How much do you know about hemp? May 17-23 is Hemp History Week, a joint project of Vote Hemp and the Hemp Industries Association. On May 15, Melissa Miles, Organizer of the Eastern Pennsylvania Permaculture Guild, will be partnering with Kimberton Whole Foods to host a Hemp History Week Town Hall Meeting. The meeting will

On Wednesday, I posted an article from the New York Times on the rise of superweeds. The paper’s website—on their “Room for Debate” blog—has since published short commentaries from some notable experts in the field, including Michael Pollan: What a surprise! Roundup-resistant weeds have shown up in fields that have been doused with Roundup! Shocking!

There seems to be a lot of gardening talk on the Griddle recently—tis the season. Yesterday’s New York Times features a story on vertical gardens, and their increasing appeal to urbanites. If you don’t have time for the story, make sure to check out the slideshow.

If any two things are going to turn Philadelphia into the country’s Green Giant, it’s bicycles and gardening. On Saturday, May 15, they come together for the Growing Green Bike Tour—a bicycle exploration of urban gardens and food systems. The tour, a collaboration between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, City Harvest Growers Alliance (CHGA)

This Walt Whit was almost as smooth as Hamels’ performanceI’d like to start this post with something that simply must be said: Choooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooch! Yes, I was at last night’s Phillies game, a contest that featured a walk-off homerun by Carlos Ruiz, a player my brother deems “our most clutch; no contest.” But enough about baseball—let’s

Pig weed is causing problemsOk, wait for it, this is really going to shock you: The use of Roundup-resistant GM crops has led to Roundup-resistant weeds! Now, who could have anticipated that?! From The New York Times: Just as the heavy use of antibiotics contributed to the rise of drug-resistant supergerms, American farmers’ near-ubiquitous use of

Last week's City Paper cover story, "Agricultural Phenomenon," is a look at the past, present and future of urban agriculture in Philly. One question that the article raises, regarding what urban agriculture is meant to mean for the city, caught my interest more than anything else:
Is urban agriculture a means for supplying low-income neighborhoods with

My Plot Before; click through for "After"About ten days ago I received some great news—I had gotten off the waiting list for a community garden plot in Bouvier Garden (yes, like Marge), a humble little project on Bouvier Street, a small thoroughfare between 17th and 18th Streets in the Point Breeze/Newbold Neighbors area. The garden itself

Renaissance Sausage makes its debutYesterday marked the return of Philadelphia’s largest and most celebrated Farmers’ Market. Held under the brick arch of Headhouse Square at 2nd St. between Pine and Lombard, the bustling market boasts one of the most idyllic settings in the city.  There was asparagus (which went quickly), lots of rhubarb and the first

It was recently brought to my attention that there is a swimming hole in Wissahickon Park called Devil’s Pool. As I began researching the specifics of this urban watering hole, I became more and more intrigued by the mystery, beauty and legend of this questionably-legal spot.
I’m not a Philadelphia native so as I was