A journal of modern day pioneers forging a new frontier in the city through intensive agriculture and extreme sustainability in urban homesteading.

Reviving the old-fashioned "can-do" spirit of self-reliance and resourcefulness, they have faced many challenges. With faith and determination, these once-ordinary city dwellers are boldly reclaiming their lives and land. continue

June 6, 2008

DIGGING FOR VICTORY

3
Posted by Anais

It’s finally catching on, the homegrown trend is growing!

Home-grown vegetables grow in popularity

LONDON (Reuters) – Almost 70 years after Britons were urged to Dig For Victory to produce hearty home-grown food to help the war effort, domestic horticulture is coming back.

Across the Atlantic, where mortgage defaults, plummeting property prices and spiraling oil costs have driven the U.S. economy to the brink of recession, home-grown food is also gaining in popularity.

Rest of article

The Vegetable Patch Takes Root (WSJ)
More families are looking right under their feet to ease the problem of high food prices.

As consumers balk at the rising cost of groceries, homeowners increasingly are cutting out sections of lawn and retiring flower beds to grow their own food. They’re building raised vegetable beds, turning their spare time over to gardening, and doing battle with insect pests.
Rest of article

Are you combating rising food prices with seeds and shovels? Check out our sister site FREEDOM GARDENS enlist on the growing frontĀ – join fellow homegrown revolutionaries and yard liberators!



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3 Comments: “DIGGING FOR VICTORY”

1

As time goes on I think that home grown food will be the only way of bring food cost down to an affordable level. With oil rising week by week it is going to make all food more and more expensive not to mention the sky rocketing potash costs. It is really hard to wrap your head around but the day is coming when the average consumer can no longer afford to use energy.

What PTF is doing is starting a community that hopefully can assist in converting people to be more self sufficiently and help, even if in a little way, to reduce our use of energy.

Keep up the good work!
_____________________________________________
Check out my veggie garden blog:
http://veggiegardenblog.blogspot.com/

[Reply]


06/07/2008



2

It’s just a small matter of time, really.

[Reply]


06/07/2008



3

Well, after two days with no electric after our storms in Maryland, I really see how dependent we are. We lost food that was frozen, had to depend on ice from outside sources for the rest of the refrigerated foods.

As I was telling my mother, the Dervaes have it right -
we need to be independent, including having “citified farm animals” to help us. Having all of the fruits and veggies we need is essential.

Thanks again for forging the path for so many of us!

[Reply]






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The Urban Homesteaders
Jules DervaesJustin DervaesAnais DervaesJordanne Dervaes
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COMPLETE URBAN HOMESTEAD ARCHIVES:



LOCATION
Pasadena, CA
(Northwest Pasadena, one mile from downtown Pasadena 100 yards from 11 lane freeway)

PROPERTY SIZE
1/5 acre (66' x 132' / 8,712 sq.ft.)

GARDEN SIZE
~ 1/10 acre (3,900 sq.ft. / ~ 66' x 66')

GARDEN DIVERSITY
~ 400 different vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries

FOOD PRODUCTION
~ 6,000 lbs annually / 99% of our produce $75,000 savings

URBAN HOMESTEAD SUPPORTS
4 full-time resident adults, a menagerie of animals, volunteers, and many clients

ENERGY USAGE
$12 a month / 6.0 kwh day

WATER USAGE
$600 / 175,000 gallons a year

SOLAR POWER PRODUCED
12,410 kwh as of 5/12/10

GALLONS OF BIODIESEL MADE
2,500 gallons as of 5/12/08

FACTS N FIGURES
Learn more about the Urban Homestead
Full Stats Summary