Suntek Lawn Care: Making an Impact With Your Lawn

Fleet Farming Transforms Lawns Into Farms

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When you’re strolling through your neighborhood on your run, bike ride, or dog walk, do you ever notice how many lawns there are and wonder why there are so many? Caroline Chomanics, COO of IDEAS For Us and program manager of Fleet Farming, explained that’s exactly what Fleet Farming questioned as there are more than 40 million acres of lawn in America! Located in Orlando, Fleet Farming’s mission is to empower all generations to grow food to increase local food accessibility. Chomanics detailed that Fleet Farming is an urban agriculture program of 501(c)(3) nonprofit IDEAS For Us, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to taking eco-action in communities across Florida and internationally through their 13 branches located in Florida, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

“The main idea of Fleet Farming is that every lawn is an opportunity to grow fresh produce for local communities instead of contributing to ‘lawn culture,’ which can use 30-60% of a city’s fresh water, use fossil fuels for maintenance, and contribute to a lack of biodiversity for local ecosystems,” Chomanics described. “Through all-natural and sustainable farming practices, communities can come together to transform lawns into productive micro-farms or ‘farmlettes.’”

Chomanics explained that there are three main aspects of the Fleet Farming program:

Fleet Farmlettes

Located in the Audubon Park community, Fleet Farmlettes is an urban agriculture initiative that creates a localized food system in select residential neighborhoods in Orlando.

According to Chomanics, “This serves as a model for communities to learn how to grow food and about sustainable food systems from farm to local market to table. These are common lawns that have been converted into productive urban farmland that the Fleet Farming team helps to maintain by bicycle. This model supports local vendors and SNAP-certified farmers’ markets while splitting the produce with our Farmlette Hosts, to which the farms are located. This system contributes to promoting healthy lifestyles, a healthy planet, and a community connected to food.”

Chomanics mentioned that Fleet Farming hosts free farming bike-riding events called Swarm Rides every month, and the events allow community members to engage in community-supported farming, learning how to grow food while biking around the neighborhood with the Fleet Farming team. Swarm Rides take place every first Saturday of the month at Audubon Park Covenant Church from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and community service hours are accepted.

Edible Landscapes

The demand for Fleet Farming to help community members set up their home, school, or community gardens outside of the Fleet Farmlette program led to the creation of Edible Landscapes.

“Edible Landscapes is a garden installation service of the Fleet Farming program that serves Central Florida communities that installs raised beds, fruit trees, maintenance, and more. This service allows Fleet Farming to expand its mission to the Central Florida community in a way that makes it easy for all generations to grow food that saves you money on your grocery bill,” Chomanics described. “Their team of experienced growers creates systems that are built to last with cedarwood, hardy Florida plant varieties, companion planting designs, and easy-to-use drip or olla irrigation systems. Our low-maintenance growing systems allow us to repurpose virtually any underused outdoor space into a garden for farmers of all experience levels. The process is simple: They help you to set up a consultation for your specific growing space, create a free garden design with you, and build your complete garden ready for you to enjoy.”

Email edible.landscapes@FleetFarming.org today to transform your lawn into Edible Landscapes.

Fleet Education

“Fleet Education is a service that seeks to educate, inspire, and empower community members to grow their own food. Their team of educators offers hands-on learning opportunities that connect people to the study and application of plant science, offering over 19 engaging presentations from Gardening 101 to Food Systems as well as offering private team-building farming events in Orlando. This option engages locals in corporate social responsibility, volunteering, and collaborative impact. So if you are looking for a way to engage your staff, we’ve got you covered! Through Edible Landscapes, the team has created over 20 school and community gardens that offer educational opportunities to grow food in community spaces.”

Donate today to support Fleet Education in Central Florida: www.FleetFarming.org/donate.

Suntek is now offering maintenance, repairs and installation of irrigation systems. They also offer a very affordable quarterly maintenance program, which includes an inspection of the irrigation system and sprinklers to ensure there is proper irrigation of the grass and no water waste. Remember, wasted water means higher water bills! So, if you are in the market for a new lawn care service company that cares about the environment and lets you live your busy day with one fewer distraction, consider Suntek Lawn Care. Suntek offers 50% off the first mow for Lake Nona residents when they sign up. For more information, visit www.sunteklawncare.com or call (321) 396-2425 for a free quote.