By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer
Even small vegetable gardens or one-tree orchards can yield more crop than a single family can eat. So why not share some of that lettuce or chard with a neighbor who might have a glut of Meyer lemons or mandarine oranges or with another who has had their fill of arugula or sorrel? That was the idea behind the FoodShed, a neighborhood produce exchange Santa Barbara landscape architect Owen Dell established in his neighborhood four years ago.
The idea couldn't be simpler. Set up one day a month that participants "truck" in their surplus bounty to one neighbor's house. Admire all the crops, share growing failures and successes, pick up tips, get to know each other better, and go home with something yummy to eat you didn't grow yourself. Then next month someone else plays host.
Owen started a single exchange in 2004. Now there are four in his neighborhood alone and at least fifteen within the city.
If you like the idea, this page full of helpful tips on the Santa Barbara Food Not Lawn website will help you start a food exchange. If you're already doing something like this in your neighborhood, let us know how it is working out.
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Owen, who as long as I've known him has always been ahead of the curve, tends to show up often in our pages and blog. See, for instance, our review of his excellent book, Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, here. And, to see the garden he designed that won our 2004-2005 Western Garden Design award, click here.
Dell was also one of the experts who weighed in on our web article about How to Remove Your Bermuda Lawn.
