How Menterns Can Save The World
Part Mentor and part Intern, the MenTerns are here at Mezzacello Urban Farm to explore, learn, and teach how we can empower our youth to save the world for themselves. They will live in and change this world. They are invested in saving it. Kids are aware enough that they need to do something, something bold, brave, and different. They needed a safe and gracious place to practice, fail, recover, and triumph. This is the story of how MenTerns can save the world.
The Power of Permaculture
This is the story of systems design and permaculture in the service of sustainability on an urban farm. This collage of images showcases 7 years of successful permaculture that transformed 30 cut stems of hydrangea, and 36 cut branches into the hornbeam allee that exists at Mezzacello Urban Farm today. This is the power of permaculture.
Our Mission, Home, Purpose, and Business
It's all hiding right there in the logo! Red Brick green tree urban farming non-profit! It's way more than the sum of its parts. It's a new way of thinking about sustainability.
Mezzacello Urban Farm and the Story of Two Maps
This is a blogpost of Mezzacello's evolution from a side yard farm to a 21st Century applied STEM Learning Lab.
Mezzacello Urban Farm As A Formal Garden
This is a blogpost of Mezzacello's Formal Garden plan (the gardens that front 20th Street to the east of the farm.
History Repeats and the Line is a Circle
Why does history repeat? And is that a bad thing? An essay in redemption and growing. All lines are circles after all.
A River Ran Through It; Alum Creek, Kerr Mill, and a Farmhouse
This house will be 155 years old this year. A quick history of the house and the land around it.
The Renfield House
The origin story of our 1868 house and the coffin box that still resides in the attic of the original builder of the house at Mezzacello.
Care and Instructions for a Parterre Garden
The parterre garden has a long and storied history. It is a good system for gardening and is quite effective.
Big Mom's Cast Iron Pan
The story of a pan. Not any pan. Big Mom's cast iron pan passed down through generations and now a beloved member of Mezzacello.
Just The Right Light
A great view from the part of the house at Mezzacello literally begging for a revamp! It’s a makeover montage!
Building Mezzacello In Stakes, Strings, and CAD
The behind the scenes story of how Mezzacello has evolved and the personalities that have enabled this growth.
The Rule of Sustainability - 3 and 5 Strategy
Sustainability is an important topic right now. We need more of it, and better metrics to define what "it" is.
Spring 2021 and the Brunerform
An update on the gardens this spring and a candid little confessional and observation on Spring, Beauty, Life, and Fashion.
The Vision for the Formal Gardens
Six years ago around this time we started mapping out the "rooms" of the formal gardens. We cut out the sod and recycled as much of the dirt as we could and turned the rest into sod rolls for our neighbors. We had 60 rolls of sod.
The Paths To The Ecosystems
The roads most traveled on an urban farm and what these paths to the ecosystems tell us. How the ecosystems of Mezzacello connect.