Groundworks Portland and Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust

Wonderful article about the work of two organizations making things happen on the accessible food front Groundworks Portland and Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust. Check it out in the latest addition of the Portland Mercury http://bit.ly/hfkeso. These are two organizations that are working hard to make unused land into space for neighbors and community members to grow gardens and beautify or detoxify land. I hope one day I can work with or along side these organizations. One because this is an effort I support 100%. Not only is it a good example of how people are thinking creatively about how to grow in the city but it is teaching children how to be responsible land tenets. Keep up the good work.

Small Rental Gardening Techniques

I have been growing plants in my back yard year round. I have very little space to work with so I must maximize what I have. I built a small grow box with wheels on it to move it to sunny spots. I have four tomato plant containers that were very successful this year because I could move them around into sunny spots on our rental property. Also I grew some beans this year that also did well. I had started some strawberries this year and expect a large bounty next year. This is a garden in addition to the yard that I am sharing in the beaumont neighborhood. I stay very busy.

What I like about my raised bed design it that it protects from some pests. Slugs and little caterpillars were a might force this year and i was able to slow down the slugs with the old fashioned beer can technique, cut it in half and bury it in the ground with beer. it caught a ton of those pesky slugs.

This year I was not very focused on yield because the summer overall was bad and I bet on some plants that did not do well. Next year I plan to grow more kale, squash, beans, and other vegetables that can grow into the winter. Portland's climate is mostly wet year round but a few summer months. My crops will be better planned out next year and I will try not to waste energy on carrots or any plants that require lots of sun. I also plan to use the indoors to grow some starts.

Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann