Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Lancaster Backyard Farm Initiative



The Lancaster Backyard Farm Initiative

The Lancaster Backyard Farm initiative is an urban/suburban personalized CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it is a method that enables the food buying public to enjoy a personal relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become "members" (or "shareholders," or "subscribers") of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season. A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall.


The Lancaster Backyard Farm Initiative
is a personalized CSA that transforms small, individual backyards into a collective of mini-farms. Each Backyard Farm is designed according to the owners’ eating habits, preferences and growing conditions.

Homegrown will install your garden and continue to care for it throughout the season. We will visit your garden weekly, weed, harvest and leave a basket of fresh produce from your own backyard on your doorstep. You get the health benefits and savings that come with growing your own vegetables without the work and upkeep.

This is just like a CSA, only made to your specifications, and you get to keep the garden year after year.
Due to the various growing conditions and over yielding qualities of many food plants during the growing season, produce from the backyard farms can be shared throughout the network to create a more diverse harvest for each member.

If you choose to join The Lancaster Backyard Farm Initiative, we become the farmers, your yard becomes the farm, strangers become friends and neighborhoods become communities.


Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Lancaster Backyard Farm Initiative

Mini-Greenhouse/Cold-Frame Design and Installation


In our climate, mini-greenhouse are the key to making the most of the growing season. They make it possible to start seeds early in the spring, and extend the growing season late into the fall. Cold hardy plants, which include several members of the mustard family(broccoli, cauliflower etc.), lettuces, greens and many others, can even be grown year-round in a mini-greenhouse, providing fresh veggies all year- even when there is snow on the ground! We use all local, recycled or discarded materials in our designs.

Above is an example of a cold-frame or mini-greenhouse.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Home Composting System Design and Installation






18% of the waste sent to landfills is food scraps. As these food scraps decompose they produce millions of tons of methane gas which is released into the atmosphere where it becomes a major contributor to global warming. There is an incredibly simple solution to this problem. Make compost! Food scraps make some of the most nutrient rich
compost, which can then be used in the garden to feed the plants.

Homegrown uses recycled, local or throwaway materials for our compost bins, so they are kind to the environment every step of the way. Vegetable scraps, old bread, cereal, leaf litter, grass clippings- these can all go straight to the compost bin. As microorganisms do their work breaking down the organic material, the compost
begins to heat up, effectively destroying any harmful bacteria. The finished product is a richly colored, odorless plant food!

For those of you with little or no space, an indoor worm composting system is a great solution. Red Wigglers, which are often sold in bait shops, can eat their own weight in food scraps each day. Their bodies are coated in mucous which is antibacterial in nature. As the worms wriggle and eat in the food scraps, any harmful bacteria or pathogens are destroyed. The worms eat so fast, there is no odor, and the end result is high quality compost. This is also a great addition to an outside composting system, particularly for the winter months. The bins are small, and can be kept out of sight- we keep ours in a cupboard in the kitchen!

Above are three great examples of compost bins from the U.S. There are many different versions which can be tailored to suit your needs.

The top example is a basic indoor worm composting bin.

Design and Installation of Rainwater Catchment Systems


Families in the U.S. spend thousands of dollars each year paying for water. We pay for bottles of water, tap water, water for washing cars and clothes, water for drinking, water for the garden and many other uses. For many, the water and sewer bill is one of the most expensive utilities every month. All the while, there is free water falling from the sky- in the form of rain! With a simple water catchment system, a household can save thousands of dollars every year. The water collected in barrels can be used for washing cars, watering the garden and many other household tasks.

Without treatment, collected rainwater is not safe to drink, but for those who are interested, methods of water treatment using aquatic plants and microorganisms can also be discussed.

The chlorine in most tap water is harmful to plants because it sterilizes the soil from which the plant absorbs it's nutrients. Rainwater will help your garden thrive!

In today's world, fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce and/or expensive. If everyone in Lancaster County had just two rainwater catchment barrels, we could save millions of gallons of water, and thousands of dollars. Rainwater catchment is a great insurance policy for times of drought or emergency. What an easy way to make Lancaster more sustainable!

Homegrown uses discarded or recycled food grade barrels for our water catchment systems, so they are inexpensive and environmentally friendly.

The pictures above are examples of two simple rainwater catchment systems from the U.S.