Manhattan Wheatfield

(Agnes Denes in her Wheatfield)

In the Summer of 1982, Agnes Denes began planting wheat on two acres of landfill at Battery Park in Manhattan. Two hundred truckloads of dirt were brought in and two hundred eighty five furrows were dug by hand and cleared of rocks and garbage. Only two blocks away from Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, the field was maintained for four months. The harvested crop yielded 1000 pounds of healthy golden wheat. For this brief period of time, the activities of the city and the countryside came together.

“In planting and harvesting a wheat crop in the midst of an urban environment, Denes called attention to human values, misplaced priorities and ecological concerns. The paradox of growing wheat on an area of land worth $4.5 billion, called attention to the hunger and mismanagement of resources which afflicts some parts of the world whilst others thrive.” (From ‘Land and Environmental Art’ Ed. Jeffrey Kastner, Phaidon Press Limited, London, 1998.)


(Wheatfield being harvested)

Denes’ intention with this project was to show the potential of the site, and the economic disparity between land use and its value in the city. Hunger is just as applicable today as it was in 1982 with worldwide food shortages making headlines and food price escalations on the rise. Last December officials from the United Nations warned, "In an ‘unforeseen and unprecedented’ shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels"


(Wheatfield and Statue of Liberty)

In spite of this short supply and rising cost of food, much is being wasted. There is a culture of food waste that is prevalent in many countries. Recently reported is that half of all food readied from harvest never makes it to a dinner table. In the USA, 14 percent of all food purchased for household use is thrown away. In England the number is 18 percent. The article concludes, "ultimately the problem is a cultural one. We have grown accustomed to an uninterrupted bounty and the economic impact has not yet grown severe enough to change peoples’ habits significantly."


Wasted food

The LDS Church has a great tradition of working towards alleviating hunger in the world. As of last year the Church has donated over 58,000 tons of food through its welfare services. Church members hold a fast once a month by skipping several meals and giving the money they would have spent on that food to the hungry. During one such fast in January 1985, the Church raised $6 million in a single day to help famine-stricken East Africa. Another fast in November of the same year produced another $4 million.

After visiting Welfare Square in Salt Lake City, James T. Morris, executive director for the United Nations World Food Program said, "If we all made a little sacrifice, there would be no hungry people. If others did what the Mormon Church does, the (hunger) problem could be solved." Morris said the total number of hungry people in the world is estimated to be some 840 million people and that "twenty-five thousand people die every day from hunger in the world." (source)


Edible Estates: front yard garden in Los Angeles by Fritz Haeg

In spite of the ‘charity’ of various people and groups today, where does the real answer lie? "We will have to find in the next 25 years, food for as many people again as we have been able to produce in the whole history of man till now." (source) How can we align the values and priorities of humanity with that of how we are collectively living? With all our innovation and technology, we still have not figured out how to properly feed the world.


Where space is tight, try a rainwater harvesting Vertical Garden by Michael Tampilic

Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every family should grow a garden" while Marion G. Romney stated, "We will see the day when we live on what we produce." Small gardens at the scale of the household may well provide the answer to world hunger problems. According to Sylvan H. Wittwer in a BYU Studies article, "The science and art of food production in home gardens should be exploited. Production is at the site of use. Wastes and by-products can be utilized as fertilizer. Energy expenditures from fossil fuels are minimized. Marketing, packaging, and transport problems are eliminated. High production and top quality are possible. Home gardening can be the most intensive food production system on earth." And as Agnes Denes has shown us with her Wheatfield in Manhattan, when it comes to food, any piece of land will do.


Roof Garden by Patrick Blanc The Vertical Garden was conceived after many observations in natural environments. The Vertical Garden relies on a new way to grow plants without any soil. Since its weight is very light, it is possible to set up the Vertical Garden on any wall, whatever its size.
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Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn

Replacing the front lawn with a productive edible landscape is an idea based on the newly released book of the same title by Fritz Haeg, an architect and artist who is creating edible estates in select locations throughout suburban America with the goal of inspiring others to follow suit.

"Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn documents the first four gardens with firsthand accounts written by the owners, garden plans, and photographs illustrating the creation of the gardens, from ripping up the grass to harvesting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Essays…set the Edible Estates project in the context of larger issues concerning the environment, global food production, and generating a sense of community in our urban and suburban neighborhoods." (Source)

The first edible estate was created in Salina, Kansas. Deliberately put in the geographic center of the country, this location happens to be not far from Mormonism’s own ‘center’ of Independence, Missouri; location of the original Garden. Others have been created in suburban New York, Los Angeles, and London.

Why attack the front lawn?
-Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are probable carcinogens, 14 are linked with birth defects, 18 with reproductive effects, 20 with liver or kidney damage, 18 with neurotoxicity and 28 are irritants (National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns)

-Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

-North Americans now devote 40,000 square miles to lawns, more than we use for wheat, corn, or even tobacco. ("The Lawn: North America's magnificent obsession' by Robert Fulford, Azure, July-August, 1998)

-Americans spend $750 million a year on grass seed alone and more than $25 billion on do-it-yourself lawn and garden care. (from the exhibit at CCA, "The American Lawn: Surface of Everyday Life")


Why food production in your yard?
-1% - 2% of America’s food is locally grown (estimate by Brian Halweil of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research organization / reported by Jim Robbins, Los Angeles Times Magazine, July 31, 2005 pg. 8-11, 34)

-The produce in the average American dinner is trucked 1,500 miles to get to the plate, up 22% in the past two decades (according to a 2001 study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University / reported by Jim Robbins, Los Angeles Times Magazine, July 31, 2005 pg. 8-11, 34)

-6% - 12% of every dollar spent on food consumed in the home comes from transportation costs (Rhodes, V. James. 1993. "The Agricultural Marketing System", 4th Edition. Scottsdale, Arizona: Gorsuch,Scarisbrick, Publishers.)


How do Mormons feel about food production?
President Spencer W. Kimball said:
“We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities” (Family Preparedness May 1976 Ensign)

Mormon Health Code:
“And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving…All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground” (D&C 89:10-11, 16)


Basic instructions to make your own edible landscape
-do a test on your soil to see what sort of amendments it might need, or if it has traces of lawn chemicals.
-use sod-cutter to remove existing grass, roll it up, give it away, or find a new use for it
-use roto-tiller to loosen compacted soil (or just turn over the existing turf and let it decompose)
-spread around 2-6 inches of compost
-till the soil again to mix in the new compost
-mark out a plan for your edible estate with stakes and tape
-plant your seedlings, starts, trees and seeds according to the planting calendar and mulch well
-water them in thoroughly and install soaker hoses or drip lines as necessary for irrigation


Some questions to think about when planning your edible estate
- where is south? where are the shady and sunny areas?
- where should tall trees or lower groundcover go? are there views to frame or obscure?
- what do you want to eat from your estate? what can't you get from the grocery store?
- alot of fruits and vegetables grow on vines, do you have something for them to grow on?
- how do you want to move through the edible estate? where should paths go?
- what kind of mulch to use? straw, bark, compost, leaves will retain moisture, block weeds and decompose into the soil
- is there an area in your estate for people? a place to relax and enjoy the plants and food growing?


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