Edible Gardening Now at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Whether you’re looking for a memorable place to tie the knot with your soul mate, share a fun learning experience with the family, or simply reflect on life, inspiration can be found in every square inch of the 380 acres at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.  

Adults and kids alike can expect wonder and discovery around the corner of every meandering trail and pathway.  Like a story book fairy tale, elegant gardens, thoughtfully dotted with fountains and artwork refresh the spirit, and a glass conservatory filled with tropical plants and orchids can splash warmth and cheer on even the gloomiest winter days.

Until recently, edible gardening kept a low profile at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, reserved to a few perennial herbs worked into existing ornamental garden displays. But like an eager sweet potato vine in August, demand for a more substantial, interactive edible gardening presence grew until the folks at DSBG decided to create something new for guests.

Because the location of their organic garden display is likely to change as the display grows in scale, the first phase of their edible gardening component, which may one day grow to include a compost station, chicken coop and even a greenhouse, consists of a simple arrangement of two 4’x6’ Kitchen Garden raised beds, flanked by a cedar framed sign welcoming visitors to the garden.

The organic garden is located next to a large hedge, and receives direct sunlight from mid morning through early evening. Because of this exposure, ½” drip irrigation line was installed in the beds to ensure that the watering schedule can be adjusted based on the time of year.

Like all of our raised beds, these were made with untreated red cedar lumber and filled with a premium organic soil and amendment blend. While a tidy backyard garden is always easier to enjoy, because this exhibit is on display to the general public, a well maintained appearance is absolutely essential. To ensure that their edible garden display is always an enhancement to the other visual elements of the grounds, we partner with the maintenance team at DSBG to keep the beds looking magnificent, whatever the season.  

Edible Garden Display at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Park(ing) Day 2014

Created by forward thinking design firm Rebar in 2005, Park(ing) Day has grown to become a global event that embraces the idea of using short term lease urban space to foster awareness for the use of urban space.  

The ambition of the one day event is to increase awareness for the need for diversity in public space, open up debate about how public space is created and shared, and to improve the quality of life for city dwellers.

The original temporary park was set up in a concrete laden area of Down Town San Francisco that is underserved by public space. For two hours an ordinary metered parking space became a tiny park with lush sod, a shade tree and a cozy bench.  Park(ing) Day has since been promoted world wide as an open source project inviting creativity to address a variety of social issues urban communities around the world.

It has evolved  far beyond the simple mini-park motif with participants using the short term leased space to build  free health clinics, plant temporary urban farms, ecology demonstrations, political seminars, art installations, and free bike repair shops. A Park(ing) Day space has even been used as a wedding venue.

On Sept 19^th, over a dozen participating organizations transformed Uptown Charlotte parking spaces into small, but innovative urban realms where pedestrians could interact, perhaps stay and sit for a while, or even just appreciate the creativity and smile as they strolled past.

Microfarm teamed up with the Charlotte Center City Partners, Boxman Studios, Neighboring Concepts, and The Lawrence Group to create a svelte urban farm complete with an elegant modern gathering space built into a shipping container, mobile chicken coop, rain water storage tank, plants and other cedar garden structures.

While no one shared wedding vows in our temporary urban park, plenty of folks stopped by to have a look at the sliver laced Wyandotte hens or take a break in the ultra cool steel lounge space. And when the lease was up on our temporary park, perhaps some of them even went home with a new appreciation for the importance of public space.

Know Your Farms Tour

Microfarm is built on the idea that much of what we consume can be raised even on the most pint-sized residential properties. It’s fun and rewarding for the urban homesteader to cleverly position raised beds to capture every second of sunlight that filters through giant oak trees or spills over the neighbor’s garage. It takes some getting used the first few times new organic gardeners walk right past the spinach and arugula in the produce isle. Backyard coops are popular, and while there’s certainly no limit to the ingenuity and creativity that can be invested in an urban chicken coop, there is a limit on the number of chickens that a city dweller can own.  A couple of dwarf goats might fly under the radar in a larger suburban lot, but a herd of alpacas over in Eastover might raise some eyebrows.

Simply put, even if we do have the space, most of us don’t have the time and energy to raise everything we consume in our backyard. Some things are better left to farmers. Sure it’s easy to yield all the mesclun mix you could ever want from a 4’x6’ raised bed in your backyard, but it’ll be hard to match those giant onions, cabbages, and Brussels sprouts grown on an area farm. You’ll have plenty of volunteers to harvest organic eggs from the backyard coop for the family’s Sunday breakfast, but few takers on butchering birds for Sunday dinner.

It’s our area farms that raise much of the meat, grain and produce that we consume, and on Sept. 27^th and 28^th 2014, you’ll have a chance to see first-hand how they create these products that we enjoy every day.

For anyone who wants to see working farms up close, The Charlotte area Know Your Farms Tour is the perfect  way to visit with 11 local farmers in their element, and see how everything from sorghum to sheep to strawberries is produced.  This will be the tour’s seventh event, and they’ve refined an enriching experience that gives participants a special opportunity to connect with people and places that produce the items they consume every day. Participating farms offer family friendly activities ranging from hay rides, live bluegrass, and cooking demos. Most have products for sale and food & drink offerings, and some will even allow kids to pet the animals. knowyourfarmstour.com

Brassica oleracea (The Cabbage Family)

It’s hard to believe that the peppy Chihuaha, huggable laboradoodle, and the massive Great Dane are all direct ancestors of the wolf, and while the differences might not be quite as striking, the same might be said for the kohlrabi, Brussels Sprout, and cabbage plants, which are all member of the same Brassica oleracea family.

