Urban Gardening/Farming/Beekeeping

[Daveography]

Edmonton streamlines urban gardening bylaws
Life should be simpler for urban gardeners tending to the birds and the bees – literally – after Edmonton city council approved changes to its bylaws Monday.

A year into its urban agricultural land use strategy, city staff told council that the community is still confused about what types of projects require permits, and that some of the stipulations around parking in the original bylaws were excessive.

To that end, council approved a number of amendments Monday that should make the process easier for residents and businesses getting into urban agriculture.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/03/07/edmonton-streamlines-urban-gardening-bylaws.html

 

[Daveography]

One year later: Edmonton pilot sees happy hens
Meet Tallulah, Penelope, Camilla, and Maleficent.

“Penelope is incredibly shy. The others are much more outgoing,” Linda Johnson said of her four hens. “They have different personalities, much like a cat or dog."

Johnson got her hens for the fresh eggs — but they've also become pets.

“They are incredibly entertaining and rewarding," she said.

Johnson has been raising her chickens since thanksgiving 2014, as part of a pilot project that allowed some Edmontonians to test out raising chickens in their backyards.

“I had an opportunity where I could provide a great, enriched life for a group of animals and feed my family,” she said.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/03/10/one-year-later-edmonton-pilot-sees-happy-hens.html

 

[Daveography]

Farmer forgoes millions to preserve agricultural gift for Edmonton
Farmer Doug Visser is foregoing the potential for making millions of dollars in order to protect quality farmland and an old-growth forest from suburban growth while creating a permanent gift for Edmonton.

He’s arranged to place a conservation easement on the land and launched a fundraising campaign to cover the fees, pledging to match donations up to $70,000. The easement – registered and monitored by the Edmonton and Area Land Trust – would ensure the top quality farmland could never legally be used for anything beyond community-based agriculture.

“This is something the whole community of Edmonton can get excited about. It’s kind of a miracle,” said Raquel Feroe, a board member with the land trust.

“They’re willing to sacrifice millions of dollars to share this with the community,” she said, getting tears in her eyes Friday. “Just the generosity and the land ethic. The opportunity is here now and, if people get behind it, it’s going to happen.”

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...ns-to-preserve-agricultural-gift-for-edmonton

 

[Daveography]

'The land has been good to us': Edmonton man fights to protect his farm
Doug Visser is willing to forgo millions in development dollars to preserve his third-generation family farm.

The Edmonton man is taking the final steps to protect his 230-acre property, nestled on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, from encroaching suburban development.

"I don't want to sound odd or anything but the land has been really good to us. The land provides, and that has tremendous value," Visser said Tuesday in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

"Millions of dollars has value too, I suppose, but it's not the same kind of value."

Visser plans to place an easement on the property and has launched a public fundraising campaign to help cover the legal costs. The easement would ensure the land, located on the easternmost edge of the city limits, would only ever be used for community-based agriculture.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ghts-land-protection-legal-easement-1.4054443

 

[Daveography]

Edmonton pilot project will rent garden plots on city lands

One of the vacant lots offered by the city of Edmonton for garden use in the new pilot project. (Travis McEwan/CBC)

A City of Edmonton pilot program will rent out vacant city lands to gardeners for the 2018 growing season.

For a $100 rental fee, gardeners who are approved can grow food or or flowers on municipal land starting April 1. The licence expires after seven months.

"This pilot gives us a chance to test out other types of land tenure in ways where we might look at unconventional types of public land that could be used for growing food or for growing flowers," said Kathryn Lennon, a principal planner with the city.

"We could potentially change the landscape of the city and integrate edibles and flowers more widely into the environment that we see every day."

A map shows the vacant lots offered by the city as part of the Vacant Lots for Urban Agriculture pilot. (Google Maps)

Almost 100 available lots have been posted on the city's website. They range from 45 to 400 square metres, while many are approximately 200 square metres. Many of them are between homes in residential neighbourhoods.

The rental licence costs $100 plus a $100 deposit, which is returned after the growing season ends pending the clean up of the lot.

"It's a bit of an experiment. I really have to applaud the city for making this available," said Dustin Bajer, a sustainable food advocate.

The city recommends gardeners use raised beds because it can't guarantee the quality of the soil below.

"It will be really interesting to see what models and what the uptake is this growing season," Bajer said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-city-lots-vacant-pilot-1.4518102

 

[Daveography]

Mayors set out to keep Edmonton area farmland, market gardens in perpetuity
Land trusts, farmland reserves and market gardens producing in perpetuity — all options are now on the table after mayors of the Edmonton region voted to find a way to preserve agricultural land Thursday.

“When you drive through continental B.C. and you see all the beautiful vineyards, that wouldn’t be there if they hadn’t (created a land trust) years ago,” said Tanni Doblanko, a beef farmer and mayor of Leduc County.

“It’s not for my generation, it’s for my granddaughter’s,” said Doblanko after the 13 mayors of the Edmonton Metro board voted unanimously to take the next steps.

A new task force will start meeting March 2 to determine how to identify the best agricultural land, then review the tools available to preserve it and work with the provincial government. How much land, and if or how the current landowners will be compensated, are all questions that still need to be debated.

Success depends on how well the team can create a compelling vision for why farmland needs to be preserved, said Coun. Michael Walters.

“Are we just saving it for the sake of saving it?” he said. This is about food security and ensuring good jobs stay in the region forever.

For him personally, it’s also about responding to hunger. “We’re a region and a city that needs to be about creating a better world,” he said. “Sustainability means everybody has the opportunity to be well. … We can contribute to that.”

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...on-area-farmland-market-gardens-in-perpetuity

 

[Kaizen]

A Global News video link https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1527917123545/?jwsource=cl
Which is a continuation from Dave's posts above. Are the "powers that be" capable of making the right decisions on this extremely important (on many levels) topic.?

 

[Kaizen]

Early morning ramblings from Sundays Quarters to Chinatown walk.

What happened to the Urban Orchard ??? on the 97 street overpass?

Designers to Transform Obsolete Rail Overpass Into Public Garden, Urban Orchard

At the beginning of the 19th century, the city of Edmonton was considered one of Canada’s most important rail hubs. For over two decades the trains that

archpaper.com

Oh, right...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmo...-97th-street-bridge-a-safety-hazard-1.3667447

I guess it looks much better now, and no more worries about eating those dirty vegetables

 

[Kaizen]

A touch of snow on my little unheated greenhouse this morning. All the warm loving plants ... are still inside the house of course, but hopefully, Spring turns up the heat later this week.
I took this picture this morning and Goggle graciously popped up a "one year ago today" photo, like I needed a reminder it's cold!
It's true, Spring is a couple of weeks behind this year!
This morning,

1 year ago today