Shortcut Farm - an urban agriculture project
Today I had the opportunity to volunteer with an up-and-coming urban farm in North Portland, Shortcut farm. Near the corner of Garfield and Shaver lies a once empty half lot of land, neighboring a large empty lot. In the last year or so this smaller parcel of land became a community garden. The land is owned by OSALT – Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust, a local non-profit devoted to preserving land for the use of agriculture, both rural and urban. As of recently a new project has taken shape on this piece of land, one that is also in conjunction with OSALT. This new ‘development’ is Shortcut farm.
The premise is simple: turn this otherwise empty neighborhood lot into a fully functioning urban farm, complete with apiary, fruit trees, permaculture designs and a rainwater catchment system. Today’s work was “part 2″ of the tilling, bed building and planting process. Here are some images to give you a sense of the space and its uses:
Crisscrossed raised beds dominate the front half of the lot.
The pattern of the beds is not only intentional but reflects some means of sustainable design. This simple layout prevents excessive runoff. Native plants will grow near the sidewalk to absorb the rain that is not absorbed by the beds. On the other side of the sidewalk sit strawberry and blueberry shrubs as well as another fig tree. Most of these rows have seeds already growing. Upon closer inspection you will notice various mustard greens, onions, kale, lettuce, salad greens. Along the right side lay gnarly raspberry bushes and other shading shrubbery.
Little baby greens are growing!
The bulk of the beds shown in these photos were completed a couple weeks ago. Today’s work included the construction of many more beds along the other side of the lot and all along the rear. The deep beds back there will be home to many root vegetables – turnips, rutabagas, radishes, potatoes as well as beans, brussels sprouts and other scrumptious veggies.
I volunteered for a couple hours and helped rake rows and build beds in the back. Many of the folks involved play an important role in the farm:
- Jes Larson lives next door to the land and plays the role of liaison for OSALT; she is also directly involved with the outreach and community building pieces of the farm.
- Gary Nash and Amy Bartholomew are urban farmers and farm other lots around the city, selling their produce to local restaurants.
- Ben Meyer is chef and co-owner of the neighboring restaurant, Ned Ludd. Since his restaurant will receive most of the farm’s produce he is extra engaged in the process of creating this wonderful place.
As far as I understand the setup, most of the produce will go to Ned Ludd and during the harvest parties, volunteers will also receive a portion of the product. Eventually (read next year) the goal is to create some CSA shares that are ‘bought’ through a work/trade agreement. In other words, starting next year those people who can volunteer 3 hours a week will receive a full CSA share. It is correct to assume that I hope to be one of those people! Though, who knows, maybe other exciting food sources will also develop in the coming year. But as someone who helped build this farm I would surely enjoy harvesting even a little bit of the fresh food.
The fruit of today's labor.
From under the cherry tree and facing the back wall of Ned Ludd.
What excites me the most about this whole project is the opportunity to learn and experience urban farming. Today I found myself musing on the idea of subsidies for urban farms. It seems like one big obstacle is the cost of land. I wonder if one day cities will be willing to subsidize land use when it is devoted to food production. As someone who believes that oil will one day go dry, I cannot ignore the possibility of incredibly high food costs for conventionally grown food. One day there will be a grand awakening regarding the importance of local food systems. And when I say ‘local’ I mean within one’s neighborhood!
The prospect of urban agriculture is of great interest to me. I look forward to documenting the growth of Shortcut farm and sharing my knowledge and thoughts on this new and expanding food system.
Related posts:
- Urban farming – a world of possibility
- Grow(ing) Your Own Food
- The Urban Farming Revolution
- Urban farming, Low-Income Communities and Burgeoning Dietary Epidemics
- Edible Portland, Spring 2010
Tags: CSA, Food Politics, Gardening, local food movement, seasonal eating, Urban Ag
Great to hear of another sizable garden going in the neighborhood. I’m on 12th and Ainsworth and have a full lot myself. Did a CSA this year, will be doing more of a community model next year.