Landscape architect Owen Dell has a vision: transforming suburban neighborhoods into shared “foodsheds” with food-bearing and native plants, and even chickens. Neighbors can start by finding edible plants already growing in their yards, maybe remove fences, plant what works best in each location. Best of all, share the resulting food abundance with one another (“Hey, it’s lemon time. Come and get ’em!”) and build the social network with shared food potlucks. Tour Owen’s own edible landscape yard, including a rooftop container garden complete with visiting cat. (www.owendell.com). Produced August 19, 2008. Episode 123.
Peak Moment 123: Cultivating a Suburban Foodshed
By Janaia Donaldson, originally published by Peak Moment Television
January 29, 2009
Janaia Donaldson
Janaia Donaldson is the host and producer of Peak Moment TV conversations showcasing grass roots entrepreneurs pioneering locally reliant, resilient communities during these challenging times of energy and resource decline, ecological limits, and economic turbulence. We tour North America in our mobile studio, taping on location. Peak Moment Conversations are online at www.peakmoment.tv/
Tags: Building Community, Food
Related Articles
For 6,000 years humanity controlled water. Climate change is changing the equation
By Jeremy Rifkin, The Observatory
As climate change brings more extreme floods, droughts and heatwaves, a growing number of cities are exploring a different path: adapting to water’s rhythms rather than trying to dominate them.
September 30, 2026
‘Water isn’t enough’: As extreme heat devastates farms, community wisdom is more vital than ever
By Zia Gallina, The Subversive Farmer
My intention was to write about simple self-sufficiency, especially when it comes to growing food. But then this summer was challenging in a way I thought I was prepared for… but wasn’t.
September 18, 2026
Sammy Gensaw: The restorative revolution and a river of reciprocity
In this keynote address, Indigenous activist Sammy Gensaw shares his experiences working for ecological and cultural revival along the Klamath River, central to his people’s identity and livelihood.
September 17, 2026






Comments
We changed commenting systems on September 10, 2026 as part of a site-wide functionality and security upgrade. Your past comments have not disappeared, and you can still log in with your old Disqus account credentials if you wish. Contact us with any questions.