Last summer, I raved about the debut issue of Urban Farm magazine and have been awaiting the second issue. I picked it up at Lowe's either last week or the week before.

For those of you who haven't seen "Urban Farm" yet, it is from the publishing company that produces "Hobby Farm" and "Hobby Farm Home" magazine.

"Urban Farm" isn't really about farms or farmers although I suppose anyone who raises some crops and/or animals could consider themselves a farmer. It really is about gardening, raising small animals like chickens, rabbits, goats etc. and it is about doing all of the above in the most sustainable way. It also could be aimed at small market growers who sell at local farmer's markets and farm stands and even at people who are attempting to eat local/eat fresh.

Here's a listing of some of the articles in the Spring 2010 issue which features a lovely photo of a white cold frame filled with greens on its cover:

Feature Articles:

A Return To The Land (self-sufficiency isn't just for rural dwellers anymore)

P is or Profit (An article about urban-farming pioneer Will Allen)

Where Urban Meets Farm: Pushing City Limits (Dealing with city ordinances and nosy neighbors)

Tenant Farmer (Convincing your landlord a garden and animals are a plus, and don't forget community gardens too)

Meet the Chicken Keepers (folks who are raising chickens in suburban and urban backyards and even inside the house)

Cinch by the Square Foot (article about Square Foot Gardening, written by Mel Bartholomew himself)

Permission to Play in the Dirt (composting methods and techniques)

Mission: Eat Local (how to become a locavore)

All For One and One For All (Community-Supported Agriculture)

Urban Farm Road Trip: Honolulu (Sustainable Gardening in the Aloha State)

Power to the People: (solar, geothermal, wind and microhydro energy)

Greywater Action: Sustaining Water (ways to conserve water and recycle greywater)

The regular columns include:

Backyard Coop (about chickens, and this month it's subtitle is "A Chicken (or Two) For Every Garden")

Green Thumb (about growing stuff and this month it features beans, including how to grow them in containers)

Curbside Tools (this month it features composting tools)

Urban Feast (by Deborah Madison)--a four-page collection of recipes and briefs about cooking/eating

I really like this magazine. I wish it were a monthly but it looks like they're aiming to make it a quarterly for now because on the front cover it says "Display Until May 10th", so I think it is safe to assume the summer issue will hit the stands sometime after May 10th.

We've lost so many gardening magazines over the years that it is nice to see any new magazine that is even partially about gardening.

I've linked their website. "Urban Farm" shouldn't be hard to find on the newstands. The first week, I found it and bought it at Lowe's. Then, four or five days later, I saw it at our local Wal-Mart. You should be able to find it any place that carries "Hobby Farm" and "Hobby Farm Home" and other sustainable living magazines like Mother Earth News, Countryside, etc.

And, just for the record, I don't work for this magazine or its publisher and have no financial interest in it....I just like the magazine.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Urban Farm Magazine