Hey everyone,

I just found out about the new IDOlocal food website, and it's perfect for urban farmers and gardeners! This site is a great platform where we can connect with each other, share our experiences, and learn new techniques for soil management, pest control, and more.

The site also features committees and programs that focus on different aspects of urban farming and gardening, providing valuable insights and support. Whether you're managing a rooftop garden, community plot, or small balcony garden, you'll find useful information and a supportive community.

There's also a marketplace section where we can discuss market trends, share pricing strategies, and find potential buyers for our products. This can be especially helpful for those looking to expand their reach and find new opportunities in the urban market.

It's a fantastic community for anyone involved in urban farming or gardening. Check it out and let's take advantage of this resource to learn and grow together! That's why I have decided to share

Hello! I am trying my hand at urban gardening for a plethora of reasons. Mainly to have some fun and enjoy fresh produce but also to potentially scale. Any and all tips are welcome. I have a decent sized balcony, plan to use big plastic tubs with wholes drilled in the bottom for drainage, and live in Florida. Good chunk of direct sunlight 4-6 hours very hot climate. Open to suggestion! TYIA

I am growing Rosemary and Chayote near my house where I've heard can have more lead levels due to paint from the structure. I've also read conflicting information about the ability of plants to draw up the lead. Some people are super hardcore about testing the levels, other people are like don't even bother it's not an accurate reflection of what the plant absorbs - just don't grow root veggies and it's fine. I'm also growing Kale and Fava beans on my sidewalk strip. I would love to be eat my food worry free. It seems a waste to have all this amazing soil and then to just rely on raised beds you know? So tell me, how bad is it realllllly.

I got a rice seeds few years ago. and raise them in small submerged plastic boxs for years. But, today after a day later plant rice sprouts, I found a lot of tiny larvas swiming in my Plastic pot. I consider Pesticide to kill them but my father told me fly larvas are very Resilient against any kind of chemicals. So, I consider import predator insects from somewhere(Edit:import from countryside not from other nations. Don't worry about) but if I buy from web market it will cost a lot. I consider collect insects like lady bugs from local park but don't know how to catch or found these little things. any advice for collecting insects? or should I buy from web?

Off the back of a whimsical question of “could I grow enough wheat to make a loaf of bread”, the local common rights trust has granted me a small patch of land in my inner city neighbourhood to grow wheat, to make flour for making some loaves of bread!

So, any advice on growing wheat in a city?!🤣

The challenge is to get 4 milk crates and have them stacked vertically onto each other, each growing a edible plant that grows out the sides of the milk crate, through the many openings. 4's the minimum but the sky's the limit.

I don't really care what plants or how it's watered, just that it follows that guideline.

I'm planning on doing potatoes and some other food, myself, but in research it got me curious what else can be done, so here we are.

I want to try growing my own stuff at home—not for self-sufficiency but as a hobby. Every online guide I find emphasizes expensive materials and tools: fancy pots, fertilizers, special seeds, etc.

It turns out that growing a potato can end up being 100 times more expensive than buying one. Moreover, these guides often include links to purchase the recommended items, making it feel like navigating the internet comes with a constant sense of being marketed to or sold something.

The idea of growing plants shouldn't be expensive. Initially, I thought I could simply take a seed from a fruit, plant it in soil, give it sunlight, and that would be it. That's how I was taught plants work.

As an ordinary city dweller who has never grown a single plant in my life, how can I start without spending a ton of money?