Podcast: Urban Farmer and Vancouver Mom Julia Smith

Earth Day Podcast

Earth Day is just around the corner, and gardening season is in full swing here in Vancouver. Little green shoots are popping up all across the city, in community gardens and back yards and sometimes even where they’re not wanted. This seemed like the perfect time of year to talk local food on the VancouverMom.ca podcast, and we found just the Vancouver mom to do it with.

Julia Smith is an urban farmer with Urban Digs Farm. While they’re currently in the process of moving, they got their start growing produce and eggs in back yards in Vancouver’s West Side. If you’ve ever wondered just how much food you can produce on a city lot, the people at Urban Digs are here to tell you it’s probably a lot more than you think. We live in a very fertile growing region, after all, and there’s a lot of food that grows very happily here.

Talking Urban Farming

So, how does a person become an urban farmer? How can a farmer possibly afford the land to grow food in Vancouver’s real estate market? And how can you get your hands on some produce if you’d rather not become an urban farmer yourself? We decided to catch up with Julia to get some answers. If you’ve ever dreamed of growing things, you’d like to hear about the challenges and triumphs of urban farming, or you’d like to get your hands on some local, free-range eggs, you’ll want to listen to our podcast with Julia. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to plant a few seeds yourself!

[podcast]http://www.citymomnow.com/podcasts/vancouver/VancouverMom4_UrbanDigs.mp3[/podcast]

If you’d like to support Urban Digs, check out their CSA program, and purchase a share of their crop. You’ll be getting fresh produce all summer, and supporting Vancouver’s local food movement. Or if you’d like to find out more about local eating in Vancouver, check out the local food resources we rounded up during our harvest celebration last fall.