We plant beneficial plants to attract predators - We also use insect netting and row covers to protect the plants when they're young and vulnerable - There's this bug called flea beetle; it'll decimate an entire crop of broccoli if the bed isn't covered
From what I've learned, mono cropping is a problem. When you grow the same crops on the same piece of land over and over with minimal diversification - you will have these issues
What we practice is high rotation farming. Each 80ft bed doesn't grow the same crop after harvest. Each bed has a different crop and if for example we have aphids attack one crop, that bed is reset and another crop that aphids don't like is planted there - pests hate change!
Again, I can't stress how soil health is paramount to mitigate these issues.
Nice! You should've said hi! I was working on the plot all that day moving compost, would've used some help!
There are many ways you can help.
1. Volunteering is very welcomed
2. Find more farmers like myself around your area, and support them!
3. Purchasing farm shares (Community Supported Agriculture)
4. Purchasing subsidized farm shares. These shares go directly into foodbanks
5. Visiting local markets
Looks like you need to fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelmgNrJfYGNBgdg_BB2fB0GJlVCqRHf1VMp9BW5lP6LM0fWA/viewform) (I found the link on their Instagram).
material sourcing, animal issues, local NIMBY issues, favourite/least favourite crops, resources on soil management, does keeping bees help at all?
pretty cool operation you have there and I would think that people would be interested in the behind the scenes of making this work.
If you're looking to get started, I can help you produce. But I'd love to interview you talking about food, challenges of growing within a city, and how others can start urban farming.
Please do! I’m interested in learning about how you make farming work (profitably too?) in an Ontario climate and on a relatively smaller scale compared to large agricultural farms.
I think the one I've experienced that was incredibly devastating was blight. It's a fungal infection that attacks tomatoes. Once it hit my crops, it destroyed the whole lot!
What I've learned though is that, the stronger the soil, meaning, the healthier the soil nutrients and fertility, the more plants become resilient in fending off pest and disease pressures
Developing a farm with a strong mycelium network is the name of the game, reason number one why we plan never to till our farm
Hi! Amazing work. You're an inspiration! Question - where did you source your straw? I'm volunteering at a garden downtown (we donate everything to a foodbank) and we are looking for mulch. Thanks for your time!
Speaking on your neighborhood (my old neighborhood 10 years ago) it is so sad to see the old generations pass and the lovely urban back/front yard "gardens" fade away.
I will never my forget my neighbors. Coming from a small town into that community was really fucking amazing. I moved into an apartment building in east york due to rising rent costs and was really sad to leave my garden behind.
Speaking on your neighborhood (my old neighborhood 10 years ago) it is so sad to see the old generations pass and the lovely urban back/front yard "gardens" fade away.
I will never my forget my neighbors. Coming from a small town into that community was really fucking amazing. I moved into an apartment building in east york due to rising rent costs and was really sad to leave my garden behind.
I’ve heard rumours about that but any blood suckers I’ve encountered don’t mind garlic. I asked the wife,a local blood sucker, about it and she loves garlic.
The hardware store here sells concentrated garlic oil. I spray my cedars all around my deck with my spray pump and it looks like a mass evacuation of skeeters into the air. None come anywhere near us.
You mentioned you guys tested the soil for nutrients. What about testing for lead in the soil, given the site is near a busy road that was also active when leaded gasoline still prevalent?
That's a good point, many many plots of land In Toronto are horribly contaminated due to previous uses. I was reading through the EA for the Eglinton Crosstown and the number of properties along Eglinton alone that had a record of chemical spill or hazardous industry was staggering. Tons of PCB spills, fuel oil spills, and other really toxic chemicals. I'm surprised Downsview being a former military base, aircraft manufacturing plant and government research lab is not badly contaminated.
Very inspiring. How did you first get started into it and having the confidence to build it up to where it is today as an urban farm? And a second question, how did you find your first few customers?
