls and property lines. This rule precludes animal keeping on many smaller lots and in many denser neighborhoods--possibly including the Ghettostead and its neighborhood. Animal keeping for commercial uses, such as bovine feed or sale yards and cattle or goat dairies, are subject to a conditional use permit under the authority of the Zoning Administrator in certain agricultural zones, but are not permitted in R2 zones. The Zoning Code is silent on aquaculture.
Tactical Options
- Keep a mix of animals permitted on the site that contribute to the overall function of the site and that can have private and educational uses but cannot be slaughtered on-site.
- Keep a mix of animals not permitted on site for private and educational uses while gaining discretionary approval to keep them.
- Keep a mix of animals for commercial use while gaining discretionary approval to keep them.