An urban garden can be as simple as a pot. Courtesy: SP Veres
Kapalua Farms (808-665-5491, kapaluafarms.com) has recently announced that it is opening its Maui farm for daily tours by local Hawaii residents and tourists, alike. Guests can view how the farm grows its organic fruits and vegetables. The farm hopes these tours will help people to appreciate the way gardening can contribute to Hawaiians' healthy lifestyles.
Don't wait to take the Kapalua Farms tour to start your own urban garden or backyard city chicken project. Gardening and backyard poultry can provide a healthy, fresh and often organic source of food that is free of the artificial, nasty chemicals often present in commercially-produced vegetables and meat.
City chickens and backyard gardens are also exceedingly wallet-friendly—a significant benefit during our nation and state's current recession when everyone is trying to save money any way that they can.
For these reasons alone, the practice of raising city chickens and growing urban gardens have jumped in popularity. Stories in publications such as The Economist and the New York Times all point to the rising trend towards self-sufficiency, even for people living in places like downtown Honolulu. And websites like the poultryOne City Chicken Guide have reported exceptional growth as people return to the earth for a source of nurtritious nourishment.
An urban garden can be as simple as a row of potted plants. Plants that do well in pots include herbs like cilantro and basil; vegetables like beans and tomatoes and lettuce; edible flowers like nasturtiums; and dwarf fruit trees.
Raising city chickens is also time and space efficient. But don't limit yourself to just raising chickens in your city backyard. Try other types of poultry, such as ducks, geese, or gamebirds. Such poultry species can provide you with lots of fresh, wholesome eggs.
For more info:
- Urban Gardening: UrbanGardenShare.org
- Backyard City Chickens and Poultry: DuckHobby.com, RaiseQuail.com, and Raising-Guineas.com
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