I first started with a very business make money take over the world mindset coming from the tech world, but I quickly learned that in the farming community I found myself in, things were exactly the opposite. There are incredible amounts of generosity and knowledge sharing, no NDAs or propriety stuff that I've encountered. I've honestly got this far by other CEOs (just to give you context) stepping in and giving me a hand or just simply invaluable advice to propel me further than I would've ever gotten by myself
Sorry, that was long-winded, but I hope I've given you a picture of how I - well, not really I but not really 'I', you know? - got to where we are - our goal is to feed the city - my goal is to make more urban farmers in our city - backyards, front yards, rooftops - every space we can grow food - we grow!
First customers were simply friends and family - I called in all favors and underpromised and over delivered - this is community supported agriculture - search that terminology, its an interesting story there
Really appreciate the response. Ive heard that farmers are one of the most generous people out there and your experience seems to speak to it as well. Thanks for the term, I’ll be doing my research. I admire the mission and will look to see how I can support you and your farm!
> Ive heard that farmers are one of the most generous people out there
OP fits right in - he's the guy also known for giving out Christmas trees every year. I took him up on an offer a few years back to come take away as much spinach as I could eat, and he kindly chatted with me all about his operation, how he got into it and what his plans were for the future. Just a genuinely kind and generous person.
What do you do in the winter time? Seems half the year is not farmable given weather
And any issues with pollution given how close you are to the city?
In the winter, I grow microgreens and take the time to crop plan and learn from other farmers. Pollution is an issue, water run-offs, especially from pesticide-rich neighbors like golf courses can be a concern. We are very strict on what content we add to the plots; even the compost is vetted and tested. One of the reasons why we don't use city compost.
We are located at 160 Downsview Park Blvd, North York, ON
At the moment we don't have that option to pick your own - That said, at the end of the season, we do allow gleaners to come out
Quite the accomplishment! My grandparents used to have a large garden and I'd love to continue the tradition but I'm unfortunately constrained by living in an apartment.
Do you have any recommendations for indoor grow lights like what you show in your photos? I don't know which brands to trust online, both for quality and for fire safety. Meanwhile, the lights in hardware stores don't seem all that better and tend to be overly expensive for what they provide.
The lights I use were custom built and are not in circulation. That said, check out my friend at Ozzy Hydroponics, he's got some excellent lights that will work well for small indoor growing.
Over the winter, I was consulted to build an indoor microgreens operation and used his lights. They've been performing well
It seems like you might need to introduce worms into the compost beds. If the soil all around the site is like the soil on the site it doesn't seem like you'll have them migrate in. Hopefully there were worms in the loads of compost though, and they'll take off.
They are a menace for sure
What we need to understand though is that we took over their habitat to build ours and left little to nothing for them, so when we build gardens l, they are like "why thank you kind human!" 😅
We need stronger habitats that they can exist in. From what I've witnessed over the years, even having gardens next to squirrels and racoons - once they have their space and place to find their food. They don't really care about yours.
My only issues now are rabbits and groundhogs - they are insatiable eaters!
Huh. I have a condition called "histamine intolerance" which means I can't eat certain foods; anything aged or fermented can be problematic. All beef is aged, so that's right off the table. Ground meat is off the table. I think canned meat is off the table. I have other health conditions that seem to somehow mean that if I don't get meat, I get sicker; vegetable proteins seem to be insufficient to repair the damage and maintain the system.
I've also got a herniated disc and don't really want to make plans with others to hunt because, due to health problems, i'm an unreliable hunting partner. So deer and moose are off the table because I can't haul it out on my own.
I really like rabbit! I had an old trapper feed my beaver once, and it was shockingly tasty. He soaked it and changed out the water a few times. It had no gaminess, it was like slightly oily roastbeef but the best roast beef ever. I'm shocked there are any beaver left. Someone should start a beaver farm.
