put on a liothyronine - shirt that order “ produce Food , Not Lawns , ” aFleet Farmingvolunteer pedals alongside fellow cyclists through an Orlando , Fla. , neighborhood . The bicycle posse — nickname The Swarm — has one mission : to empower masses to grow their own tidy , organic food . Heather Grove , an consultant for the Orlando - based , urban - farming initiative talks about the innovative motorcycle - powered crew ’s efforts to bowdlerize food miles by planting and confirm lawn farms across their city .
From seed to cycle, how does Fleet Farming work?
Most of the people who donate their lawn for our Fleet Farming undertaking are novice gardener who desire to learn how to grow their own food . They proffer a small opus of their land for a farmlette , and we do everything : prepping the soil , weeding , harvest home and even installing an irrigation system . Our bike - powered urban farming fleet rides to the farmlettes . Cycling is a good way to dilute our atomic number 6 footmark , ride out fit and build up camaraderie . It ’s a really great group of people !
The householder are not required to grow anything , but we need them to eventually conform and farm their own food . They are allow to reap anything they require to from the plot of ground , and the rest of the harvest is sell at mart to back up the programme .
What was the inspiration for Fleet Farming?
We were inspired by a number of successful urban farmers , likeCurtis StoneandJean - Martin Fortier , but the idea of a pedal - powered urban - farming program was proposed at a monthly think - and - do tank called The Hive in December 2013 . The attendees were tasked with creating a C - neutral theoretical account of agriculture , hence the hyper - local distribute agriculture political program .
By turning grass into gardens and utilizing bike for transportation , a mathematical group of volunteers with idea For Us , Inc. created this profitable , scalable and successful exemplar .
Tell me about the farmlettes The Swarm visits.
We have 11 farmlettes . One is at East ending mart , a local intellectual nourishment hub , and is 800 square feet . Our large 1,500- square - infantry farmlette is at a local church service . The other nine farmlettes are at private residences . Each one is different . One is curved around a driveway while others are canonic rectangle .
We mostly turn lettuce andmicrogreens , but we are starting to grow moreedible flower , as well . Our growing season is from October to May , and we usecover cropsin the summer . All of our farmlettes are within a 5 - mile radius , but we hope to have more branches around Orlando soon .
Are there other Fleet Farming programs elsewhere?
To my cognition , I do n’t know of any non - profit programs like Fleet . Because our manakin has been so successful , we ’ve branched out into more Fleet Farming operations in Orlando , Oakland , Calif. , and even internationally in Uganda .
If citizenry are interested in starting their own Fleet course of study , we have a comprehensive tool outfit that we sell for $ 75 . The kit provides all the entropy — from Excel spreadsheets to info on how to coordinate military volunteer — that one needs to make their own Fleet Farming program in their residential area .
What have you accomplished with Fleet Farming?
We were profitable in our first year . We sell out at the market every time . Besides fiscal benefit , Fleet has provided organic food to the community and local restaurants . Our Tennessean hear how to garden and stay alive on cycle . Fleet Farming
Fleet Farming Facts By The Numbers
Check out theFleet Farming websitefor more information on set about your own Fleet Farming program .
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Fleet Farming
Fleet Farming
