Our 5 Favorite Creative Crops

Green City Growers can’t wait to begin the March Urban Farming Course, where we get to help you gain the skills you need to plan, plant, harvest and maintain gardens at home and in your community. Think you’ve seen it all? We are also going to spend some time teaching you how to get started on a few of our favorite Creative Crops:

1. Chickens

Did you know that the modern chicken industry is rife with animal cruelty and exploitative business and labor contracts?  The system “keeps farmers in a state of indebted servitude, living like modern-day sharecroppers on the ragged edge of bankruptcy,” writes Christopher Leonard in his new book The Meat Racket. DIY chicken coop is one ticket to delicious, cruelty-free chicken and eggs.

2. Mushrooms

Mushrooms only need a small amount of indirect light (but plenty of moisture) to thrive, so Green City Growers farmers help our clients  grow mushrooms in all kinds of surprising places: garages, basements and or even on dining room tables. Since mushrooms get nutrients from things people throw away daily, such as coffee grounds and cardboard, you can grow mushrooms at home and reduce your waste too.

3. Sprouts

Sprouts, like mushrooms, can thrive while growing indoors. Seeds take just days (days!) to germinate and grow into nutrient-dense local food powerhouses. Year-round vegetables are possible in New England thanks to home-grown sprouts.

4. Bees

Bees enhance crop yields and local biodiversity and even help keep us humans healthy. If you are suffering from asthma or allergies, and it you might be able to overlook any fear of being stung for long enough to invest in your own hive. Considering the dangers of colony collapse, maintaining a beehive is a service to yourself and our world!

5. Vermicomposting

Wouldn’t it be nice to reduce your waste and get free, nutrient-rich soil in the process? If so, let  worms do the work with a vermicomposting system! We use a Worm Factory system here at Green City Growers HQ. If you have a garden, bring your odorless compost out back, and if you haven’t started your outdoor garden yet, keep it indoors and help bring mushrooms and sprouts to life.

Whether you want to plant Creative Crops as an alternative to traditional backyard farming or you want to enjoy ripe tomatoes and fresh strawberries grown in your own backyard, get the skills and knowledge you need at our upcoming Urban Farming Course. Space is almost full, so don’t wait to signup!