Tag Archive: urban gardening


I’ve been really disenchanted with work lately, they essentially shut down all development of a web presence which is what I’ve spent the last four years working on. I’ve still got a journalism degree, which is probably the sole reason I wasn’t shown the door after corporate took over. So I guess I’m going through one of those existential crises that occur when your job and your identity are closely linked. One lesson to take away: it’s okay to love your job, but your sole purpose is not to be the job.

I’ve been really inspired by Daniel’s setting up an urban farming project, which has essentially become a defacto co-op. He started doing that down here in Lake Worth right around the same time my other friend Dan, who lives in New York, began a 501c3 project doing an organic farm at a school as an educational tool that would also bring fresh, locally produced vegetables to the community it served. He’s hit a couple of snags along the way, I really hope it all comes together for him though. So, with both of these guys doing this really inspiring work and my love of being outside working on the yard or in the garden, I’m trying to brainstorm ways to bring it all together.

On another note, and probably because of the inspiration I’m getting from the urban farming, I’ve resurrected my dream of starting up a small community radio station. With all the parts it shouldn’t be more than $200 or so to set up, the area I’m kind of lacking in is the technical side, building the antenna and the radio transmitter. I think it would be a fun project though and great to do in my free time. If I build it right, I should be able to push above a one mile radius, enough to cover my neighborhood, downtown and part of the southern neighborhoods.

I have to give a shout out for Daniel Robleto for breaking into the Palm Beach Post’s business section today with a story that Susan Salisbury wrote about him and urban farming.

I've nabbed this image for inclusion in my blog post, courtesy of PalmBeachPost.com. I'll leave it up until they break the link on me or tell me to take it down. Photo credit: Damon Higgins.

Though the idea and popularity of urban gardening is hardly new to this area – I recall a garden space created from a fallow lot the city owned, it’s great to see things that you care about getting coverage.

I met Daniel shortly after Hurricane Wilma back in 2005 when I was still a noob to the South Florida area. Even back then he was passionate about the politics of food and in short time had helped set up a garden in a house I was crashing in part-time.

It makes me happy to see the passion still alive and growing for him. Even though I doubt he cares too much one way or the other about getting an article in the paper (he’s chill like that), I’m happy to see his efforts recognized beyond the growing number of people directly impacted by his work.

Damon Higgins, (professional site here) who I’ve never met, but works at the Post took some really beautiful photos of Daniel and the garden. See them and the urban gardening story over here.

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