Name
Harnessing Urban Spaces for Fruit and Fungi
Date & Time
Thursday, February 6, 2025, 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Maria Dominique Villanueva Fred Conrad
Description

While ideal sites for annual food crops are limited, many locations are perfect for perennial fruit trees, vines, and bushes—such as muscadine trellises, blueberry hedges, apple trees in schoolyards, mixed orchards in parks, and figs near food distribution sites. These trees sequester carbon, stabilize soil, support pollinators, and produce food for generations. Fruits are especially valuable for organizations distributing food to those in need, and in the southeastern U.S., a variety of fruiting plants can yield harvests from summer through fall. The first part of this workshop will cover plant selection, availability, required infrastructure, and annual maintenance. The second half will focus on low-labor mushroom crops, grown from invasive tree species, which allow time-strapped farmers to boost profits without increasing labor costs. Cultivating these mushrooms on undeveloped lots can transform neighborhood blight into productive urban farm spaces, enhancing the local quality of life.

Location Name
C107
Full Address
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
Building C
Atlanta, GA 30313
United States
Session Type
Class/Lecture
Area of Region
Alabama, Georgia
Topics
Niche Ag Enterprises, In the Field
Audience
Beginning Farmers/Producers, Advanced Farmers/Producers