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On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm
In the heart of suburban Santa Barbara, where land is pricey and a field is worth more covered with asphalt than arugula, asparagus, and apple trees, thrives Fairview Gardens, a small organic farm managed for the past 18 years by Michael Ableman.
On Good Land,
an engrossing read, chronicles the life of the 100-year-old farm -- from its history to Ableman's first glimpse of
...more
Hardcover
,
144 pages
Published
May 1st 1998
by Chronicle Books
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Community Reviews
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I really liked this book! It took some convincing at first... I was initially put off by the way Ableman seemed to only half-heartedly take on certain projects. For example, he bought geese, and then when they started scaring the visitors he just took them to a park to release them - REALLY? - and then tried turkeys, and found most of them drowned in the kiddie pool he'd set up for the geese. Turkeys and water do not mix - I know this and I've never had a turkey! I would think someone actually p
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Pg. 5: Sounds like he may have a plan for the next 100 years.
Pg. 18: He plowed up Marijuana left by the earlier farmer manager. That would now be legal in Washington State.
Pg23: His discreptive accessment of field equipment reminds of a need for an equipment exchange. Machines: how boring. No wonder kids want to move away from the farm. How about a gradation of jobs as a kid gets older.
Pg 32: Farming and falling in love both are means of perpetuating the human species. "Everyday was different" h ...more
Pg. 18: He plowed up Marijuana left by the earlier farmer manager. That would now be legal in Washington State.
Pg23: His discreptive accessment of field equipment reminds of a need for an equipment exchange. Machines: how boring. No wonder kids want to move away from the farm. How about a gradation of jobs as a kid gets older.
Pg 32: Farming and falling in love both are means of perpetuating the human species. "Everyday was different" h ...more
Notes later - dinner time! I will say that I was surprised at his use of peat. Really? Not terribly sustainable. I wonder if he still uses it.
I stumbled on this book at the library while hunting down gardening books. Written in 1998, it describes the history of Fairview Gardens in Goleta, California. It's a quick read with its thick, glossy pages and numerous photos (though maddeningly without captions). It's yet another example of my being late to the party (I'm an overly excited 'noob' about all things gardening and sustainable living—much has been written on the topic over the years). Lucky for me, I found it—it's a fantastic story
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May 07, 2012
B-MO
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Urban farmers. Organic Farmers. AND MOST OF ALL, DEVELOPMENT PLANNERS.
Recommended to B-MO by:
Garage Sale score!
Inspiring book about what a farm can mean to an urban community. The author writes about his decades of experience on this Californian farm which was totally surrounded by urban sprawl during his time on the land.
Among topics covered are:
Organic growth and the value of holistic environment in growth of food.
Issues of urban v rural including loud roosters, stinky compost, destruction of environment caused by paving.
Educational uses of farms in urban communities where children grow up separated ...more
Among topics covered are:
Organic growth and the value of holistic environment in growth of food.
Issues of urban v rural including loud roosters, stinky compost, destruction of environment caused by paving.
Educational uses of farms in urban communities where children grow up separated ...more
Though this book is a few years old, the story is very relevant to any new urban farmer today. The storytelling draws you in early and remains solid for the entire book. In fact, my only complaint is that the book was not long enough because I found myself sometimes wanting even more of the story. The many photographs throughout the book also help paint a picture of what life was like on this bucolic yet bustling farm (though I wish they had captions). It is yet another reminder of how farm life
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This is a great persuasive argument for urban organic farming. Across the street from Neverland Ranch and next to a football player who serves this farmer a cease and desist order for composting, this farm was a place of education for local school kids and adults, growing enough food for a couple thousand people on a mere 14 acres of land. I hope it's still in existence, this book was written while they were facing being shut-down, the landlady threatening to sell the land for a housing complex.
This was just a nice little book with lovely pictures telling the story of an organic farm in California. I didn't really learn anything new but it was entertaining and engrossing to read about the farmer's struggles with continuing to farm the middle of urban sprawl. It made me want to live in California where you can get local avacados and citrus fruit. I can't say it made me want to be a farmer, but the combination of reading this book and babysitting some chickens made me want to have a litt
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What I learned: general difficulties that the farm faced, general ideas about local and organic food, generalities about how people should develop a connection to the land and the food that comes from it
What I didn't learn: how to have one's own urban garden, what specifically was going on with his farm (what worked, what didn't, and what politics were affecting them)
Best parts: beautiful pictures interspersed throughout and adorable vignettes on farm life, such as 'how to pick a perfect peach.'
What I didn't learn: how to have one's own urban garden, what specifically was going on with his farm (what worked, what didn't, and what politics were affecting them)
Best parts: beautiful pictures interspersed throughout and adorable vignettes on farm life, such as 'how to pick a perfect peach.'
Gorgeous photography, and an interesting look at the development of Fairview Gardens, an urban farm in LA. I really would've enjoyed a much deeper examination of the work the farm has done in the areas of education. As it is, this book was pretty short -- more like a summary or glossing over of what's happened there in the past 20 years.
This book was comprised of nicely written essays concerning the development of urban farm in California. It would be a good read for anyone interested in community farming programs or urban farming. Not exactly what I was looking for, but a pleasant way to spend some time nevertheless.
This book was okay. Kind of a memoir of his farm in California, and what it was like when it started, its impact on the community, and how it became a farm organization at the end. A quick read with pretty pictures. Not as good as his newer book.
Short and sweet and easy to read. Good entertaining sub-urban farm story. It didn't sound like an urban farm to me, with rows of condos and track houses next door. Nice pictures.
At a time when small farms are disappearing at a staggering rate, this book provides an example of how one small farm can make a difference.
Enjoyable memoir of a suburban farmer who turns a 100 year old farm into a thriving expression of nature and economy at its best.
Really liked this one. A farm in the city. Would have liked to visit it when I was in Santa Barbara. Eh - but lack of time.
I read most of this book which was a great illustration of suburbia encroaching on rural land. It has lovely pictures.
Quick read. Lots of pictures. Doesn't cover any topic in detail. Decent history of one farm in a nutshell.
The story or one urban farm, bioneers.
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Apr 22, 2014 02:12PM