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Community Corner

Building an Echo Park Garden

There's a fight raging over the term "urban homesteading." But now that spring is officially here, that shouldn't stop you from gardening in your own corner of the city.

As small-space gardening and urban agriculture have become cultural phenomena, the movement has created a community of like-minded people enthusiastic about doing their part for the world by growing as much of their own food as they have space for.

And, as often happens, a rift has occurred in this community, as a farm in Pasadena, owned by the Dervaes family, is attempting to trademark the term "urban homesteading."

The fight has galvanized urban farmers, making them ever more passionate about the cause and the community: The Facebook page Take Back Urban Homesteading(s), started a month or so ago, currently has over 6,000 members.  Urban farmers also organized their own day of action, again through Facebook, where they blanketed the Internet with references to "urban homesteading" to further extend a communal claim to the term. The urban farmers are in good company: the Electronic Frontier Foundation has taken their side.

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The legal issues around urban gardening may be complex, but let me assure you it's easy to get a pot of vegetables and herbs going. It can be done indoors with a lot of natural light, but any scrap of outdoor space at your disposal is ideal.

Cherry tomatoes are a great plant to start with, as even a beginner can get a high yield from one plant. Just be sure to plant deep (with a starter, bury the plant up to the first set of leaves), and provide plenty of water. You'll want a pot at least 18 inches deep, if not more.

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Yes, that's a lot of space dedicated to one pot. However, tomatoes do very well with companion planting. In that same pot, plant basil, oregano, or any other mix of herbs that taste good with tomatoes. If they cook well together, they'll grow well together.

One container of soil, and you've got your urban homestead started. No trademark can stop you!

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