Hello! I'm John, founder of Food is Free Project, a worldwide network of front yard community gardens.
Hi Y'all, John here. I hope this message finds you well.
I'm constantly inspired by open source ideas and possible futures we can create together. Though we're bombarded by news outlets with endless stories of what’s wrong in the world, it's time we write our own stories of what’s right! With the power of the interwebs, we have the ability to be broadcasters of news and action instead of just receivers.
As I look back on the journey that brought me to the garden and turned me on to farming, it traces back to a friend who gifted me seeds. I was working a sales job to get my head above water from college debt. I didn’t think much of the seeds at the time but decided to sprout them with a friend and give it a shot.
I made lots of mistakes but fell in love with the process. I ended up growing micro carrots and baby beets but found peace with my hands in the soil. Around this time, I offered my backyard to an urban farming cooperative and one Saturday, fifty people showed up at my house. We transformed the overgrown lot and planted, fertilized, and mulched 500 potatoes.
We had started a mini-farm in under 6 hours and still had time to share a potluck meal together. This got my gears turning and really blew my mind. I was wondering why we don’t do this every weekend. What it would be like if each street had their own crops to trade with others around them?
The next garden I planted was in the front yard! This small 4x4 garden sparked so many conversations and interactions with neighbors. I began to realize the garden's power to connect with others. One day when walking home, I was struck by a vivid vision to line our block in front yard gardens. With the help of many friends and neighbors, we got to work.
Over the next 3 months, we created a new normal where 19 of the 30 houses on our block in Austin, TX hosted a front yard community garden. We began blogging about our mistakes and successes and open-sourced the vision. Now, over 350 #foodisfree projects around the world are growing and sharing as we learn from each other.
This journey has changed my life and inspires me to share seeds with others and bring them down the best black hole I've ever known. Consider this an invitation to plant your first seeds, maybe in the front yard where neighbors will pass by and be inspired by your rippling actions? I'd love to offer any advice I can along the way.
After all, we're all in this together.
Learn more: http://foodisfreeproject.org
cooooo
you just made a new follower
nothing to add
hahaha
awesome mate
Thank you, sir! Onward and upward.
amen man!
Thank you sir! Followed ya.
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Big Welcome to steemit! Love the vibes, keep it up.
Thank you so much. It feels awesome to be in the company of such great vibes here! Onward and upward.
Awesome work. Well done inspiring whole communities to garden. This reminds me a bit of Ron Finley, a guerilla gardener, who got into trouble for planting a beautiful veg garden on a piece of public land outside his property and won against the local government to carry on doing it. It also inspired others : )
Thanks for sharing the vision! I'm a big fan of Ron and his project. He's inspiring so many folks and it's exciting to see a global movement behind growing food and uniting our communities. Once we realize we're more alike than different, we can start conversations about how else we can collaborate and make things happen. Following ya!
Thank you for the reply. Absolutely. Gardening is probably one of the most undervalued hobbies as the benefits are immense. As the Gervais family says: "Gardening is dangerous, because you're in danger of becoming free." : D
I converted my tiny lawn a couple of years ago and turned it into a tiny raised bed veg garden. I have posted about it before. I wish my neighbours were into gardening too but everyone seems either uninterested or just interested in lawn and flowers. Boo.
Also followed you btw.
Awesome to hear about your lawn turned garden! Do you still have it going. You never know who you may inspire from them just walking by. You may well have already inspired someone to plant their first garden but it may be on another street or in a backyard. Know that your actions are rippling out even if it's hard to see the effects. :) If you end up with any extra harvest, knocking on a neighbors door and sharing it could be a huge catalyst of community on your block. All the best!
I really hope you're right. : )
Yes, my garden is still going. I posted a short video just a few days ago:
https://steemit.com/photography/@veganic/a-short-video-with-the-highlights-of-my-small-garden-in-spring-2017-garden-transformation
Awesome! Love your project!
Much appreciated! Just followed you.
Hiya, this is my kinda thinking :) Followed and resteemed.
Thank you. Looking forward to your future posts!
Welcome to Steem @foodisfree I have sent you a tip
Thank you!
Great! I have had a little food is free stall here in the past to try to motivate others to grow food too. Thanks and welcome!
upvoted & followed.
Awesome to hear! Just followed you. It's a pleasure to be connected and I look forward to learning more about what you're up to. Onward and upward!
great, thanks! i actually created a 'grow 4 all' website before i heard of foodisfree but never had time to promote it - so once i heard of yours i just let that go and you did a fine job. :)
That's an awesome vision! I definitely am a fan of our global consciousness and we're all planting the seeds of our shared future in the garden of life. :)