Farming Techniques
CurbSide Croft is dedicated to sustainable, organic farming. The foundation of organic farming is healthy soil. Conventional farming ultimately harms soil through its chemical use; organic farming on the other hand strives to work with the soil, not against it.
Farming on Buffalo’s West Side offers many benefits. First and foremost, it provides absolute transparency in the food chain. You, as a consumer, can see exactly how and where your food is grown. No dubious labels and packaging, no questions about chemicals on your produce and we can quickly adapt to our customers requests. Secondly, producing food within city limits significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with delivery. The closest Western New York farms are located 45 minutes outside of the city. Getting your produce from CurbSide Croft drastically decreases the fuel consumption required for transportation and refrigeration. Likewise, getting your produce straight from the farm ensures unprecedented freshness!
Below you’ll find some of the traits and techniques that make CurbSide Croft unique. To get a first hand glimpse of any of our tactics, stop by our farm at West Avenue and Vermont Street on Buffalo’s West Side. We’ll be happy to show you around and answer any questions you might have. Or you may contact us via email or telephone, click here for more information.
Mandala Style
CurbSide Croft doesn’t look like your typical farm; it’s based on a mandala style of planting. ’Mandala’ gardening is a style of vegetable production that uses space very efficiently. Unlike planting vegetables in rows or even blocks of densely spaced plants, mandala gardens have far less path space. Integrating the use of a “keyhole” shaped planting bed we have full, 360 degree access to the growing area from one centrally located spot in the middle of the bed. This is especially important in an urban garden where space is usually limited.
Why minimize paths? Fewer paths mean less empty space to weed and, resources like water and fertilizer aren’t expended on path space. Also, there is less walking around and wasted time when the farmer can have quick access to the plants without traipsing all over to reach them. More food can be produced from a micro-space this way.
Efficiency and intelligent methods take on a new significance with the urban farm because it tends to be smaller, more intensive and have fewer laborers than its rural equivalent. Simply by changing the shape of a planting bed, the amount of space wasted on paths is reduced to a fraction of more traditional designs.
Food Stamps and EBT
Everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious produce. CurbSide Croft accepts EBT and food stamps. CurbSide Croft is not only seeking to make fresh produce available but also accessible. Our modus operandi is to cater to the immediate area. We are also aware of the necessity of chemical free, organically grown foods for everyone.
Permaculture
Permaculture is the philosophy and practice of designing agriculture and human habitats to mimic nature. In agriculture, the ultimate goal is to create completely sustainable food production. Some examples of how we accomplish this are: planting different varieties of plants next to each other as they would be in nature rather than whole blocks of the same type of plant and releasing predator lady bugs to control pest insect populations. To learn more about permaculture and its design principles please click here.
Heirloom Varieties
Heirloom variety refers to a plant variety in which the seed stays true (or consistant) to the parent seed characteristics. Heirlooms’ DNA can be passed from generation to generation and are favored for their unique taste, texture, appearance and nutrition.
Hybrid plants are not true to type, meaning when you plant a seed from a hybrid plant the offspring will not exhibit the same characteristics as the parent plant, or may not germinate at all as many hybrids are sterile. Hybridized industrial seeds are mainly developed in labs and are designed for extended shelf-life and the ability to withstand long-distance transport.
Casper Eggplant
Cherokee Purple Tomato
Purple of Sicily Cauliflower
Ethnic Varieties
CurbSide Croft is dedicated to serving the immediate neighborhood which is home to people from many different countries and cultures. We want to meet their food needs and desires, so we grow specific varieties of produce that are used in various ethnic cuisines. Many of these crops are not indigenous to our region and therefore difficult to obtain at local markets.
If you aren’t familiar with some of these varieties, simply ask. We’ll explain the different produce and the best way to prepare each of them. Or search this handy online recipe site.
Calabaza
Jiló
Kabocha
Rainwater Harvesting
To increase the sustainability of the farm, CurbSide Croft uses rainwater barrels to collect rainwater. This rainwater is then used to water the crops, thus decreasing the amount of municipal, treated water used. The process is simple, retrofit a gutter downspout with a 50-gallon food-grade barrel. It is estimated that 1 inch of rain falling on a 1000 sq. ft. roof can gather as much as 600 gallons of rain. This irrigation approach is used in conjunction with other strategies such as heavy mulching.
Vermicompost
Vermicomposting (literally “composting with worms”) will not only expedite the composting process but also provide a final product which is eight times as rich in nutrients as the feed-stock being composted. This is a result of the particular kind of worm used to compost waste material, Eisenia fetida (red wigglers), which consume the feed-stock then excrete it in the form of castings. These castings can then be used to provide a nutrient laden and sustainable fertilizer for the farm.
Seed Saving
Seed Saving is another sustainable technique. Rather than ordering seeds through a catalog each year, CurbSide Croft harvests the seeds from the plants we have grown. We store these seeds until it is time to plant and repeat the cycle each growing season.
Floral Venture
CurbSide Croft will also incorporate florals into our farm, growing annuals, perennials and shrubs for Buffalo’s floral industry many non-local flower producers use heavy pesticides and other harmful practice which we avoid. Our floral production will be an asset to the neighborhood aesthetically, creating a garden-like setting in addition to providing a local source for commercial florists.