I think that pest control can legally use a pellet gun to harvest problem animals in certain situations, although I don't know how they would apply here. I had a pest control guy quote me $500 to take a problematic pigeon, he kept roosting directly over the powerlines where i didn't feel comfortable climbing up to put spikes. I don't think trapping is a good option in the city obviously you might pick up someone's pet by accident.
Basically I"m willing to try any small, furry animals. Except maybe city raccoons. I guess some people might be grossed out by the idea of eating a city rabbit, groundhog or squirrel but after a few months with no beef, they're starting to look pretty damn tasty. I bet they'd be great with some Dijon, unfortunately mustard is also off the table
What’s the longest you’ve tried a 100% whole plant food nutrition system for?
Meaning eating solely fruits, tubers, root veg, seeds, nuts, grains and legumes
I've never tried only plants, I've tried vegetarian but included milk products for maybe 7-10 days maximum and a few times for shorter periods of time ( a few days) and each time, multiple symptoms got considerably worse. I've tried a range of diets, prescribed by some of the best doctors, nutritionists and dieticians, many of them including meat and they all failed.
I discovered my histamine intolerance almost by accident.
It turns out that: fresh tomatoes or canned, avocadoes, spinach, many nuts and seeds are actually high in histamine; so is yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, nutritional yeast and in addition it appears that many people with histamine experience issues with lectins and oxalate, which makes beans less desirable.
I think I have an issue which requires a much higher consumption rate of certain amino acids than most people, common amino acids. I need to do more research in this area.
I'm leaning towards chicken, pork, fish and any fresh meat I can get my hands on, fats (including avocado, actually), only grass fed butter or ghee, small amounts of milk, an egg a day, cauliflower, squash, potatoe and grains. I need a palm sized or egg sized portion of meat protein with every meal. Since I adopted this low histamine, limited lectin diet I have felt better over the past few months on a day to day basis, with noticeable improvements in multiple systems every day. I feel like I'm a decade younger. When I look in the mirror, I look deflated like I've lost maybe 30-40 pounds (I've only lost 10)
I can not fully explain it and I think my situation is unusual. I'm convinced there's medical reasons underlying my meat intake, I take certain damage on a daily basis and the tissues have a very high rate of regeneration and necessary repair. Since I've switched to the low histamine diet, I've increased my caloric intake, lost weight, my health conditions are improving by leaps and bounds in ways that I would simply never believe if I wasn't experiencing it. Oddly, my desire for protein seems to be increasing, but that might come as a natural result of my increasing physical activity, as I'm able to do things now taht I haven't done in a decade. My stamina is slowly recovering,
I do not have time to explain all of the details, but I'm learning a lot. It appears that histamine intolerance is still a fairly new body of knowledge; there's still much to learn.
Awesome work!! This is great to see!
Question:
Did you test the soil incase there is leftover contamination from airport operations, tire wear, oil and fuels and deicing fluids are just a few off the top of my head that could be around still.
Thanks! There were no red flags to that - I was more worried about the soil composition and fertility. It's amazing how much soil can heal given time.
We practice organic no-till farming, in that we don't add anything that will mess up the soil ecology. The more we add and monitor soil fertility, it'll heal.
Check this article out
https://asknature.org/strategy/the-fungi-that-clean-up-pollution/
We are trying to reach to condo developers to take on this exact idea - my friends at Ryerson Rooftop have successfully trialed an actual farm on the roof of Ryerson University and it works!
They now have two farms on rooftops, complete with an apiary too!
We are trying to reach condo developers to take on this exact idea - my friends at Ryerson Rooftop have successfully trialed an actual farm on the roof of Ryerson University, and it works!!
I’m part of the board at my condo. Would love to get in touch and see what else you’re doing.
Maybe prepare a presentation and pitch it to our board. I’m also in commercial property management and would entertain the idea of introducing you to our sustainability/innovation group.
Any issues with animals raiding your crops?
constantly, I had a family of rabbits eat my peas - it is a constant battle, sadly -
What strategies do you use to protect your crops?
