In anticipation of our new apartment and its roof deck, I've gotten very excited to have space for some gardening. And it was perfect timing that I found out about "Making Brooklyn Bloom" last weekend. And best of all it was free. It was great. I got to learn about heirloom strains of all types of vegetables (and which ones grow well in small containers), and which herbs are the best to grow in windowboxes and how to perserve them. I even got a basil plant and a ton of seeds for free. I'll have to go up to my parents house in MA since they definately won't all fit in a few pots.

My favorite part of the event though was a short film called "Seeds in the City: The Greening of Havana." It was an amazing documentary about the food crisis in Havana, brought on by the lack of funds due to the fall of the USSR, leaving no money for importing produce or gas. This forced the city to farm in every bit of open space, allowing the city to now generate enough produce to feed the whole population. And its all organic because all the "farms" are small plots and it is illegeal to use pesticides due as a protection of the water system. The city has now become completely sustainable out of necessity. Amazingly, its bringing about a complete economic change as well because produce is allowed to be sold in a free market, using dollars, enabling farmers to earn a better living working their tiny backyard garden than a government employee. Slowly, the free market is legally entering Cuba. If that isn't hope for developing nations all over the world, I don't know what is.

Posted by dahl at March 14, 2006 9:36 PM

So exciting! Sounds like a cool movie.