Who We Are Fort Lauderdale Vegetables LLC was founded on the principle that local farms and farmers are fundamental to community building, improving the environment, a source of safe reliable food and creating economical living wage careers in sustainable agriculture. The fact there is a lot of un-recovered waste and pollution in getting the food we eat from the farm to the table, mostly in transportation and refrigerated storage, caused Architect Michael Madfis, his daughter Haylee and son Robbie to consider how they could grow food right where it is eaten instead of somewhere most of us have never been. They wondered if they could reduce and even eliminate the waste in the food delivery system and improve the quality of food by doing so, would it be even more cost effective. We studied methods of micro farming currently in use for two years and developed a system that uses 85% less water than conventional in grown farming while increasing productivity by 400% in the same area of land. We have learned how to grow a wide verity of produce all year round in From Architecture and Design to Farming After a 30 years career operating and managing a local Michael. Madfis was born in Newton, Mass in 1957 and received his Bachelor of Architecture professional degree from The Boston Architectural College in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983 where he worked professionally for seven years on a wide variety of Architectural, Urban Design, Real Estate, Land Planning and Construction projects for some the oldest and most successful Architectural, Engineering, and Planning firms in the world. He moved to South Florida in February of 1984 and lives and works in Michael currently sits on the Board of Adjustment has sat on the City of Ft Lauderdale’s Community Appearance Board from 1995 -97 and currently is a board member of Bonnet House, Museum & Garden, the Past Chair of the Downtown Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Association Advisory and Executive Boards, and a Past Chairman of Unsafe Structures and Housing Appeals Board for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Michael is a director of the Smart Growth Partnership, and the South Andrews Business Association, vice president of the Michael loves to snow ski, race sailboats, and travel by bicycle. December before last he and his family road their bikes 49 miles from Lake Worth to Fort Lauderdale in one day.
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Posted on Thu, May. 20, 2010 Community garden springing up at park
A community garden is taking root in ``You have to work the garden to reap its bounty -- it's sweat equity,'' said Mayor Lori Moseley, who had the idea for the city's first neighborhood garden. Residents have already begun work on a 5,200-square-foot plot at A team of workers from the city's Public Works Department turned out several days last week to lay an irrigation system and erect fencing. Earlier, children from the after-school program at Tomatoes, lettuce, collard greens, radishes, sweet potatoes, peppers, summer beans and a variety of herbs were expected to be planted May 22 by about 25 volunteers. Architectural plans for preparing and planting the land for ``decentralized urban farming'' came free from architect Michael Madfis of the Madfis Group based in Fort Lauderdale, Rose said. Madfis, accredited by the U.S. Green Building Council in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), also provided instructions for a successful and sustainable edible garden in the midst of a concrete city. Whole Foods Market in Plastic barrels will collect rainwater for supplementing city-provided irrigation. Compost stations will reuse vegetation to create organic fertilizer. ``Everything is green about the garden. Even the fence is repurposed,'' said Rose, who is also LEED-accredited. Indeed, most of the 345 linear feet of chain link fence used to secure the garden was pulled from the city's former police headquarters on ``When I heard the fence was for a community garden I wanted to be part of it,'' Green said. When Green delivered the fence, he rolled up his sleeves to help install it. Luke Gbenro, a Public Works employee whose work schedule includes He's hoping to someday help harvest a crop of carrots and tomatoes -- his two favorite vegetables. ``I'm going to nurture the garden, protect it and watch it grow,'' Gbenro said. ``Then I'll help eat it.'' A public celebration of the |
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About Us
FAQ What is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) consists of a group of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation. Members share in the abundance of what is produced. It is a good model for building community and connecting people with the food they eat and the people who grow that food. What is Permaculture? Permaculture is a set of sustainable design principles stressing the harmonious interrelationship of humans, plants, animals and the earth. Permaculture in your backyard looks like: organic techniques, heirloom vegetables, seed saving, water conservation, native plants, and a model for the 21st century. What is the role of permaculture in our garden plan? Permaculture looks at the interrelationships in your garden. It helps to create a garden that mimics a