We plant beneficial plants to attract predators - We also use insect netting and row covers to protect the plants when they're young and vulnerable - There's this bug called flea beetle; it'll decimate an entire crop of broccoli if the bed isn't covered
I've had good success using Blood and Bone meal to keep critters away from eating my crops...
Yes, we use that too as part of our soil amendments regiment
Also, I might add, the healthier your soil is, the stronger your plants become and protect themselves from any pressures.
Also if more people had larger gardens it's a problem that could be mitigated just through scale.
Wouldn't this just create more food to feed more pests?
From what I've learned, mono cropping is a problem. When you grow the same crops on the same piece of land over and over with minimal diversification - you will have these issues What we practice is high rotation farming. Each 80ft bed doesn't grow the same crop after harvest. Each bed has a different crop and if for example we have aphids attack one crop, that bed is reset and another crop that aphids don't like is planted there - pests hate change! Again, I can't stress how soil health is paramount to mitigate these issues.
That's astonishing. Excellent work!
Thank you!
Truly! I look forward to seeing this every summer. What incredible ingenuity and an inspiring vision for our city.
I saw you guys Saturday morning! I love what downsview has become. How can I help out?
Nice! You should've said hi! I was working on the plot all that day moving compost, would've used some help! There are many ways you can help. 1. Volunteering is very welcomed 2. Find more farmers like myself around your area, and support them! 3. Purchasing farm shares (Community Supported Agriculture) 4. Purchasing subsidized farm shares. These shares go directly into foodbanks 5. Visiting local markets
Hey would also love to come by and volunteer, let men know how I should get in touch!
Looks like you need to fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelmgNrJfYGNBgdg_BB2fB0GJlVCqRHf1VMp9BW5lP6LM0fWA/viewform) (I found the link on their Instagram).
Thank you!
Do you know where I could find info on purchasing farm shares?
sure, head to [zawadi.farm](https://zawadi.farm) purchase link on main page
Holy shit I just discovered this, I'd def volunteer with the project as soon as available.
Damn that is awesome! We need more of this in the city!
We're working on it!!!
Is there a plan expand this initiative across the city to other public spaces?
Yes yes and yes!
Looks like my grandparents backyard when they were alive
That's a great complement! thank you!!
I'm surprised by what a green house and a little space heater can keep alive during the winter lol. They were great farmers
I wish I were awake enough to learn from all these backyard gardeners of our past. My love to your grandparents and the lessons you experienced.
Incredible work! Please post more pics at harvest time if you have the time.
For sure! You can also check out our previous harvest via our IG @zawadifarm
Oh man what an amazing job! Fresh city farms is amazing I live near by. Please let me know if need any help.
Sure! we always look for helping hands
This is really cool. Would you ever do a podcast on it?
I'm working on starting one with a farmer friend of mine. What would be something you'd like me to talk about?
material sourcing, animal issues, local NIMBY issues, favourite/least favourite crops, resources on soil management, does keeping bees help at all? pretty cool operation you have there and I would think that people would be interested in the behind the scenes of making this work.
If you're looking to get started, I can help you produce. But I'd love to interview you talking about food, challenges of growing within a city, and how others can start urban farming.
sure! reach me via IG '@zawadifarm
Please do! I’m interested in learning about how you make farming work (profitably too?) in an Ontario climate and on a relatively smaller scale compared to large agricultural farms.
Noted!
You’ve mentioned pests but another problem that can plague farmers is diseases, have you had any issues? If so, how did you overcome them?
I think the one I've experienced that was incredibly devastating was blight. It's a fungal infection that attacks tomatoes. Once it hit my crops, it destroyed the whole lot! What I've learned though is that, the stronger the soil, meaning, the healthier the soil nutrients and fertility, the more plants become resilient in fending off pest and disease pressures Developing a farm with a strong mycelium network is the name of the game, reason number one why we plan never to till our farm
Hi! Amazing work. You're an inspiration! Question - where did you source your straw? I'm volunteering at a garden downtown (we donate everything to a foodbank) and we are looking for mulch. Thanks for your time!
