Edible Estates

On May 5th, 2012, ANNOUNCING THE LENARD FAMILY RESIDENCE…

The Lenard family photographer today by Andras Kare in the middle of their soon to be dug up and planted front yard in Wekerletelep, Budapest

…as the site for the Edible Estate Regional Prototype Garden #12: Budapest, Hungary to be planted over the weekend of June 2nd – commissioned by Blood Mountain Foundation and supported with a grant from the Graham Foundation – and check out this video by Réka Pigniczky of the search for the Budapest garden site at the local market.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 5, 2012 | Edible Estates
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On December 5th, 2011, THE LENAPE EDIBLE ESTATE…

Lenape garden 30 months later

…was established in 2009 in front of the Hudson Guild community center at Elliott-Chelsea Houses near the corner of West 26th Street and Tenth Avenue with thirty edible plant species that the native Lenape people of the island of Manhattan would have been eating from as recently as 400 years ago – and being in the neighborhood this morning, I stopped by to check it out (since there is no particular family that takes care of it and eats from it – as with most of the other Edible Estate gardens - I have always been a bit concerned about it’s future prospects) where some plants had gone and others had arrived, but it was still looking good, and even a little wild – in a good way. (webpage)

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By Fritz Haeg on December 5, 2011 | Edible Estates
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On September 11th, 2011, ISTANBUL KIDDIES IN THE HOTHOUSE…

Istanbul children planting seeds for the hothouse workshop

…(the Edible Estates garden headquarters at SALT Beyoglu) gathered for some gardening workshops with Pelin Demereli throughout the afternoon, and since I couldn’t understand anything they were saying, (though at one point a few little boys seemed to be having a really interesting conversation – so I asked someone to translate, but it turns out they were communicating in their own make-up language which no one else could understand either) I just smiled a lot while they were intently focused of planting seeds in egg trays.

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By Fritz Haeg on September 11, 2011 | Edible Estates, gardens
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On September 10th, 2011, ISTANBUL GARDEN WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES…

Edible Estates garden headquarters at SALT Beyoglu, Istanbul

…today and tomorrow (plus a talk this evening) have brought me back to town to check in on the Edible Estate rooftop hothouse garden headquarters on top of SALT Beyoglu, the ambitious new art institution (just before the Istanbul Biennial opens later this week) – and we have been lucky to find Pelin Demireli to work with on some of these garden activities…

Pelin Demireli leads gardening and cooking workshops for children with organizations including Sulukule Volunteer Association, Şişli Ecological Market, Kuzguncuk Elementary School, Kınalı Summer Camp and Minik Fırın. She is also engaged in a network of local farmers and seed swappers working to make traditional seeds available both within and outside of İstanbul. (SALT website)

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By Fritz Haeg on September 10, 2011 | Edible Estates, gardens
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On September 9th, 2011, A MORNING VISIT TO THE LONDON EDIBLE ESTATE…

corn popping up from the beds of Edible Estate #4: London

…(which was commissioned by Tate Modern in 2007) before heading to the airport for a flight to Istanbul, was a happy diversion (situated at the corner of Webber and Lancaster in Southwark, just around the corner from where I am staying) where I discovered the garden going gang-busters (as my aunt Kay says) with towering sunflowers, laurel bay trees filling out, rosemary plants now a hedge, strawberries trailing everywhere, robust apple trees coming into their own, plus chives, sage, chard, raspberries, and corn stalks popping up making ears lookeing about ready to eat, which I saw a father point out to his young daughter as he was walking her to school down the street. (garden webpage)

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By Fritz Haeg on September 9, 2011 | Edible Estates
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On June 27th, 2011, BORLOTTI…

borlotti garden harvest

…beans have arrived to the rooftop garden, with harvest day for the speckled magenta pods hiding everywhere I look.

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By Fritz Haeg on June 27, 2011 | gardens
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On June 3rd, A ROOFTOP SUNSET DINNER PARTY…

places set for a sunset rooftop garden dinner party

…last night, just after an errant storm passed over delivering a bit of cooling rain,  was enjoyed on long rooftop garden-side peony-centered table set in the colorful vintage linens laid out by Academy friend Siena – who acquired them Porta Portese (defying my assumption that everything there was junkie) – and to eat we made the most of what is to be had in the garden right now, like squash blossoms, basil, mint, and the last of the fava beans (which I am ashamed to admit I am getting a little tired of).

