City OKs farming project on Detroit's east side

[Lowell]

Vegetable farms in Detroit, vineyards on Belle Isle. What's next? The return of hog farms on Belle Isle and changing it's name back to Isle du Cochon?

Should the Hanz farm take off I could see where it could be attractive for residential development on land surrounding the farm. How nice to gaze out upon crop lands and maybe eventually wake up to a crowing rooster.

[GUSHI]

I think urban farming would be pretty cool. It a way to use the land. What major city in the USA could you have farms and enough single family homes more a million plus people. I'm really hoping it takes off. Detroit 3 major sports teams. The largest urban farm in the U.S. if not the world, World class institutes and musems[[Dia, Charles H Wright,Motown,Dossins, etc.) 3 casinos, Hengry Ford Musem near by, Greenfield Village, near by.GM hq, Compware HQ. Detroit Opera House, The Fox, World Class Dining. A Redone Cobo Hall. I'm Very Optimistic about our Furture, for the first time in a long time.QUOTE=softailrider;228979]When you talk to people from other states, or, other countries and you try and describe this urban farming in Detroit, whomever you're talking to looks at you like you're crazy.[/QUOTE]

[GUSHI]

sorry to get off topic, O yea the Pistons 40 mins away, hopefully they move back

[GUSHI]

Just got bring the Pistons back lol , I wish some more major companies would relocate there HQ to downtown.

[Whitehouse]

Why would they ban the sale of his produce to the public?! That makes NO f'in' sense at all.

That's not that strange at all. It could mean that they will have contracts to sell to corporations. For instance corn sold to a conrflakes factory. Or potatoes to a chips factory. Or weed to coffeeshops.




...


Wait, that's my Dutch thought.

And not far of the mark. Let me explain the Dutch canabis laws. It's not easy but let me try. The sale of weed is legal up to a certain ammount, which is 5 grams. You get your weeds at a coffeeshop. [[You can actually buy coffee there...) These shops are allowed to keep a certain ammount below the counter for business reasons.
Now we get to the difficult part. Growing weeds is illegal above five plants. Lately there has been a crack down on large weed farms which have been hidden from view. Discovering a greenhouse with 20000 plants is no exception. The backdoor sale to coffeeshops is not legal and not regulated. Coffeeshops which have permits pay their taxes.

The city of Utrecht, one of the four biggest cities in the Netherlands, announced an experiment to grow their own weed crops with the intention of selling that to coffeeshops, in order to take the wind out of the sails of criminals. So another step in de-criminalizing canabis.

[English]

Vegetable farms in Detroit, vineyards on Belle Isle. What's next? The return of hog farms on Belle Isle and changing it's name back to Isle du Cochon?

Should the Hanz farm take off I could see where it could be attractive for residential development on land surrounding the farm. How nice to gaze out upon crop lands and maybe eventually wake up to a crowing rooster.

The best residential experience I've ever had in my life was my semester abroad at Oxford. My dorm room looked out over Christ Church Meadow. It was unbelievable.

I wrote a long post for this thread the other day, but deleted it lest I be ridiculed. I am a city girl who loves trees, flowers, and gardens. Suffice it to say that little makes me more misty-eyed than the prospect of a green, Edenic future Detroit.

[Jimaz]

I don't know much about farming but I'm curious what kind of crops would be best for this unique urban environment?

I would guess that plain old corn wouldn't compete well with industrial-scale rural farms.

Are there any boutique crops that might leverage the unique environment? Something exotic and rare?

I hear herbs [[not that kind, well, maybe) have a good ROI [[return on the investment).

[NorthEndere]

You could make money off of berry crops, since they are niche markets, already.

[Gannon]

Whiteouse,

Thanks for that explanation, much of it I already knew...at least through the misty memories of my short trip there.

[[slight diversion to the thread follows, ignore if you wish, it does nothing for the conversation)


Back in 1997, after the American Airline's pilot strike was quashed by President Clinton, flights were CHEAP and I'd just gone through divorce.

My friend in Chicago convinced me that this was the time to get to Europe. I think the round-trip was $300 with tax. We didn't even bother to reserve a place to sleep.

The day we were leaving, we learned that another divorced friend who'd joined the Peace Corps had moved from the Ukraine to the University at Utrecht. This guy was always the life of any party, so opportunity shone upon us impromptu travelers.


We flew into Heathrow, him from O'Hare me from Metro, and cleared customs within 15 minutes of each others. Couldn't have planned it that way.

We then set about trying to get to the mainland, since we had free lodging...and that legendary fun...in Holland.

Trouble was it happened to be a holiday in Britain...which apparently makes those folks FLEE their little island-state. We couldn't get a flight, but secured the last two seats on the Channel Tunnel train. It was a bit surreal, us going to England only to almost be stranded when most everyone left!


We only spent three days in Utrecht and Amsterdam...but enough to convince me it was a taste of Utopia for Hedonists. I still have my mementos from that time, including coasters from the Bulldog and luckily my running diary.

Without that, there would only be vague and fractured memories, it was just before they made mushrooms illegal, so we made certain to keep those in the personal inventory. Tends to obscure a little reality, they do.


I can still remember rolling that first joint in public, in full freedom, in our very first stop in Utrecht. And I remember those arcane selling and possession laws, which were drummed into our psyches from the moment we arrived at the Utrecht train station...after my Chicago friend screamed 'berations' against the Red Wings!


The draft Heineken is like nectar there, as well. Some memories are etched...sure would like to make it back there someday. Soon.


Cheers


may one day all governments finally allow Mother Nature's Most Amusing Analgesic to be fully freely available to all...<sigh>.

[Danny]

Urban farming in Detroit is one good thing for organic produce. Keep an eye on Monsato's goon squad is another.

[Gannon]

Urban farming in Detroit is one good thing for organic produce. Keep an eye on Monsato's goon squad is another.

You have never uttered a more potent statement here, Danny.


Cheers


I was inspired to consider some forms of shadow-casting for the more tender crops while trying to make espresso in the blazing sunshine through my honey's kitchen window. Texted with Cub...asking if he'd had anything appear burnt last year.

He said many of the leaves had turned a bit yellow at the edges...which I was expecting, unfortunately. There are some changes recently in the spectrum of light from the Sun...no matter what you don't hear from the so-called experts in the field.

I feel it in my retina, even while typing this in the sunroom.

I'm thinking that organic producers will need more greenhouses and hoop houses soon. At least a decent investment in cheesecloth and burlap and window-tinting is in order.


Cheers into Springtime. I've got a major source for legacy seedstock now...which we'll be hopefully exploiting in a major way this year. I'd love to see all the available ground in this town planted by citizens. It's going to be a weird one.

[michigansheik]

i guess if a land speculator wants to use the land as a farm until an opportunity strikes that might be better than those that do nothing..... code enforcement is seriously lacking and allows land speculators to buy at auction and make zero improvements and own eyesores.