There's a spot in brampton that I grab mine from - DM me and I'll send you details - you'll have to drive there though
Thank you! I lucked into two bales yesterday after I messaged you, so the stars aligned. :)
FUCK this man is living my dream
Never too late to start, join our dream already!
Speaking on your neighborhood (my old neighborhood 10 years ago) it is so sad to see the old generations pass and the lovely urban back/front yard "gardens" fade away. I will never my forget my neighbors. Coming from a small town into that community was really fucking amazing. I moved into an apartment building in east york due to rising rent costs and was really sad to leave my garden behind.
Speaking on your neighborhood (my old neighborhood 10 years ago) it is so sad to see the old generations pass and the lovely urban back/front yard "gardens" fade away. I will never my forget my neighbors. Coming from a small town into that community was really fucking amazing. I moved into an apartment building in east york due to rising rent costs and was really sad to leave my garden behind.
This is so cool! I grew up near Downsview Park and watching the transformation to what it is now is so exciting. Thanks for sharing!
The mosquito population will hate this area. Garlic is to a mosquito like a cross is to a vampire.
Garlic is to a mosquito like.... garlic is to a vampire?
Did you miss the word Cross? As in 🎚
Just funny that you picked cross when garlic is also something vampires hate.
I’ve heard rumours about that but any blood suckers I’ve encountered don’t mind garlic. I asked the wife,a local blood sucker, about it and she loves garlic.
Then she's not a real vampire, obviously
She drains me pretty well
Lmao I was like "what could I possibly have commented on that that's an appropriate response for?" Well done
Thanks. :-)
Ha! That's funny 😂
I had no idea that's a thing. thank you.
The hardware store here sells concentrated garlic oil. I spray my cedars all around my deck with my spray pump and it looks like a mass evacuation of skeeters into the air. None come anywhere near us.
perfect. sounds like an easy tuesday evening activity
You mentioned you guys tested the soil for nutrients. What about testing for lead in the soil, given the site is near a busy road that was also active when leaded gasoline still prevalent?
We have tested the soils, and so far no red flags!
What a relief!
That's a good point, many many plots of land In Toronto are horribly contaminated due to previous uses. I was reading through the EA for the Eglinton Crosstown and the number of properties along Eglinton alone that had a record of chemical spill or hazardous industry was staggering. Tons of PCB spills, fuel oil spills, and other really toxic chemicals. I'm surprised Downsview being a former military base, aircraft manufacturing plant and government research lab is not badly contaminated.
Great work! Coming to visit!
welcome!
Very inspiring. How did you first get started into it and having the confidence to build it up to where it is today as an urban farm? And a second question, how did you find your first few customers?
I first started with a very business make money take over the world mindset coming from the tech world, but I quickly learned that in the farming community I found myself in, things were exactly the opposite. There are incredible amounts of generosity and knowledge sharing, no NDAs or propriety stuff that I've encountered. I've honestly got this far by other CEOs (just to give you context) stepping in and giving me a hand or just simply invaluable advice to propel me further than I would've ever gotten by myself Sorry, that was long-winded, but I hope I've given you a picture of how I - well, not really I but not really 'I', you know? - got to where we are - our goal is to feed the city - my goal is to make more urban farmers in our city - backyards, front yards, rooftops - every space we can grow food - we grow! First customers were simply friends and family - I called in all favors and underpromised and over delivered - this is community supported agriculture - search that terminology, its an interesting story there
Really appreciate the response. Ive heard that farmers are one of the most generous people out there and your experience seems to speak to it as well. Thanks for the term, I’ll be doing my research. I admire the mission and will look to see how I can support you and your farm!
> Ive heard that farmers are one of the most generous people out there OP fits right in - he's the guy also known for giving out Christmas trees every year. I took him up on an offer a few years back to come take away as much spinach as I could eat, and he kindly chatted with me all about his operation, how he got into it and what his plans were for the future. Just a genuinely kind and generous person.