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By Fritz Haeg on June 3, 2011 | gardens
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On May 28th, 2011, ROMAN ROOFTOP GARDEN NEWS…

view of Roman Rooftop this morning

…includes reports on recently planted loquat seeds; sad bean plants that are still refusing to climb up the bamboo wigwam structure that was made for them months ago; some eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes that are starting to flower and set fruit; lots of pretty lettuce plants that are being left to bolt up like mad and make pretty purple flowers; favas that are still producing; and a bin full of ever multiplying worms that keep eating and eating.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 28, 2011 | gardens
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On May 22nd, 2011, THE STRAWBERRY REPORT…

spring strawberry arrival

…brings good news of the most regular and welcome daily fruiting arrivals in my Roman rooftop garden these days – with always a few to be found hiding in a planter – but never enough to do more than the occasional nibbling and grazing.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 22, 2011 | food
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On April 29th, 2011, SPRING PLANTINGS IN THE ROMAN ROOFTOP GARDEN…

spring view north over the Roman rooftop

…including little tomato starts, bean seeds, eggplants, basil, squash, corn, and other future pleasures of the summer finally went in the rooftop dirt this week after much delay – and now we will wake up with an extra bit of curiosity each morning to see what they are doing.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 29, 2011 | gardens
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On April 11th, 2011, PEA, FAVA & WORM POOP HARVEST…

the big beautiful fava pods posing by the worm estate, being harvested of it's rich fertile black worm stuff

…is the breaking news from the Roman rooftop garden this morning – having never grown the favas, I’ve waited until they are as big as those I’ve been seeing at the farmer’s market (which is BIG) before picking – and as far as that worm compost is concerned, I’ve been waiting all year to pull out the fertile goods – putting off the dirty work (which is now urgent since it is full of compost – great for the plants, but toxic for little squirmy guys – crawling around in their own waste and all) of somehow extracting the castings and not the worms to start a fresh new bin – of which there are a few methods, mine being the slow process of leaving the top of the bin exposed direct sunlight forcing the them to retreat down into the darker depths, and then scraping off a top layer until I find them again, and those that are too slow just end up in a planter with some other good things to eat, which isn’t so bad for them either.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 11, 2011 | gardens
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On April 6th, 2011, SPECIAL TURKISH FARMER SEEDS…

a farmers saved seeds ready for planting

…including lots of beans, corn, lettuce, squash, some rare precious tomatoes, and a variety of fruiting trees and vegetables starts have arrived from a friendly farmer couple who have pulled together most of the materials for the Istanbul rooftop hothouse we are working to finish in time for the SALT Beyoğlu building opening on Friday.

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By Fritz Haeg on April 6, 2011 | gardens
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On March 31st, 2011, ISTANBUL ROOFTOP HOTHOUSE…

the 'before' view of the greenhouse at SALT future home of the Istanbul Rooftop Hothouse

…is the next edition in the series of Edible Estates gardens which I have come here to begin work on (housed in a spacious airy new greenhouse on the top floor of the beautifully renovated six floor home for the new center for contemporary art SALT Beyoğlu opening on Apri 8th on Istanbul’s central pedestrian street of İstiklal Caddesi), which should be a casual laboratory for cultivating a diversity of edibles and modest year-round urban gardening activity; a handmade environment gradually evolving over time created with locally scavenged materials for SALT staff and visitors to inhabit as a green living room and gardening retreat; an occasional headquarters and seed-starting facility for local urban farming groups – including the fantastic Sinek Sekiz, who I just met with this afternoon. (more on Edible Estate #11: Istanbul, Turkey, opening mid-September)

 

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By Fritz Haeg on March 31, 2011 | gardens
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On March 26th, 2011, ROMAN ROOFTOP HOMESTEAD GARDEN UPDATE…

rooftop garden view with my studio windows beyond

…today includes happy news about the reals stars of the show at the moment, the bursting crop of fava beans (which I saw all over Praiano this week) starting to produce their gigantic pods, plus more lettuce than I can eat, pea-pods getting plumper by the day, little peach trees displaying their pink blossoms, baby potatoes asking for another harvest, strawberries that do not seem to understand it is spring, and some very slow beets which I am really starting to wonder about, but container root vegetables are sometimes tricky.

