I am intrigued by urban farming. The idea of sustainable farms set up in abandoned and blighted areas seems like a really good use of land that no one is interested in. From strictly plant farms to plant-and-fowl farms to fish/water/plant setups, it’s a chance to heal the land and increase property value. In all honesty, my interest hasn’t reached obsession level yet because I’d have to put my hands in dirt.
I have real concerns, too. What happens to pollution in the ground from nearby factories, auto repair shops, runoff, and whatever’s left down there from the buildings that used to stand where you’re growing? How much of that will end up in the food that grows there? How much will the plant be able to break down? Will it be safe to eat? Will any surplus be safe to sell or donate to those in need? When I’ve poked around on ye olde internets, I’ve seen similar concerns, especially about the urban farming movement in Detroit, but I haven’t seen consensus on any kind of answers. (If they’re there, and I just missed them, kindly point me in the right direction in the comments.)
Why do I bring this up? Well, I’m a friend of the proprietors of Serenity Acres Now (seriously, go buy their eggs) who have set up a farm from scratch, though not in an urban environment. And then there’s Peter. Over the years he, his roommates, his significant other, and his mother in law have all attempted to farm his rather expansive side yard. They’ve all had quite a bit of success, but have been limited by how swampy the land is. He got involved with one of the local community gardens, and has great success growing things there, as well as connecting with those involved.
Since he was involved in both at the same time, there’s always something heading to the compost because it didn’t get eaten or canned quite in time. And yet, Peter being Peter, he wanted to go bigger. He contacted the Ingham County Land Bank, and jumped through some application hoops. He is now leasing a triple lot that has been missing its three houses for over a year. Did you know that city waste collection departments will come and dump yard waste that they’ve collected in mountainous piles on your land? I had no idea. They don’t have to store it, and you get free compost after fall rains, winter snows, and spring thaw. Win-win, as they say. As Peter, his kids, and Hunter worked to spread the proto-compost over the property, he challenged me with coming up with a name for his farm. Two rules: it had to end in Farm, to differentiate it from Learning Leaves (which he calls “the garden”), and it had to be able to go on the sign on the property without getting him lynched.
It took a couple of days of percolating, but I came up with something. I presented it to him like this:
“Peter, I’ve come up with a name.
“For the farm?”
“Yes, but it’s terrible, and you should definitely not use it.”
“Okaaaay…”
“I only thought of it because I’ve always wanted to see WTF on a sign. It’s What The Farm.”
“Sounds good. I think I’ll use it.”
“Wait, no, I said you should definitely not use it.”
“Exactly!”
So was born What The Farm. Since these pics were taken, four or five more piles of yard waste have been dumped and spread. Michigan weather will do the rest, and Peter’s got a list of “seeds and whatnot” to gather for planting in the spring. Looks like my questions will be answered first hand.