Farming at your back doorstep...

On Monday, my friend Daniela (of Citytropic fame) emailed me an NY Times article (A Locally Grown Diet with Fuss but no Muss) and asked me what I thought, commenting that it was possibly a little bougie. The article discusses a new phenomena where urban professionals are hiring gardeners to cultivate organic, edible gardens in their backyards. On some levels, especially with way the NY Times presents the concept, having someone farm vegetables in your backyard and placing a weekly box of these "locally grown" produce on your back doorstep, so that you can proudly call yourself a "locavore," is a bit privileged; I would argue, however, the the concept has its heart in the right place.

For one, having someone garden for you is not a new concept, especially for us less green-thumbed. The idea of having someone plant a mini farm in your backyard, on the other hand, seems a little removed from the romantic idea of the local farm where the farmer still gets his or her hands dirty in protest of the newest farming equipment. Still, if we are okay with gardeners help us grow flowering plants, I think having a gardener helping us grow produce in our backyard is a better use of the space and is certainly an affective way to free oneself from eating Chilean avocados while in San Francisco during avocado season.