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By Fritz Haeg on March 26, 2011 | food, gardens
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On February 19th, 2011, ‘URBAN HOMESTEAD’…

The Urban Homestead, 2008

…is a term that has been around since at least the 1970′s, so it was with some surprise when we heard the press swirling with stories about a kooky homesteading clan who actually went through the trouble to trademark it (I was equally surprised to discover that they had purchased the domain name edibleestates.com a few years after I started my little art project), and over the past week they have been sending nutty letters (sorta cease & desist) to those groups using the term, including the fine folks, Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, who wrote the popular 2008 book of the same name (Electronic Frontier Foundation is now representing the authors and publisher in this dispute) – so let’s all buy their book! (and check out a new protest page – don’t mess with homesteaders)

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By Fritz Haeg on February 19, 2011 | books, environment
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On December 7th, 2010, PLASTIC BOTTLE SEED-STARTER COLD-HOUSE WATER-CATCHMENT…

bottle gardening, before (left), 'cold-cover' arrangement with cover to keep the plants warm on cool nights (middle), and 'water-catchment' arrangement with bottom on top to collect water in hot dry weather (right)

…is a simple little system I have going on the Roman rooftop garden (also known as Edible Estate #9: Rome, Italy) which involves collecting unwanted empty containers (from American Academy residents, who also happen to write their names on their bottles when they leave them in the communal kitchens, which adds a really cute personal kindergarten-like detail to the garden) – and then (a) they are cut in half (b) the cap is placed inside the bottom of the neck to keep the soil in place (c) the ‘top’ half is then filled with soil and planted with seeds (d) the ‘bottom’ is then either used as a cold-cover or base to catch water depending on the weather.

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By Fritz Haeg on December 7, 2010 | gardens
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On December 4th, 2010, THE MAYOR OF LONDON AND CAPITAL GROWTH…

Somerford and Shacklewell Estate (Hackney), winner of the Best Estate Garden

…announced a winning London housing estate community garden last month for the competiton inspired by Edible Estate Regional Prototype Garden #4: London, England, commissioned by Tate Modern in 2007; and with the 2012 Olympics coming up I also hope that my 2007 manifesto originally presented at the Turbine Hall on June 23rd, 2007, ‘Olympic Farming 2012,’ will pick up some steam too. (more info on the mayor’s Edible Estates competiton)

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By Fritz Haeg on December 4, 2010 | gardens
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On November 30th, 2010, AN INTERVIEW IN THE DIRT…

The Dirt by ASLA

…the American Institute of Landscape Architects (ASLA) website, was posted a couple of months ago – but I finally had a chance to read it, and thought I would share it with you here…(link to ASLA interview)

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By Fritz Haeg on November 30, 2010 | landscape design, publications
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On July 4th, 2010, IS THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF EDIBLE ESTATE #1…

"Edible Estate #1: Salina, Kansas" Stan and Priti Cox in front of their house on July 4th, 2005

…in Salina, Kansas, which was planted over the holiday weekend in 2005 in the front lawn of the Cox Residence and commissioned by the Salina Art Center – and a couple of days ago, Stan Cox, the Estate owner, was featured in the L.A. Times with a story about his new book: “Losing Our Cool,” addressing the damage A/C does and offering alternative ways to deal with heat.

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By Fritz Haeg on July 4, 2010 | gardens
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On May 19th, 2010, THE ALDRICH MUSEUM STAFF EDIBLE ESTATE GARDENS & COMPOST…

the Aldrich Museum staff Edible Estate garden planting

…were established yesterday with the help of the crew from Garden of Ideas – removing some of the lawn and creating planting beds for the staff to grow their own food and compost in front of the museum for the upcoming “Something for Everyone” show.

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By Fritz Haeg on May 19, 2010 | art, gardens
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On May 5th, 2010, THE EDIBLE ESTATES BOOK ABROAD AND ONLINE…

Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn - expanded 2nd edition, Metropolis Books, 2010

…(new expanded 2nd edition just out from Metropolis Books) is distributed in Europe through Idea Books in Amsterdam, copies in Australia and New Zealand are available through people at Oooby.com (email them here), and check it out on the new Facebook page set up by the U.S.A. distributor DAP (Distributed Art Publishers). (book webpage)

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By Fritz Haeg on May 5, 2010 | books
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On April 19th, 2010, CAL POLY POMONA DEPARTMENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE…

poster for lecture at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Landscape Architecture