natural ecosystem. In such a system the needs of one part of the garden are satisfied by the outputs of another part of the garden. For example, a compost pile needs water and gives off warmth. Germinating seeds need warmth and drip off excess water. By placing a germination table over the compost pile the pile can warm the seeds and the seeds can water the compost. Could I participate if I do not have a backyard? Yes. If you do not have a yard you could receive a CSA style box of fresh local vegetables each week. We would ask what vegetables you like and grow them just for you. Your vegetables will be grown in a backyard garden near your home. You will also share in the abundance grown in other gardens. Could I still work in my garden? Yes. You would be welcome to work in your garden as much or as little as you please. We will be working in your garden once a week. While we are there you can help, watch and ask questions to learn what we are doing. What is an "Owner Member " Installation? Owner Member Installations are for people who are interested in us growing enough vegetables for themselves and other neighbors. Owner members get discounted membership depending on the size of their garden. How would you distribute the produce? Most of your produce will come from your backyard garden (talk about the local food movement). Your farmer may bring produce from other gardens in your immediate area to add to your basket. If you are an Owner Member and we produce a second basket of vegetables from your garden we will arrange a pick up spot, ideally your doorstep. If you do not have a garden you will pick up your CSA box from a location in your neighborhood. How would you water the garden? We would install drip irrigation systems that automatically water the vegetables. Drip irrigation is good because it saves water in many ways; there is little evaporation loss because the water goes directly into the soil near the plants. Drip irrigation also prevents plant leaves from getting wet which can cause health problems for some vegetable crops. Would you test for toxins in my back yard to make sure growing is safe? Yes. Before installing a backyard vegetable garden we would perform a thorough soil test and share the results with you. The soil test results give us the following information: pH, buffer pH, extractable nutrients, extractable heavy metals (e.g. lead), cation exchange capacity, and percent base saturation. We use this information to determine whether the soil in your garden is safe to grow in and also to determine what nutrient and pH adjustments need to be made. If there are toxicity issues in the soil we can work with you to fix them. We will not install a vegetable garden until the soil is safe. Will you manage our compost pile? Yes. Managing your compost is included in our service and is an important part of what we would do to help make farming sustainable. Currently, most green waste is trucked far away where it is turned into finished compost using industrial machinery. The finished compost is then trucked to organic farms where tractors plow it into the soil. Next, the vegetables are trucked back into the city. It is a system that uses a lot of energy. We would do this same process right in your back yard. We would manage green waste in a compost system, turning it into rich dark finished compost. We would use this to amend your vegetable beds and grow delicious vegetables. When the vegetables are ready for harvest they are carried across your garden to your house in the arms of a caring farmer. What is sustainable food production? Sustainable food production requires no inputs and no outputs. Think of a forest. In the fall, leaves from the trees fall and litter the ground. The leaves break down on the forest floor and release nutrients into the soil. Trees use these nutrients in the soil to grow. The forest does not need fertilizer trucked in or leaves trucked out. Like a forest, a sustainable food system is efficient, it requires few inputs or outputs. What materials do you use for pathways? We use whatever material you feel is most appropriate. We like using woodchips for many reasons. They are clean, look nice, suppress weeds, and the underneath layer will break down into nice rich compost to amend you garden beds. We would use woodchips from local treetrimmers and divert them from going into the waste stream. Lots of leaves fall into our garden. Is this OK? Yes. Leaves make good mulch, keep moisture in the soil, provide nutrients, and inhibit weed growth. Who would work in your company? Talented and experienced urban growers who are interested in adding to the sustainable food revolution. anyone who is awesome, self driven, thrive in a growing org, and dream about sustainable food systems; Have minimum 3-6 months experience in organic farming, permaculture, or sustainable food farming Have a sincere interest in our mission and values. What are the wages for employees? Full time farmers start at $11.00 per hour and go to $50.00 per hour. The average pay is around $18.50 per hour. The business will rely on some volunteer help from members and youth groups. We would like to have a garden but do not like pulling weeds. Is this OK? Yes. You are not required to work in the garden. We would weed and tend the garden each week so you don't have to.
