Spring Planting Season

The San Francisco-based urban farmer Jason Mark of Alemany Farm, who does double duty as a food journalist for Change.org and editor in chief of the Earth Island Journal, recently posted a great editorial piece on the Baker Creek Seed Catalogue.  

Baker Creek specializes in rare heirloom seeds and last year opened a retail store in Petaluma, California in an old bank building.  Their "Seed Bank" makes a fantastic statement about the importance of preserving the heritage of a diversified seed stock.

 I happened to have ordered a nice selection of seeds from Baker Creek about a month ago and was very pleased with their customer service and fast delivery.  The challenge that I'm facing now is where to plant them.  As an apartment dweller, I'm struggling to pick the best spot to put down roots.  Do I join a community garden?  Yes.  Should I partner with a friend to help them create a rockin' garden at their house?  Yes.  Should I get creative with planters that make use of my limited space? Yes, again!

The concept of "permaculture for renters" provides an interesting take on this conundrum for those of us looking to live sustainably in a rented setting.  Here are a few creative ideas collected by Grist.org for planting in limited space.

Read Jason's article and start thinking about your plans for the growing season.  Now is the time!