keepitlow, at first I thought the thing about keeping shoes in your fridge was a joke taken out of context or something like that, but there was a link to the full article and... oh my gosh! You know, when I was in college and lived in a 300 square foot apartment I STILL tried to cook in my tiny kitchen. I had lived in the dorm the year before and was so sick of other people cooking for me and not having that control over my own food. I can't imagine just unplugging your fridge and eating take out all the time. I mean, yes, I do get take out sometimes, and go to restaurants, but if I lived on it... it's so fattening and so expensive! *** macky77, "'My soil won't grow anything and I can't afford or don't have time to build raised beds and buy all the special ingredients you NEED to make super soil.' The most common situations they cite are either living in rental properties with neglected yards or new developments where the topsoil was not replaced after construction." Well, as other people have said, yes, new developments can have awful soil. Bermudagrass sod doesn't take much. I live in a rental house with a neglected yard (at least until I got here). Actually it's kind of interesting to see what's hanging on in a yard where nature has been allowed to take over. I used to have scarlet sage growing in the front (hummingbirds LOVE that stuff) until the Lawn Police ordered us to mow it down, and in the back I have pigeonberry, black-eyed susan, wild sunflowers, and rain lillies growing, along with some other wildflowers I have yet to identify. I betcha the land is actually better off for it rather than being maintained as a Bermudagrass monoculture soaked in herbicides. But anyway, back to having good soil, this goes back to my idea that maybe people think growing veggies is harder than it really is. I live in south-central Texas. The soil here is clay with limestone rocks, and I'm growing stuff right in it. Didn't build any raised beds (don't want to build any permanent structures at a rental house). Potatoes didn't seem to like it, but tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, etc. don't seem to mind one bit. Digging in it is a big of hard work, but it's better than gonig to the gym. I wonder if the garden media has anything to do with this. You know, TV shows with perfect looking gardens, soil you can dig with your bare hands, etc. I wonder if people actually think that veggies NEED perfect soil to grow. Sure they might grow better in perfect soil, but they can make do with what they've got. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. I see gardening as a partnership between me, the plants, and Nature. That means that I don't have to do ALL the work. Lots of plants grow just fine with no human help at all. Veggie plants have evolved alongside us for a while and now need some help, but I still feel like I'm letting them and Nature do most of the work. When people say they can't grow plants here because it's too hot or dry or we have bad soil or something, I always think of the Hopi and related tribes that lived off their gardens with no modern technology in the DESERT. I don't live in the desert, and I do have modern technology, and I do have the farmer's market and grocery store as a backup, so I think I have it EASY. Actually, it reminds me of something from Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden where she talks about how white people don't know how to plant things right. I forgot specifically what it was she was talking about, but I only wonder what she'd think if she saw our gardens today.

Monmouth Master Gardeners sponsored by Rutgers Extension has something very similar to what hothabaneroLady posted. We have a Plant a Row for the Hungry (called the PAR garden). All the Master Gardener interns participate in planting and maintaining the garden. All the produce is donated to the local food banks. Last year, the interns grew 3400 lbs for this cause - way to go Master Gardeners. This year, the produce hasn't been that bountiful, still we have probably crossed a 1000 lbs. so far. And like mentioned above, it does not have to be the large quantities, you can donate your extra tomatoes or beans. They appreciate every bit. Great cause, and thanks for the shout out.

It's just a guy who decided (whether innocently or not) to use his land for a commercial endeavor without doing it the way the rest of us have to. The guy wasn't harvesting veggies to give away to his church. Heck, he had to actually bring in others to work his "garden" in order to get the stuff to market. Given the publicity he'll probably not have to pay or pay a reduced amount. He would not have this issue if he didn't have a commercial operation going on. It seems he's a good guy, but he was running a business. "Research into DeKalb County codes, as well as calls to district Commissioner Burrell Ellis' office, reveal that the closest Miller comes to a code violation is in the use of land for commercial gain. The problem isn't the growing, it's that he sells his vegetables at an offsite farmer's market." He can do what he wants with his land, but if he wants to sell the produce...especially at the *3* farmer's market he sells at...he has to play by the rules. I don't support the fine, myself, and hope it's tossed, but he's no innocent babe in the woods.

Hi, I am new to this site - so this post may be a little late - There are a great number of regulations to follow in order to sell vegetables to the wholesale supply chain. You will need food safety inspections, specialized packing equipment, storage/refrigeration, access to shipping, factor in the boxes for shipping fertilizer, set up costs etc...making that amount with short hours (30hrs a week? really?) and never having done it...don't know how successful you will be. The reason most small growers are direct marketers (farmers market. farm stand) is because breaking into the supply chain is nearly impossible for the little guy. The farms that sell to Safeway and big boxes have 100's of acres and 100's of employees. You could however sell to small neighbourhood grocery shops or specialty grocery shops (if you are organic, but then you need to get certified and well, have a look at the regulations for that in your country!) Much easier to sell flowers! Not to discourage you, but next time your buy your veggies, have a look at the country of origin sticker and google the name of the farm that produced it...chances are that it is in Mexico and it is a huge corporate, industrial farm. and ps. I sell at the farmers market and the farm gate and I am making a very good living, but I have over 100 acres, 20+ employees...and I work over 90 hrs a week!