Green (1/8th) Acres sprout in the city -- Urban homesteaders swap sod for edible landscapes

The interest in urban homesteading goes beyond backyard enthusiasts. The Denver Botanic Gardens offers classes in different aspects of urban homesteading. At least two urban-farm outfits have arisen within the city of Denver. One Front Range designer is planning new subdivisions zoned for livestock and agriculture. Ellen Rosenthal, a Denver native, recently started the Living Earth Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to some of the foundations of urban homesteading.

Sizemore grew so animated about urban homesteading that a few months ago he started an online community called the Greater Denver Urban Homesteading group. More than 200 people have signed up, trading information about raising chickens, making cheese and yogurt, turning grapes into wine and more.

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For nine people living together in Denver, their adventure in urban homesteading is all about cooperation.

"Two years ago, it was lonely, and now I'm swept up in it. It's overwhelming, exciting," said Adam Brock, 23. "It's not just gardening but what you do the other eight months of the year."

The homesteaders moved into the big house facing City Park about two months ago. Already, they have transformed a large chunk of the big yard into gardens using tenets of permaculture, an approach to gardening that tries to mimic natural ecosystems. In addition to the usual slate of vegetables and herbs, they are growing things like Siberian pea shrub.