These cultivars along with Kale, broccoli, collard greens, and cauliflower were selected by humans over thousands of years from the wild cabbage plant that can still be found growing in coastal areas of England, France and Spain.  From there, cultivation and subsequent selections of wild cabbage spread into Europe, the middle east and Asia.

It was the Celts who cultivated cabbage varieties across Europe, and gave us many of the names we use today.  Celtic words ‘kal’ or ‘kol’ evolved into the English ‘kale’ , and ‘kap’ became ‘cabbage’ and kappes in the German language.

Broccoli
Long considered an Italian cultivar, broccoli may have in fact first been developed in Crete and Cyprus.  Whatever the origin, the cultivar had been dubbed the “Italian Asparagus’ by the 19^th Century, and the flower buds were continuously selected for flavor and density. The broccoli plant is purported to have been introduced to the United States by the family of noted James Bond film producer, Albert R. Broccoli.

Brussels Sprouts
First noted in Belgium in the mid 18^th century, later appearing in England and France at the beginning of the 18^th century, the Brussels sprout plant was selected for its tight forming lateral leaf buds.

Cabbage
Selected for the tight drum heads that they form, red and white cabbage varieties originated in Germany, while the more cold tolerant, crinkly, Savoy cabbage varieties are thought to have been cultivated in northern Italy.

Kale
The closest relative of the wild sea cabbage, kale is notably both cold and heat resistant, and was selected for abundant production of nutrient packed leaves.

Cauliflower
Like broccoli, cauliflower was selected to form a dense head, and while most varieties are white, pink and purple cultivars have also been developed.

Kohlrabi
Developed for the large, round stem that forms at the base of the plant, the harvested kohlrabi is sometimes confused with a root vegetable. 

Cultivation of Brassicas

While  Brassica oleracea varieties may look different, genetically they’re so similar that cultivation is about the same for all of them. Though they famously thrive in cooler weather, kale and collard greens are also heat tolerant and when planted at the right time can survive both scorching summer heat as well as sub zero winter nights. Brassica  family plants are heavy feeders, and will thrive in rich soil amended with plenty of organic compost and bone meal. 

Leafy varieties like kale and collards should have a minimum of 12” between plants while heading types like broccoli and cabbage will appreciate a little more breathing room – somewhere in the neighborhood of 16”-18” between plants.

Crop rotation will help control insect pests like the cabbage worm which can cause a tremendous amount of damage to brassica varieties. Beware the flittering white moths flying among your brassica crop as they'll soon lay eggs that will hatch into hordes of hungry caterpillars and worms. Their cycle can be broken up with regular applications of neem oil spray, or Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) :  a naturally occurring bacteria used as an organic pest control. ALWAYS follow the application instructions for any organic pest control product. Mixing neem oil spray stronger than the recommended rate, for example,  can damage your plants.

Cedar Compost System Joins Magnificent Urban Homestead

Anne Carter Smith’s property nestles alongside the fairway of Charlotte Country Club like a Southern Belle with a trackside view of the Kentucky Derby.

A massive hedgerow along the front of the property creates the impression of a dreamy, private wonderland, while out back, oak trees old enough to recall golfers stroll by in knickers, shade their home from hot afternoons.

To the right of the house, sits a delightful organic garden complete with pea gravel pathways, and  a painted wood fence. A tree laden with plump brown figs sits just outside one of the garden’s three ornamental gates, while one of the city's most magnificent chicken coops lies just a stone’s throw down a gravel pathway.

In fact, the property had just about everything the family of homesteaders needed except a place to put all those garden trimmings, dry leaves, grass clippings, used coop bedding, coffee grinds, and apple cores.  Of course, composting in a backyard setting is really just a controlled version of the same decomposition process that happens naturally in any forest, and a simple pile of material in a corner of the garden could have done the job.

Anne Carter Smith's Cedar Compost System from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

But the magnificent landscape had set the bar very high, and the situation called for an elegant, sturdy compost system design that could process a large amount of material while enhancing the property's visual appeal at the same time.

Our two-bin cedar compost station fit the bill, and we placed it alongside a gravel pathway, just behind the family’s organic garden. This location will mean easy access with a wheelbarrow, and a short trip to and from the garden. The compost station measures 8’ long, 4’ wide, and 4’ high, and the system is divided evenly into two compartments so that compost piles can be staggered. This will create a more consistent supply of premium homemade compost for their garden.

A simple design of slats drop into grooves at the front of each bin, providing both a strong system of keeping heavy piles of material in place and an uncomplicated way to access finished compost. The 64 cubic feet of volume in each bin allows for a pile with enough mass to help accelerate the decomposition process, while still small enough to be turned with a hand tool.

Interested in a one, two, or three bin cedar compost system for your own urban homestead? CLICK HERE or write us at hello@microfarmgardens.com to get started!