In urban areas, there is a significant problem with residents not having access to nutritional food options. Often, low-income neighborhoods do not have quality grocery stores with affordable produce that are within a reasonable distance. Even if there is an accessible store, many households do not have the income available to purchase nutritional food options. These neighborhoods are referred to as “food deserts.”
There is also a lack of green space in many urban areas, which makes it challenging for residents to grow their own food and obtain fresh produce that they need.
A lack of green space has negative impacts on the physical and mental health of residents in the area - and increasing green space will help to improve these negative effects.
Locally, Grand Rapids has recently increased their green space and now has 18,177 sq ft green space per capita, but there is still an issue with food deserts in the city. The significant amount of greenspace in Grand Rapids can be used as a space for urban sustainable gardening.
Grand Rapids 2010 (left) and 2015 (right), USDA Defined Food Deserts with Existing Supermarkets and Alternative Food Retail Stores
Kotval-K et al. (2021)
It's important to help with food production in urban areas because everyone needs the appropriate amount of nutrients while also keeping it affordable and fresh enough to consume.
One solution that helps solve this issue is planting your own garden. Gardening is beneficial for the consumer because you decide what fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food, it's cheaper than going to the store weekly for produce, and it reduces your overall carbon footprint.
Pesticides can be used to reduce the loss caused by insects and other plant diseases. Yet, it is also valuable to know that pesticides are poisons and when used carlessly, can pose dangers to humans and otther wildlife. Being able to control the amount or even if you use pesticides in general will only benefit your health.
Saving money is a huge positive factor of having a garden. On average vegatable seeds cost $2.80 per 50 seeds, but buying only one tomato at your local store can cost $2.50. Plus, you save money on gas by not having to drive to the store. It might cost a lot to initially start your garden, but week by week you will be saving more money.
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual. Gardening can increase carbon stored in soil and decrease overall carbon emissions caused by food packaging and transportation. Studies even show that gardeners that use their garden to replace at least 20% of bought food, reduce their carbon footprint by about 68 lbs of CO2 per year.
Using compost in your own garden in your backyard or on a farm can have many benefits. Making your own compost bin is very easy and does not cost too much money compared to buying fertilizer at the store. You only need a few materials to create your own bin and this makes using compost in a garden accessible to everyone!
The Benefits of Composting:
Compost contains an abundant amount of essential nutrients for plants, and you are able to test nutrient levels in compost to find out what other nutrients you need for your plants . Compost helps improve soil structure which makes soil easier to work with and can bring a diverse life to the soil that supports healthy plant life (Compost Fundamentals: Benefits & Uses - benefits of compost, n.d.).
Steps for DIY Composting (Petersik, 2022):
Step 1) Select a bin ( storage bin or trash can)
Step 2) Drill holes in the bottom and the top of the container
Step 3) Create your brown base like dead leaves and twigs
Step 4) Add dirt until the container is ½ full
Step 5) Toss in food scraps like fruit or vegetable scraps
Step 6) Stir the compost so food scraps are covered with dirt
Step 7) Spray with lukewarm water until moist
Step 8) Find a convenient spot for the bin in a shady area
Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming can be beneficial if you do not have an expansive amount of space to grow your garden! It can be as simple or complex as you make it. The basic idea of vertical farming is using vertical space that would otherwise be wasted. You can start vertical farming by growing plants on shelves, or on a pallet along a wall or a fence.
Rooftop Farming
Rooftop farming is also a great way to make use of space that would otherwise go to waste. If you live in a high-rise apartment building (or really any building that has a roof), and there is nothing on the roof this might be your opportunity! If your landlord/the owner of the building is willing, you could put some raised garden beds on the roof and start your garden there.
Hydroponics
Another great option for urban gardening is hydroponics! Hydroponics involves growing plants without soil. You can create a simple hydroponics system and do this in your house. Also, when you use a hydroponics system to grow, water is recycled and reused so this can save on water costs!
Aquaponics
Aquaponics combines hydroponics and aquaculture (fish!). The waste from the fish provides the plant's nutrients. Aquaponics is one of the most sustainable ways to garden, and it requires little maintenance once your system is set up.
How does a bee influence germination?
For the fertilization of a plant to happen, pollen needs to be transferred from a male “anther” to plant “stigma”. The bees come in collecting nectar while getting pollen all over their bodies, then they move to a stigma and the pollen is transferred into the plant's reproductive system. Bees aren't the only pollinator insect, but they have a very large range of plants they can process and are extremely important to our entire ecosystem.
