Novella Carpenter talks urban farms
By Erika Prins Simonds
Published in the October 2009 issue of Out There Outdoors
Novella Carpenter Farms. In her backyard. In a city. She’s convinced that you, too, can—and should—give urban farming a try, even if your “farm” is just an herb garden on the porch.
Carpenter recently published a book, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. She’ll be in Spokane promoting Farm City at Spokane Community College on October 21st at 9:30 am.
OTM: How much of your diet comes from your backyard?
Novella Carpenter: I could eat entirely off my 1/10 of an acre farm—I have dairy goats, meat rabbits, hens, bees, and a large veg.-and-fruit garden. However, I think this might defeat my goals of living in the city—which means I like to go out to eat Chinese food, and probably most importantly, I like to share my harvests with the neighbors.
OTM: Realistically, who can do this? How much space and time does one need for a backyard urban farm?
NC: Time and urban farming is a critical issue. People with fulltime jobs and kids might already feel pressed for time, and so adding hens to the mix might seem crazy. But if you integrate the urban farming into your lifestyle by making the garden into a family activity, or raising chickens a hobby for your kids, it just becomes part of your life. When I feel stressed out but I have to, say, water the garden, I find watering will calm me down because it makes me slow down, look at life and think about what is important.
You can live in an apartment and have an urban farm—rabbits do well on a deck, bees can go on a rooftop, herbs grow in small pots. If you have a bit more space—even a small backyard, you can keep a few hens.
OTM: Which animals do you recommend for novice urban farmers?
NC: If you love eggs and baking, having a few hens is a great way to start. Hens are easy and beautiful and really fun to watch. If you’re more daring, I’d recommend beekeeping. Honeybees are actually less work than hens, and the honey is so good.
In terms of output, meat rabbits are amazing. They reproduce quickly and come to maturity in 12 weeks. Their meat is a gourmet treat—rabbit rillettes are the best thing ever. Their droppings are a great manure for the garden and you can feed them leftovers/discards from your garden.
It is a great idea to plant a fruit tree right now—you’ll be rewarded in a year or two. Within five years, one grafted apple tree can provide for all your apple needs. If you love that expensive mesclun mix, know that it’s easy to grow. I always tell people to grow what they like to eat, but leave field crops like corn and wheat to rural farmers.
