I heard something else that makes sense.
By Arkie69
@Arkie69 (2156)
United States
April 3, 2009 11:19am CST
Fox News was showing a bunch of older houses that have been foreclosed. The state is buying them and dozing them down. I didn't get the state or the city. They are going to use the land for parks and Urban farms. That "Urban Farms" makes good sense. It would give people living in town a chance to grow some of their food. It could also serve as a good teaching tool for the young people on how to provide for themselves. The older people need to pass on this information while they still can. Evidently someone is making plans just in case we do have a bad crash. I say more power to them and we need a lot more like them.
Art
1 person likes this
7 responses
@laglen (19759)
• United States
4 Apr 09
I think that does sound great! I do have a question though. Who is paying for the fertilizer, seed, and water? Otherwise, great idea!
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
4 Apr 09
Our tax dollars should pay for it. It's the best way I know of for the government to give us some of our own money back plus put money into the economy. Any time the working people can get some of their taxes back it is a good deal no matter how you look at it. After all our taxes are supposed to be used to benefit the people. I couldn't think of a better way to do that.
Art
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
4 Apr 09
If the government would just furnish the plots of land and the people had to buy the seed and fertilizer it would still be a great deal. The land is the big problem. Don't forget if the government buys up some empty lots around town that land then belongs to the people. If the people can then use the land to grow food that is a good deal indeed.
Art
@shakadoodoo (737)
• Dallas, Texas
4 Apr 09
I can dig it! I think community farms are a wonderful Idea - Not only is it good to know how to grow your own food- It is a exelent lerning tool for the kids - so much learning can be intergrated with starting a garden - Math, Science, history. ect... I love the idea - I will have to read more about it.
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
4 Apr 09
I can did it too. A little. I'm 70 years old and can't do a lot of work anymore but I can sure as heck teach the young strong ones how to feed themselves. I think I will try to get in to see the Mayor and see if there would be any chance of getting something like that started in this little one horse town. There are empty lots all over town that would grow a lot of food if they were cleaned up and worked. Since they have closed Ft Chaffee here at FT Snith AR there is a lot of good land on it the government would donate for a good reason.
Art
@abbey19 (3106)
• Gold Coast, Australia
4 Apr 09
It's a sad fact that so many young people today have no idea how to grow their own food, so I think providing urban farms is a brilliant plan, and hope it comes to fruition. There is great satisfaction to be had in growing our own food and enjoying the fresh taste of how food is supposed to taste! A good lesson for our kids.
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
4 Apr 09
Morning Abbey, Doggone it is good to hear from you. You bet it's a shame our kids don't know about gardening and things like that. To tell the truth it puts them in a very dangerous position. People don't seem to realize just how bad thing s could become should we have a bad crash. There is so many more people now to try to feed and keep happy. For one thing a lot more of the people were providing a lot more for them selves during the last depression. That isn't the case this time. A few that live out in the country may have a little garden but most are not really serious about it. Very few of them try to lay in any food for winter. Just raising the food is the easy part however it can take a lot of work to get it into a jar or freezer.
Art
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hey, that really DOES make sense and to think I almost passed this discussion by because I couldn't imagine anything from Fox News could probably do so...lol...(I'm sorry, I resist!) I think community gardens or "urban farms", whatever you'd like to call them are a fantastic idea even in the best of economic times. People in cities and even smaller towns often don't have room to plant their own gardens and we all know most of us don't get enough fresh fruits and vegetables and what we do get from the stores can be contaminated with God knows what.
Annie
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
3 Apr 09
Hi Annie,
That's my way of thinking too. I agree even in good times you can get a lot safer and better food if it is grown locally either in your own garden or by some small farmer. I won't even eat canned vegetables you buy in a store. Like I said I was raised on a farm and worked on one for many years. I know the kind of poisons they spray on the stuff. The food is contaminated when it goes in the can. This doesn't just apply to the vegetables it includes most of the fruit also.
I keep the bugs out of my garden with a flower they call a Marigold. They say they will protect a 12' diameter circle. I just plant a few of them around in my garden and let them do the debugging. The grass and weeds I pull it out or dig it up. I have no need for bug spray or weed killers. I don't use any chemical based fertilizer. Either Rabbit manure, if I can get it, or horse manure.
Art
@dalyme3 (88)
• Philippines
3 Apr 09
I wish we could have something like that but it my country its not that easy especially when you live in one of the major cities.. I was thinking of actually buying a home through the government on a loan.. they give good rates here in the Philippines. I have been working my butt of for a quite some time now, I'm thinking also that I could save some money on it along the way and build a nice backyard for my produce. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
@kprofgames (3091)
• United States
4 Apr 09
I think bringing back the community gardens is a great idea. Gets people working together, understanding the importance of taking care of the earth and there is an element of pride growing your own.
We've gardened for years and I can't tell you how proud my daughter is when she says "my mom cans, makes her own salsa, etc" There is a big "go green" movement and honestly working with the soil gives people a better appreciation for what's around them.
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
4 Apr 09
To me there was always something very special about turning the ground over in spring getting ready to plant. The smell of the fresh earth is so good. I always did like to watch things I planted grow and produce something to eat. It is pretty nice to have full jars ready for winter too. To do it as a neighborhood group would also bring most people closer together. I would love to be able to work a garden with a horse or mule like we used to do it. Now that was "going green" all the way.
Art
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
3 Apr 09
My family always had a garden to provide some fresh vegetables and fruits for us. I now have my own. More and more people here in my area try to make use of their yards to grow at least a few vegetables. There are also more and more community gardens. There is one near downtown where I live, and others are on church properties, most of which are closer to the city limits. There are even plots near one of the parks. That's where my church has a plot the size of a football field. They started it last year and had quite a nice harvest. Some of which went to church members, a harvest dinner, and some to the soup kitchen as well. This year they are opening up the plot to be used by the entire town. People can come, pitch in, and take what they need.
It's not difficult, just time consuming, if you have a bigger garden. But it sure tastes better;)
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
3 Apr 09
This is good to hear. I was raised on a farm and I know the value of producing what you consume. The people in town are the ones I would feel sorry for if really hard times hit us. So many of them don't have a place to do anything but just live and suffer. These small plots around town you speak of could be worth their weight in gold should we have a bad crash. I would like to see a lot more of them.
We are getting several of the small farmer's markets around here and they really help the people that can't grow their own. You can usually buy things cheap enough to can or freeze it for winter. A couple of the larger ones import stuff from South Texas or Mexico and they can open a lot earlier than the ones that just sell locally grown. I hope people can get more serious about this kind of thing this summer.
Art