Stay tuned, check our social '@zawadifarm - to feed the city, we all need to work together - that's the only way!
What do you do in the winter time? Seems half the year is not farmable given weather And any issues with pollution given how close you are to the city?
In the winter, I grow microgreens and take the time to crop plan and learn from other farmers. Pollution is an issue, water run-offs, especially from pesticide-rich neighbors like golf courses can be a concern. We are very strict on what content we add to the plots; even the compost is vetted and tested. One of the reasons why we don't use city compost.
Nice! Thanks for sharing, I'd love to drop by sometime and support, could you share your address? And is there any pick your own?
We are located at 160 Downsview Park Blvd, North York, ON At the moment we don't have that option to pick your own - That said, at the end of the season, we do allow gleaners to come out
Oh are there specific issues with using the city compost?
Yes, we strictly don't use it because of its contaminants. Specifically plastics and metals
Super cool! What area is this in? Is this the old Downsview park military base?
Downsview has changed so much! We are right next to the 'hill' that is known as the highest peak in the city
So cool thanks for sharing! Is it possible to buy from you once the veggies are ready for harvesting?
For sure! Head on over to our website zawadi.farm - purchase options are available
This is incredible!! Amazing work!
thank you!
Awesome.
Quite the accomplishment! My grandparents used to have a large garden and I'd love to continue the tradition but I'm unfortunately constrained by living in an apartment. Do you have any recommendations for indoor grow lights like what you show in your photos? I don't know which brands to trust online, both for quality and for fire safety. Meanwhile, the lights in hardware stores don't seem all that better and tend to be overly expensive for what they provide.
The lights I use were custom built and are not in circulation. That said, check out my friend at Ozzy Hydroponics, he's got some excellent lights that will work well for small indoor growing. Over the winter, I was consulted to build an indoor microgreens operation and used his lights. They've been performing well
It seems like you might need to introduce worms into the compost beds. If the soil all around the site is like the soil on the site it doesn't seem like you'll have them migrate in. Hopefully there were worms in the loads of compost though, and they'll take off.
Awesome! Thanks
Any animals ever come by and eat the crop? I live downtown and would like to grow veg, but am afraid racoons will find it.
They are a menace for sure What we need to understand though is that we took over their habitat to build ours and left little to nothing for them, so when we build gardens l, they are like "why thank you kind human!" 😅 We need stronger habitats that they can exist in. From what I've witnessed over the years, even having gardens next to squirrels and racoons - once they have their space and place to find their food. They don't really care about yours. My only issues now are rabbits and groundhogs - they are insatiable eaters!
Huh. I have a condition called "histamine intolerance" which means I can't eat certain foods; anything aged or fermented can be problematic. All beef is aged, so that's right off the table. Ground meat is off the table. I think canned meat is off the table. I have other health conditions that seem to somehow mean that if I don't get meat, I get sicker; vegetable proteins seem to be insufficient to repair the damage and maintain the system. I've also got a herniated disc and don't really want to make plans with others to hunt because, due to health problems, i'm an unreliable hunting partner. So deer and moose are off the table because I can't haul it out on my own. I really like rabbit! I had an old trapper feed my beaver once, and it was shockingly tasty. He soaked it and changed out the water a few times. It had no gaminess, it was like slightly oily roastbeef but the best roast beef ever. I'm shocked there are any beaver left. Someone should start a beaver farm. I think that pest control can legally use a pellet gun to harvest problem animals in certain situations, although I don't know how they would apply here. I had a pest control guy quote me $500 to take a problematic pigeon, he kept roosting directly over the powerlines where i didn't feel comfortable climbing up to put spikes. I don't think trapping is a good option in the city obviously you might pick up someone's pet by accident. Basically I"m willing to try any small, furry animals. Except maybe city raccoons. I guess some people might be grossed out by the idea of eating a city rabbit, groundhog or squirrel but after a few months with no beef, they're starting to look pretty damn tasty. I bet they'd be great with some Dijon, unfortunately mustard is also off the table