The Danger of Pesticides
When growing, you will find out that pollinators aren’t the only organisms interacting with your plants. There are tons of insects out there that harm plants, and insecticides have become a popular way to keep them out. These chemicals affect all insects including the bees. A study by UC Davis claims that “bees exposed to neonicotinoids in both the first and second year resulted in a 72% lower population growth rate compared to bees not exposed at all” (Quinton 2021).
Companion Planting
One method to keep pests out without using harmful chemicals is companion planting, a natural process that involves growing plants together that can form a mutual relationship. Mint, basil, lavender, sage and thyme are all examples of plants that could be beneficial to most other plants it's paired with, and there's many more!
Utilizing Native Plants
If you want to have more bees pollinating your plants, it is important that you choose native plants to your region that attract them. Xerces Society is an international non-profit organization that focuses on invertebrate conservation. Their website provides a directory of pollinator plants for every region in the United States including the great lakes. This directory lists a number of different native pollinator plants along with information on their size, color, and requirements for growth. Here is the link below:
17-047_03_XercesSoc_Pollinator-Plants_Great-Lakes-Region_web-3page_0.pdf
Within the growing region, Grand Rapids is located is USDA Hardiness Zone 5 and 6, with each zone characterized by the average winter low (-10 to -20 ℉ for zone 5) (-10 to 0 ℉ for Zone 6)
Due to the Grand Rapids region having colder temperatures in the winter (on average compared to the rest of the US) the sowing date for seeds outdoors is often in mid-late April, though you can begin to sow seeds indoors in a small pot or cup in early/Mid-March
Overall, the crops that thrive best in Grand Rapids are vegetables, specifically hardier crops, that is, a plant that can survive a freeze, frost, or a cold snap (as the springtime here often omits a couple more nighttime freezes). Examples of hardy crops include greens such as spinach, lettuce, carrots, kale, and brussels sprouts.
The button below shows all of the crops that perform well in the Grand Rapids climate, as well as the average sowing date indoors/planting date outdoors.
Planting your own crops allows for the diversification of your produce, as many large scale farms operate through monoculture, or the cultivation of a single crop in a given area. For example, on conventional farms in Michigan, the major cash crops (a crop produced for commercial value) are dry field beans, corn, wheat, and sugar beets (Schaetzel), meaning it is likely that many of your other fruits and vegetables are transported from other states, or take lengthy transportation routes in order for them to reach your produce store. Planting an abundance of different crops in your garden reduces your need to rely on large-scale farming and the nationalized produce system, decreasing your overall effect on the environment, and increasing the convenience of delicious fruits and vegetables near your home!
References
Bruns, C. (26 April 2018). 5 Ways Gardening Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. Retrieved from
https://cabaus.org/2015/03/20/5-ways-gardening-can- reduce-yourcarbon-footprint/.
Compost Fundamentals: Benefits & Uses - benefits of compost. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/benefits_benefits.htm
Dutko, P., Ver Ploeg, M., & Farrigan, T. (2012, August). Characteristics and influential factors of food deserts. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45014/30940_err140.pdf
Great Northern ReGreenery. (2021, April 22). Green space: How does it impact humans? Great Northern ReGreenery Tree Service. https://www.greatnorthernregreenery.com/green-space-how-does-it-impact-humans/
Greenwood, D. (2022, July 3). What is the Pollination Process of a Bee? BeehiveHero. Retrieved from https://beehivehero.com/pollination-process-of-a-bee/
Kotval-K, Z., Khandelwal, S., & Willis, K. (2021). Access to foods using Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a case study. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(3), 145-159. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.103.008
Petersik, J. (2022, October 11). How To Make A DIY Compost Bin. Young House Love. Retrieved from https://www.younghouselove.com/younghouselovedotcompost/
Pollinator-Friendly Native Plants List. (2022). Xerces Society. Retrieved from Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists | Xerces Society
Quinton, A. (2021, November 29). Pesticides Can Affect Multiple Generations of Bees. UC Davis. Retrieved from https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/pesticides-can-affect-multiple-generations-bees
Schaetzl, R. S. (Ed.). (n.d.). Agricultural regions in Michigan. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://project.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/ag_regions.html
Smoots, E. (10 August 2020). Climate Friendly Gardening. Retrieved from https://extension.wsu.edu/king/tip-sheet-14-climate-friendly-gardening/
Stacker. (2022, January 10). Michigan has 2 of the 50 cities with the most green space per capita. Stacker. https://stacker.com/michigan/michigan-has-2-50- cities-most-green-space-capita
Vegetable planting calendar Grand Rapids Michigan. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.ufseeds.com/vegetable-planting-calendar-grand- rapids-michigan.html