The time for long evenings and summer parties in our backyards is finally here. If your backyard is needing some rejuvenation this season, you’re probably itching to get started.
10.06.2024 - 21:29 / thespruce.com / Shagun Khare
Cottagecore took hold of the internet for its dreamy, farm-life aesthetic. Romanticized images of frolicking through gardens, growing veggies at home, and baking pies from freshly foraged berries proliferated social media feeds. However, there are some people who go beyond the aesthetic and actually live the lore. Enter: urban homesteading.
Urban homesteading is the practice of producing your own food and living in an environmentally conscious way, particularly in city abodes that don’t have huge yards. In some cases, it’s a response to food deserts. In others, it simply comes from a desire to garden at home, regardless of the square footage.
Curious about the concept? Ahead, we tapped two urban homesteaders for their insight into what exactly urban homesteading entails, tips to make gardening work at home, and the cultural significance of it all.
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Urban homesteading comes with a slew of benefits, one of the primary ones being its sustainable nature.
“Urban homesteading reduces the travel distance required to procure food and the distance required for food to travel to us,” explains Denver-based urban homesteader Heather Grady. “We're able to largely grow what we eat and support ourselves and help to support our community for nearly half of the year.”
This is partly because urban homesteading enables Grady to participate in a sort of exchange economy, sharing and receiving items that she and her partner Terrance would otherwise have to purchase or dispose of.
“We have traded seedlings for homemade meals, jam for a box of plums, tomatoes for squash, pickle-making knowledge for soap-making knowledge, and so forth,” Grady says. “It's a fun way to meet people and engage with them.”
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The time for long evenings and summer parties in our backyards is finally here. If your backyard is needing some rejuvenation this season, you’re probably itching to get started.
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