Land:
Dayton has an extreme surplus of vacant land . . . with a need to tear down many more dilapidated structures. A strained budget has left too few funds for maintaining these lots once they are converted back to grass.
Labor:
There are numerous local programs that require participants to be involved in some type of community service. The Feed Dayton Urban Farming Program can provide excellent opportunities to meet those requirements. We will also be able to provide opportunities for volunteers to work short blocks of times that are convenient for any busy schedule such as 15 minute segments between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM . . . the ideal time to harvest.
Wood chips:
Dayton area tree trimmers are almost always looking for convenient locations to dispose of their wood chips. This material makes an excellent mulch that suppresses weed growth and retains soil moisture. When high nitrogen materials are combined with the wood chips, compost piles generating significantly high temperatures can be used to heat water year round or heat structures during cold winter months, prior to being used on the farm.
Leaves:
The leaves collected by the city each year could also be used as a fantastic mulch material that suppresses weed growth and holds ground moisture. By taking these leaves to designated farming sites, cost for the city to transport them would be lowered since travel distance to dump would be reduced.
Horse Manure:
Dayton has several nearby sources for this wonderful fertilizer/soil conditioner, but the most significant one is the county fairgrounds. Large piles of this material accumulate throughout the year and are available to be picked up and taken 24/7, 365 days per year. Composting manure is another excellent source of heat and produces an outstanding farm fertilizer that has no odor once it is broken down.
Local GOLD:
With a small investment and a little effort, other resources in our community could be utilized to help grow some of the healthiest, most nutritious vegetables one could ever imagine. Coffee grounds, produce scraps, fish market waste are just a few of the materials available, not to mention that when combined with some of our waste paper that could be diverted from the landfill, a high heat compost can be created from these materials as well.
PAINLESS SUPPORT:
It is realistically feasible to finance the entire Urban Farming program without it costing anyone as much as a dime . . . no donations and no grants . . . no crops would have to be sold (although they could be if that is desired). Otherwise, a portion of the harvest would have to be sold in order to cover the costs of producing the harvest.
Either way, a large quantity of vegetables will be raised for the poor and homeless. You can read all about the PAINLESS support method by clicking here.
