Permaculture for Renters :: regenerative design for the landless many || SEO.....

Live in an apartment or condo building with patch of under-utilized grass, ornamental landscape beds, or accessible roof-top? Why not pitch a community garden to the owner or property manager?

You could do what the folks at the MilePost 5 development here in Portland have done and make it a collaborative effort with a SPIN farmer, who installed and manages the garden, with residents volunteering their time in the garden and getting a share of the produce. It’s a win-win-win situation: residents get produce, dirt time, and gardening knowledge; SPIN farmer gets a plot and free labor; property managers/owners rest assured that the garden is professionally managed and won’t become an eyesore (a common objection).

(This is post 3 of 7 in a series, to see the post about the series, click here.)
I hear them over and over again, stories beginning with “The landlord won’t let us…”

As many of you have already discovered, it can sometimes feel like a crapshoot asking a landlord if you can do something as logical as digging up a neglected lawn to grow food.  One of Holmgren’s permaculture principles applies particularly well when working with landlords: start with slow and small solutions.  Instead of asking if you can tear up the entire lawn a week after moving in, you might consider asking if you can start with just a small portion, or maybe even just planting a few vegetables into areas that are already landscaped.

Once your landlord sees that you’re responsible and able to make good on commitments, they’ll feel that they have less to worry about when you want to scale up.  Work your way up incrementally, building trust as you go.

Here are some other ideas to consider:

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