…is where I gave a lecture today – the drive to Pomona reminds me of the sprawling nature of my city in a way that is easy to forget during my daily life in the super tiny radius around my house that I typically occupy – and the room wasn’t exactly packed, but I was flattered that a few enthusiastic undergrad students had me sign copies of their first edition Edible Estates books – I like to think that the next generation is excited by the symbolic act of ripping up the lawns that previous generations planted and replacing them with alternatives that are more fun and productive, and all their own. (website)

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By Fritz Haeg on April 19, 2010 | lectures
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On March 26th, 2010, ANNIE NOVAK OF GROWING CHEFS AND ROOFTOP FARMS…

Annie Novak helping kids with a corn husk craft project at the opening of the Lenape Edible Estate, 2009

…will be joining Will Allen (Growing Power), Scott Stringer (Manhattan Borough President), and myself in a conversation about the possibilities for publicly growing food in the most unlikely of places – on the streets where we live, in the middle of our cities, and in particular, in New York City – at WNYC’s Greene Space on April 8th to celebrate the release of the new expanded edition of “Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn” moderated by Leonard Lopate – she also prepared delicious food for the opening of the Lenape Edible Estate: Manhattan last fall – from the produce growing in the garden – which is how I first met this awesome urban farmer. (websites for Rooftop Farms and Growing Chefs)

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By Fritz Haeg on March 26, 2010 | agriculture, food
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On March 3rd, 2010, WILL ALLEN OF GROWING POWER…

Will Allen talks about compost with visitors to his urban greenhouse

…will be joining me in conversation on April 7th at Princeton University and on April 8th at WNYC’s Greene Space in New York (along with one or two other exciting participants to be announced shortly) for a conversation on food and cities, to coincide with the release of the expanded edition of the Edible Estates book – for which Will has contributed a wonderful new manifesto and call-to-arms for a food revolution, here is a short excerpt/preview:

My Edible Estates, therefore, are schoolyards and vacant lots, abandoned tracts of brownfield land, any plot of any size and condition that can be used to grow food right in the middle of the community that needs it. It is a daunting prospect, to say the least, yet I am optimistic that I will see examples created in which these food deserts will be turned into oases where, again, at least 10 percent of the community’s food needs will be supplied.  I am optimistic about this not because I believe so strongly in my own abilities, but rather because, to my surprise, the people in those communities have been asking me for this opportunity since the day my journey as a farmer began.

When I was born, my father was a sharecropper, but he wanted to free himself and his large family from that particular form of bondage. He saved enough to buy a small farm in Maryland. His market was the Washington, D.C., area, and it became focused on the large population of Southern blacks who were moving north and settling, people who were used to having fresh produce in their diets but who expected it to be affordable.

I saw firsthand, by working with my hands, the amazing amount of produce that could be grown on just eight acres if the most intensive methods were employed. Later, when I was living in Belgium and playing basketball, I got to know a number of farmers who similarly grew astonishing quantities of food on very small acreages by constantly enriching the soil with organic matter.

Eventually I was drawn back to farming, and in 1993 I bought a small roadside market and garden center on Milwaukee’s impoverished north side. The stand was intended as a market for my own produce but also, and I hoped more importantly, as a place to offer fresher, more healthful food to an undernourished community. As it happened, that tiny two-acre plot, with its miniature storefront and handful of timeworn greenhouses, was the last tract of land within the city of Milwaukee that was still zoned for agriculture. It was almost as if some city planner had forgotten something—or that fate had somehow reserved the place for me. At any rate, I realized that I could do a good deal more at what I was then calling “Will’s Roadside Produce Stand” than just sell vegetables from my farm. For one thing, I could grow more vegetables right there on site, and I proceeded to clear a half-acre bed, improve its soil, and plant it with an assortment of veggies.

(book webpage and Growing Power website)

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By Fritz Haeg on March 3, 2010 | food
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On February 9th, 2010, THE EXPANDED SECOND EDITION OF “EDIBLE ESTATES: ATTACK ON THE FRONT LAWN”…

The cover of the new expanded 2nd edition of "Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn" featuring before and after photos by Leslie Furlong of gardener Clarence Ridgley in his Regional Prototype Garden #6 in Baltimore, Maryland

…arrived in the mail last night – the first advance copy of the new book from Metropolis Books and DAP which will be out in stores by early April – and I am so excited about all of the new content including essays by Will Allen of Growing Power and Eric Sanderson of The Mannahatta Project, chapters on all eight gardens, and new stories from the gardeners in London, Austin, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and New York City. (book webpage)

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By Fritz Haeg on February 9, 2010 | books
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