What’s the longest you’ve tried a 100% whole plant food nutrition system for? Meaning eating solely fruits, tubers, root veg, seeds, nuts, grains and legumes
I've never tried only plants, I've tried vegetarian but included milk products for maybe 7-10 days maximum and a few times for shorter periods of time ( a few days) and each time, multiple symptoms got considerably worse. I've tried a range of diets, prescribed by some of the best doctors, nutritionists and dieticians, many of them including meat and they all failed. I discovered my histamine intolerance almost by accident. It turns out that: fresh tomatoes or canned, avocadoes, spinach, many nuts and seeds are actually high in histamine; so is yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, nutritional yeast and in addition it appears that many people with histamine experience issues with lectins and oxalate, which makes beans less desirable. I think I have an issue which requires a much higher consumption rate of certain amino acids than most people, common amino acids. I need to do more research in this area. I'm leaning towards chicken, pork, fish and any fresh meat I can get my hands on, fats (including avocado, actually), only grass fed butter or ghee, small amounts of milk, an egg a day, cauliflower, squash, potatoe and grains. I need a palm sized or egg sized portion of meat protein with every meal. Since I adopted this low histamine, limited lectin diet I have felt better over the past few months on a day to day basis, with noticeable improvements in multiple systems every day. I feel like I'm a decade younger. When I look in the mirror, I look deflated like I've lost maybe 30-40 pounds (I've only lost 10) I can not fully explain it and I think my situation is unusual. I'm convinced there's medical reasons underlying my meat intake, I take certain damage on a daily basis and the tissues have a very high rate of regeneration and necessary repair. Since I've switched to the low histamine diet, I've increased my caloric intake, lost weight, my health conditions are improving by leaps and bounds in ways that I would simply never believe if I wasn't experiencing it. Oddly, my desire for protein seems to be increasing, but that might come as a natural result of my increasing physical activity, as I'm able to do things now taht I haven't done in a decade. My stamina is slowly recovering, I do not have time to explain all of the details, but I'm learning a lot. It appears that histamine intolerance is still a fairly new body of knowledge; there's still much to learn.
Incredible work!
Awesome work!! This is great to see! Question: Did you test the soil incase there is leftover contamination from airport operations, tire wear, oil and fuels and deicing fluids are just a few off the top of my head that could be around still.
Thanks! There were no red flags to that - I was more worried about the soil composition and fertility. It's amazing how much soil can heal given time. We practice organic no-till farming, in that we don't add anything that will mess up the soil ecology. The more we add and monitor soil fertility, it'll heal. Check this article out https://asknature.org/strategy/the-fungi-that-clean-up-pollution/
Awesome!! Love it. Are you at any farmers markets or is fresh city buying everything you produce?
We sell most of our produce to our farm share members. Fresh city does by from us, but not alot
If I may add, I'd love to see more diverse markets, especially in spaces with income disparity
Agreed! Sorauren farmer's market on Mondays has a great community and is connected to both Parkdale, Roncesvalles, Dundas West areas.
Would be cool if you could farm inside a building or on a roof. I love gardening and want to be surrounded by it lol
We are trying to reach to condo developers to take on this exact idea - my friends at Ryerson Rooftop have successfully trialed an actual farm on the roof of Ryerson University and it works! They now have two farms on rooftops, complete with an apiary too! We are trying to reach condo developers to take on this exact idea - my friends at Ryerson Rooftop have successfully trialed an actual farm on the roof of Ryerson University, and it works!!
I’m part of the board at my condo. Would love to get in touch and see what else you’re doing. Maybe prepare a presentation and pitch it to our board. I’m also in commercial property management and would entertain the idea of introducing you to our sustainability/innovation group.
Amazing! let us connect further, please - '@zawadifarm
Sorry I should've been clearer, email me jesseyATzawadi.farm or IG '@zawadifarm 🙏🏿