It Takes a Village to Start an Urban Farm.

    The to-do list for opening Vella Gardens seem endless- starting a nursery/urban farm/retail space/center of creativity and wellness and all things Mother Earth is no small task. But for now, even though it's late in the farming season, I've been focusing on cleaning up the outdoor space and turning it into the urban farm I've been dreaming of for years.

I'm trying to grow on land that used to host a greenhouse- its a long rectangle plot enclosed by an old foundation on one side, a chain-linked fence on the other and a wooden gate at its entranceway. After the greenhouse roof was dismantled about 50 years ago, the lot remained empty until quite recently, when the last business owner at 1 Alfred Stone Rd. turned it into an outdoor retail space for her perennials and annuals. She cleaned up the lot and erected a beautiful, wooden pergola.

                                         The space when I first saw it, abandoned for several years.

                                          I, however, want to take things one step further.

 When I first saw the space, I immediately envisioned reclaiming the land and using it to GROW. I envisioned rows of perennial flowers blossoming a rainbow of colors. I saw pumpkin vines and oregano leaves and hardy kiwi fruit vines growing up the peregola. I saw rows of lavender, mint, thyme and chives. I envisioned a space in the center of the lot, underneath the pergola, for sitting in meditation, for listening to live music or for guest speakers to come and share their wisdom.

And so, I got to work. Weeding. Before I could even begin to map out my vision, I needed to weed. But as I started digging in the dirt I began finding shards of glass everywhere. I mean, e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Reminents of the old greenhouse roof.

               I realized 1) Urban farming is not for sissies. 2) I needed raised beds. 3) I needed help.

                                                   Buckets full of glass I've picked up from the land. 


 I quickly enlisted the help of my family and friends and scheduled a family work day. My brother and Dad came to use their technical brains to engineer several raised beds for planting my vegetables and greens.

                                              
                                              
  My mother wasted no time, putting her amazing cleaning abilities to work weeding the gardens and giving the store a good scrub down (my mother is able to see dirt particles not visible to the human eye). She even got her hands on a wheel barrow.

                                         
My best bud Charlene and my roommate Katie arrived to help haul and spread a dump truck full of soil/manure delivered by Al. Because it's late June, this was my last chance to put in a pumpkin patch. Katie was especcially skilled with shaping the dirt into even beds for the pumpkins.

                                               

And my boyfriend, the talented Chef Jason Armitage, came over for a few hours on his day off to show us all up with his wheel barrow/dirt moving skills.

                                                    

By the end of a very long day, we were exhuasted, filthy and smiling. Our bodies ached but we were filled with the great satisfaction that comes from a day of good, solid, productive, hardwork. We had succesfully created beds for a beautiful pumpkin patch, wooden frames were erected for vegetables and herbs, and we cleaned out a dump truck full of weeds and debris from the plot. Things were shaping up.

                            The back of the space was cleaned up and turned into rows of beds for a pumpkin patch.

I'm realizing how much community is linked with farming. From the farmer who delivers compost made by local cows, to the friends and family who pitch in their man/woman power, to the neighbors and passerbys who stop by to offer support and advice. And of course the local people and restaurants who recognize the importance of eating locally grown food and whose support makes the whole thing possible. Yes, it definitely takes a village. And It's suprising, but people jump at the opportunity to volunteer their time to garden or farm, probably because getting to spend a day outside with a group of happy people and using our bodies in a productive way is a treat in this modern world. And that's a good thing for me- because growing food is not something that I could easily do alone.

                                              

    My goal is to run Vella Gardens as a small CSA next season, offering vegetables, herbs and perennial flowers. If you are interested in learning more about buying a share next season please contact me at: rvellladesign@gmail.com