An NY Times article (via the Bay Citizen) came out today featuring Little City Gardens! The article describes the ways that cities are changing laws and policies in order to keep up with the rising interest in urban agriculture. Check it out here! It's a short article, only grazing the surface of a conversation about zoning and agriculture and it's potential place within a city. But it's a good article nonetheless, and it's satisfying to see news articles that highlight the really important issues that urban farmers are facing all over the country. Let us know what you think!

Also, most of you have probably gotten your Kickstarter rewards in the mail by now (or, for some of you, the first installment anyway). If for some reason you haven't received them, let us know.

Caitlyn

Dear supporters,
Your posters, zines, stickers and seed packets are finally ready! Thank you for being patient with us. We didn't anticipate how tricky it would be to split our time between weeding fields and stuffing envelopes. We're excited to finally get your lovingly made rewards to you.

One note before we send everything out - if you haven't sent us your address yet, please do so! We'll do one more mailing at the end of this week for all the last minute addresses we get.

Thank you! Happy summer.

Caitlyn and Brooke

Kickstarter supporters,
We just wrote a blog post about the zoning issues we're facing here in San Francisco. If you live in SF, will you consider writing a letter to the Planning Department? And whether you live in SF or not, will you please forward this post around? In a time when urban agriculture is on many cities' radars as a crucial step toward creating healthy local food systems, urban farmers across the country are facing similar zoning obstacles when it comes to market-gardening. The Planning Department is currently reviewing our case, and we need your voices.

blog post here: http://www.littlecitygardens.com/2010/05/lets-clarify-sf-zoning-code/

Caitlyn and Brooke

to all of our supporters: an enormous thank you. our campaign is about to end in about 35 hours and it has been a great success!

an article about little city gardens came out in the SF gate, this week. do check it out, it includes an update about some zoning issues that we are confronting:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi...

We have a couple new posts up on our blog, including the story of signing our new land-use agreement and a photo of the new farm site!

C & B

Dear Kickstarter supporters,
We are excited to announce that we have officially signed a land use agreement with a private property owner here in SF. We now have access to a beautiful 3/4 acre plot to build our farm! After several months of communicating with the landowner (who has been nicely receptive to our ideas), drafting and revising the agreement, researching insurance policies, filing business paperwork, researching tools, sourcing materials, and planning our crops and markets, we can now officially dig in. A new urban market-garden is born in SF!

We have our work cut out for us. First on our to-do list is arranging for water access, setting up a tool shed, bringing in compost, manure and mulch, and solidifying our crop lists. It feels good to finally be able to get started on all of this! We are ready to put down the pen and paper for a little while and finally get back out into the sun.

We're also excited about all the goodies we are getting ready to send out to you! The posters are finished, the first issue of our zine is underway, and the stickers are being sent off to the printer next week.

Thank you for all of your continued support and kind words. Please do share our big news with friends and neighbors. As we jump into this project, significantly cutting back on our other work (and income), we need all the extra support we can get.

$20,000 by May 4th? Is it possible?

WIth such excitement,
Caitlyn and Brooke

We've posted some of our thoughts here about small business, and why we have chosen this route as our activist medium, as opposed to starting a non-profit.

We've also posted our third round of thank yous! Each one is incredibly appreciated. Keep spreading the word to all your friends and posting on your blogs because your continued pledges help us make this project more successful!

We'll be back soon with a more proper update on what we've been up to behind the scenes. The longer, warmer days have us itching to be outside building our new farm, but for now we are practicing patience as we get all the loose ends tied up first (land use agreements, insurance, etc).

Stay tuned!

Dear supporters,
We have a new article and interview up today:

article here
interview here

The article (written by Brooke) is about our motivations and visions for this project. About small business as our activist medium. The interview is about our process so far. Please read, share, discuss, and send thoughts.

We are moving along here in SF, planning for spring (it's coming so soon), sourcing amendments, sketching plans, writing, talking and researching. We are excited and eager for longer days outside, but we are staying focused! Soon enough, our hands will be dirty again!

Caitlyn & Brooke

WE DID IT! (YOU DID IT!) Two weeks in, and we have reached our base goal of $15,000! We can't thank you all enough for your pledges, for spreading the word to all of your friends, and for sending us your warmest offers of encouragement. We feel so supported in what we are doing. In the past two weeks, we have learned just how much you all want to see this project succeed. We are incredibly energized for what's in store!

THANK YOU.

And, we still have 75 days to go. If you still have friends that are interested in pledging, there is still time. We have plenty of ways to use additional funds (and plenty of rewards to keep giving)! We've posted an addendum to our business plan here , listing out ways that we will utilize extra funds, should we continue to surpass our goal. So, please feel free to keep spreading the word.

And keep checking back with us to see what we're up to in the garden during our process of expansion. We're thrilled to have such an extended community to share with. (And for now, visit our website to see our second round of heartfelt Thank Yous - for you!)

With so much appreciation,
Caitlyn & Brooke

We've just posted our first round of appreciations on our blog! We feel so, so supported. Your pledges, emails, and word-spreading have been unbelievable these past few days. Thank you thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

After weeks of being indoors, writing, planning and number-crunching, we finally made it back out to the garden for a couple of hours yesterday. The calla-lilies and oxalis (two of San Francisco's most noxious winter weeds) were standing so tall and strong throughout the garden - I don't think they missed us!

More from us soon.

C & B

We are stunned. The amount of support, encouragement, kind words, offers of help - and pledges! - we have gotten in just two days is unbelievable. We are so incredibly warmed by the community that has surrounded us and our project so far.

Thank you thank you thank you. Please continue to share the project with your friends and networks, and do keep your feedback and thoughts coming! It's so very appreciated. We're off to a great start.

Caitlyn & Brooke