Somerville Urban Ag

95 years later, we want you to keep chickens, too. We want you to keep chickens so badly that we have passed the first Urban Agriculture Ordinance in the Northeast.  AND, as if that is not enough, we even made a video for you to watch when you come get your permit.

Have a look:
“C” is for Chicken: Chicken Keeping in Somerville, MA

You can find all the rules and helpful tips for all urban ag practices in the easy-to-understand document: The ABC’s of Urban Agriculture in Somerville

Thank you to SomervilleArchives for the fantastic photo!

THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE WINS A BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT’S AWARD FOR THE MAYOR’S URBAN AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE!

That’s right! The Mayor’s Urban Agriculture Initiative won a merit award from the BSLA, northern New England’s chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA.) The award was presented to the City for excellence in communicating the first municipal Urban Ag Ordinance in the region,  promoting urban agriculture through innovative use of social media (ahem, this blog), and educational events, videos and the City Hall demonstration garden. 

In fact, the award letter reads, “The jury…was impressed by what great public benefit it serves, and what was accomplished with such a limited budget. The jury was very pleased that Somerville took this on and feels that it is a great example of what cities should be doing.” WHOA!  Did you hear that? (“WHAT CITIES SHOULD BE DOING!!!”) Even more impressive is that we did all of this with no additional budget, just our in-house talented staff and a community of people that love urban ag.  Go Somerville!

(applause please)

SOMERVILLE IN BLOOM

Thank you to the Somerville volunteers who planted over 1,000 daffodils and tulips all over the city in a “flash mob planting” last fall,  known as the second annual SOMERVILLE BULB BLITZ!  Let’s just say it is paying off BIG in beauty all over.  Here is a map of the Bulb Blitz locations.  Get outside and enjoy the flowers.

Lead in Soil

This is part 2 of a two part series on urban soils.  Please see the previous post.

On residential sites with pre-1978 housing, the most common soil contaminant is lead (Pb). It  has been deposited on the soil from past years of industrial pollution, leaded gasoline and flaking leaded paint. In an effort to prevent childhood lead poisoning, the EPA has defined dangerous levels of lead in soil as 400 ppm in play areas and 1,200 ppm in bare soil [footnote].

The EPA has not, however, defined lead hazard levels for gardens; and, there are varying opinions on how much lead is too much for growing edible plants. The Massachusetts Contingency Plan identifies 300 ppm of lead as the standard for “soil associated with unrestricted use [footnote].”  In addition, the University of Massachusetts recommends not growing in soils with more than 300ppm of total lead. Based on these guidelines, the City of Somerville recommends growing produce in containers and raised beds or in soil with under 300 ppm of total lead. Under the Somerville Urban Ag Ordinance, if you intend to sell your produce, you are required to post your annual soil test results at the point of sale- even if you are growing in a raised bed. UMASS Amherst Extension Services offers an affordable “Routine Soil Test” that includes lead and is also helpful for gardening. 

Always follow these best practices for gardening:

• locate gardens away from painted structures
• add compost to your soil every year
• do not let children play or garden in contaminated soil
• wear gloves when gardening, and wash hands afterwards
• wash all produce thoroughly before eating
• throw away the outer leaves of vegetables where soil particles are most likely to be located
• peel all root vegetables before eating

For recommendations on how to improve soils and grow plants in mildly contaminated soil, see:
Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices 

Using Potentially Contaminated Landscapes: Growing Gardens in Urban Soils

If you have a child under six and you live in an old home, please see the City’s Lead Hazard Abatement Program.

THE DIRT ON SOIL, PART 1
(HEY, READ THIS- IT’S IMPORTANT!)

As in all older cities in the U.S., soils in our beloved Somerville can contain contaminants. On a site that has always been residential, the most common contaminant found is lead. (Part 2 of this post will address lead in soil.) When a site has had other uses, such as industrial or agricultural, it contain many other contaminants. Be sure to research the site history before you plant your garden.  You can overcome the obstacles encountered in urban farming to become more informed and garden safely.

1. As a best practice, it is recommended that urban produce be grown in containers or raised beds built from wood that does not contain old paint on it and has not been chemically treated, or from another safe material.  First turn the existing soil, to help with drainage. Then, place landscape fabric, available at hardware stores, on the turned earth and build the raised bed on it.This provides a barrier to the old soil, while allowing water to infiltrate. If you have problems with critters, you can also put a wire hardware cloth below all of it to prevent any burrowing. There are many ways to build a raised bed and many tutorials out there.  Search the web to find guides and videos and do what works best for you.  You can find more tips in the “Agriculture ” section of ABC’s of Urban Ag, a guide to urban ag in Somerville.

2. Next, fill the raised bed with clean, TESTED soil.  Be sure you know where your soil comes from.  Do not buy untested soil from someone’s city yard, from the internet or from an urban site, as it is likely to be contaminated. If you buy soil from a nursery or landscaper, ask  where it comes from and if it has been tested for contaminants. Place gardens away from structures with flaking paint and be aware that clean soils can become contaminated by activities like the scraping or weathering of leaded paint on a nearby structure.

3. Finally ,plant and grow delicious, local food! Remember, in Somerville, under the new Urban Agriculture Ordinance, if you plan to sell your produce, a soil test is required and must be posted.  See Pg 11 of the ABC’s of Urban Ag.

Stay tuned, part two will discuss lead, the most common contaminant found in urban soils.

We won!  We won! WE WON!

On April 5th, 2013 the City of Somerville was awarded the Golden Trowel Award by Groundwork Somerville for it’s innovative “Mayor’s Urban Agricultuire Initiative” and for being the first municipality in the Commonwealth to pass an Urban Agriculture Ordinance! Jesse Banhazl of Green City Growers (GCG) was also awarded a Golden Trowel  GCG’s innovative business focusing on urban agriculture. 

THIS how we feel about it! Bravo!

CHICKENS AND COMPOSTERS AND A SEED SWAP, OH MY!
Saturday, March 30th 9:30am until 2:00pm at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market.  191 Highland Ave, that really cool fortress-looking building, the Armory, in Somerville!

Are you planning a huge harvest from raised beds or a container herb garden in the windowsill? Either way, this day is for you. Join us at the market for activities and info about gardening in Somerville.Celebrate Spring, plan your garden, learn about composting, chickens and seeds! Happenings include:

• Seed Swap (part 2!) From the Somerville Community Growing Center!
• Chickens! Visit with Khrysti of Yardbirds Backyard Chickens and her Somerville “girls” and learn all about chickens in Somerville. She will arrive with her feathered ladies around 10:30 or so.
• Earth Machine compost bins available for purchase from the City of Somerville ($40 check or money order to “The City of Somerville”). Bike delivery available (thank you Andrew of Compost This!)
• Learn all about Urban Ag in Somerville! What are the opportunities, rules, and regs for chickens, bees, and urban farming?
• Groundwork Somerville demonstrating how to make a worm composting bin, with worms for sale!
• Green City Growers at market. Learn how they can help you make the most of your space for gardening!

Bring the kids, there will be planting activities. And buy fresh, local produce,too.  Can it get any better?

Happy First Day of Spring Somerville!

Yes, there is some snow on the ground, but the warm weather is just around the corner, so clean off those garden tools, it’s about to get real…

TOMORROW, THURSDAY, March 14th, 2013.  GET YOUR SHARE!

Love fresh, local produce? Come meet growers and food producers from across Massachusetts and compare Farm Share programs. Fun prizes and gift certificates for anyone who signs up for their share! Info here.