A strategically located High rise garden within your metro area. A "Farmers market" is included on the first several levels.
I think the constructions of such could be such that the floor be poured on the ground, then jacked up with walls poured underneath which in turn get jacked up until construction is completed.
No pesticides would be necessary as you could glass in the entire complex. Temperature, Humidity, and Soil constitution and (I ain't no farmer- what I want to say is watering and nutrients) could be controlled for optimum growth.
I also envision top hung monorail type collection carts which allow for complete utilization of gardening space.
The design of the Concrete Cow would ensure maximum and / or only necessary sunlight as needed depending on area of "building" and crop intended for areas.
Finally, You could possibly get free veggies for volunteering x number of hours working harvest/planting/etc. in your very own Concrete Cow!
-- Zimmy, Aug 19 2003

Inner City Farm http://www.heeleyfarm.org.uk/
Great place and almost my back yard. [sufc, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Allotments http://www.portsmou...ARKS_Allotments.cfm
Plot + shed = happiness [Saveloy, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Concrete Cow http://www.concretecow.com
Warning: boring website. [Cedar Park, Oct 17 2004]

Another Concrete Cow http://smerritt.com...s%20-%20a%20cow.jpg
So, not at all like this, then? [Cedar Park, Oct 17 2004]

I am unable to make a very good judgement on the ROI, but I was thinking of growing such things as saffron, olives, pistachios, grapes for wine, etc. in addition to regular market commodities which might offset the costs and allow for the ROI to beat the distribution costs by declaring that such foods were without a doubt pestacide and varment free.
-- Zimmy, Aug 20 2003


I like my saffron with extra varmint.
-- DeathNinja, Aug 20 2003


I am a fool. I had no Idea of the origin of saffron. I assumed it was only just difficult to grow.
-- Zimmy, Aug 20 2003


I think the target here is wrong. This thing should be in the city and targeted towards working urban types, who want to garden a little bit every now and then, get dirty, feel the earth, but who live in a cramped apartment and have many other demands on their time. It would be built in a huge abandoned 19th century warehouse whose roof was gone but which was otherwise intact. The staff of the concrete cow would gently tend your plants while you were gone, making sure bugs did not get on them, and that they did not die of lack of water or for other stupid reasons while you were working. You could show up as you saw fit and tend them, prune them, pick them, kick them, sing Jim Croce to them etc when work allowed. In the end, you would have hobby-grown vegetables, which would taste as good as home brewed beer.

This would be analogous to those businesses which maintain fake walls for city folks who for whatever reason cant get to real mountains to climb.
-- bungston, Aug 20 2003


What I've longed to see is for the hungriest among us (homeless) to be farmers. Irony and all that.
-- thumbwax, Aug 21 2003


Bungston's idea sounds like an allotment in the sky. Are allotments unique to the UK? I'll see if I can find a link. Basically, they are areas of land set aside in urban areas by the council, and rented out in plots to local types for the growing of veg etc.

Bung it on a roof, as Bungston suggests, and put Zimmy's market underneath (either at ground level or in between) and I reckon you've got a winner there.
-- Saveloy, Aug 21 2003


Croissant, for the rooftop garden. Halfbaked, in that anyone in construction can give a few reasons why this isn't more common...most of the reasons boiling down to cost. Halfbaked it is!
-- white, Aug 21 2003


Plot + shed = happiness [Saveloy]
It was my estimate that England was one of the most populated countries on the planet. How on earth would it come to be that such a large plot be available for such a low rental cost in such conditions? Am I missing something in my educations?
-- Zimmy, Aug 23 2003


<aside>I was born in Milton Keynes, home of the concrete cow</aside>.
-- neilp, Oct 17 2004



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