Curbside gardens

Abstract

Curbside parking strips along residential streets are part of the land base available for growing food in cities. Suitability of curbside strips varies, depending on the width of the strip, exposure to vehicle traffic, sunlight, and soil quality. Ideal curbside strips for food production are at least 5 ft wide, are in low-traffic neighborhoods, receive enough sunlight for growing vegetables, and have well-drained soils free of contaminants, debris, and compaction. Some cities were laid out with wide curbside strips that are still intact, and have a substantial land area along the parking strips (Fig. 1).