10 Urban Gardens and Farms Worth Celebrating
Want to support the hyper-local food movement and get your groceries from your own backyard? You might not think it’s possible living in a big city, but these innovative programs are bringing urban gardens and farms to a neighborhood near you.
All it takes is a seed of inspiration to grow a revolution. Urban farms do just that – provide fresh, local foods in places where there’s more cement than soil. Take a look at what these 10 urban gardens and farms are doing to cultivate success across the country.
This article was written in collaboration with livability.com.
1. Ohio City Farm
Cleveland, Ohio
Across the nation, the traditional view of farms is changing including the addition of urban farms. While sprawling, rural fields with hundreds of rows of crops are still an important part of Ohio agriculture, now you can find farm-fresh produce, herbs, and more growing smack dab in the middle of a city on urban farms. Look no further than the Ohio City Farm, which sits on 6 acres in downtown Cleveland – one of the largest urban farms in the country bringing fresh food to inner-city residents.
“The Ohio City Farm started in 2010 as a collaboration between Great Lakes Brewing Company, Refugee Response, Ohio City Incorporated, and the Cuyahoga Metro Housing Authority,” says Michael Bartunek, senior farm manager. “The land itself used to have low-rise public housing on it, but it was found to be sinking at a very slow rate. They didn’t want to build more housing, and it was decided to turn it into a farm.”
The Ohio City Farm grows approximately 60 different types of vegetables and herbs, with multiple varieties. They sell produce through a couple different avenues, including a 20-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, weekly farm stands, and to area restaurants.
As a public entity, Ohio City Farm is open to all residents in the city. They also offer tours and volunteering opportunities, and Bartunek says for an urban farm, these types of hands-on interactions are a huge part of the impact on the local community.
See more: Ohio Urban Farms Offer Fresh Produce and More
2. Altius Farms
Denver, Colorado
Sally Herbert had the idea for Altius Farms in 2015. Rather than pursuing conventional soil farming, she opted to establish a high-tech hydroponic greenhouse on a rooftop in downtown Denver, Colorado.
After struggling to find the right site, Herbert finally launched Altius Farms in 2018. The Denver urban garden features an 8,000-square-foot greenhouse where 28 different crops, including several varieties of lettuce, are grown in vertical towers to maximize space. The farm grows as much produce as 1.5 acres of conventional farmland.
Although Herbert is among a growing number of women pursuing careers in agriculture, it’s not a desire to break the “grass ceiling” that gets Herbert excited about growing fresh, local produce for restaurant and wholesale accounts.
“I am a process person,” she says. “Farming is a process, and I want to work on this model and hope that we can continue evolving it to make a difference in communities.”
See more: Meet Four Diverse Colorado Farmers
3. Balance Pan-Asian Grille & Urban Aquaponics Farm
Toledo, Ohio
Two University of Toledo grads wanted to bring something novel to the area. Their answer? Create an urban farm and restaurant. Balance Pan-Asian Grille sources menu items from Balance’s Vertical Urban Aquaponics Farm. Tucked in the Toledo skyline, the aquaponic farm produces fresh, local greens all year long — kale, cilantro, peppers, pea pods, microgreens and more. Fish create nutrients for the plants, and the plants create fresh water for the fish.
Balance’s aquaponic urban farm also supplies dozens of local restaurants with locally-grown, organic produce. Many cities have urban farms, restaurants, and unique growing processes. Balance combines all these ideas. Their success has brought three additional Ohio locations in Sylvania, Perrysburg and Cleveland.
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4. Fleet Farming
Orlando, Florida
Helpful honeybees swarm to pollinate and grow plants. Well, Orlando has their own swarm of beneficial bees at work — The Swarm, a group of biking urban farmers. The nonprofit group Fleet Farming hosts biweekly Swarm Rides. Workers and volunteers bike to area homes to set up mini-urban farms. Then, from planting to education, they bring gardening to the people.
Fleet Farming has unique programs like “Creating a Pet Garden” so Orlando growers can learn to grow safe, healthy plants for their furry friends. Making farming fun and accessible is part of the program. Urban farming for dogs? That’s innovation.
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5. Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands
Seattle, Washington
There’s no city park quite like the Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands in Washington. This city park’s 10-acre urban farm is located on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish people. With acres of gardens, several greenhouses and even an area for wetland protection (which may support a future rice bog), it’s a dream urban farm. The farm has two free U-pick areas and a CSA (community-supported agriculture) for the community. Gardening and cooking classes are offered, with monthly community kitchen dinners. Raising chickens and ducks, plus beekeeping, round out this ambitious project.
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6. Center for Environmental Transformation
Camden, New Jersey
Urban farming is hot in New Jersey — just ask the teens that developed KAPOW! hot sauce. Eco Interns learn urban farming, cooking and entrepreneurship. Participants learn everything from growing hot peppers to creating the perfect recipe for their popular KAPOW! sauce. From field to farmer’s market, these teen urban farmers learn lessons on teamwork, leadership, finances and respect for the land.
Camden’s Center for Environmental Transformation (CFET) also manages a half-acre of gardens. CFET’s orchard is filled with plums, gooseberries, Asian pears and hazelnuts. Beehives also produce Midas Touch Honey. Additionally, CFET hosts immersion retreats. Hands-on urban farm retreats last 2-7 days with on-site overnight accommodations. Many university students and groups come from all over to lend a hand while learning about environmental solutions through urban farming.
7. Green Leaf Learning Farm
Memphis, Tennessee
In 2010, Memphis, Tennessee, was in the top 10 among the nation’s most food-insecure cities. Marlon Foster, founder and CEO of Knowledge Quest, saw the need for those in his community to have access to nutritious foods.
“I set out to grow the most nutrient-dense products, with the highest growing standards, in one of the most distinct food deserts in the nation,” Foster says.
Formally initiated in 2010 to support the nutritional needs of the South Memphis community, Green Leaf Learning Farm now operates as a U.S. Department of Agriculture certified organic farm that focuses its efforts on three strategic pillars: student education, community and economic development, and healthy food access and security.
“Our urban farm is 30 formerly vacant lots and four abandoned buildings that were repurposed,” Foster says.
One building serves as a produce pack house, while another is a uniquely renovated 10-unit collegiate dormitory used to house summer interns. The other two buildings are still undergoing renovation and will ultimately become a career and technical education center with a focus on ag technologies and the Green Leaf Market+Deli.
See more: Urban Farms Add Greenery and Increase Food Access in Tennessee Cities
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8. Dogpatch Urban Gardens
Des Moines, Iowa
Affectionately nicknamed ‘DUG,’ Dogpatch Urban Gardens launched their community space in Des Moines, Iowa, back in 2017. They initially focused on growing annual vegetables and salad greens, but have since expanded to provide a diversified list of products and a number of community-minded programs and events.
From farm-to-table dinners and an on-site AirBnB to small-batch artisan products and an online store, they work hard to provide the people in their community with access to fresh food and agricultural education. Locals and tourists can even harvest local flowers from their U-pick flower garden throughout the summer season.
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9. Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students
Baltimore, Maryland
With a 100% kid-run farmer’s market, these second through fifth graders in Baltimore are getting their start young. Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) gets small hands into fresh soil with their own veggie and flower gardens. Children also have access to an on-site greenhouse, egg-laying hens, a kitchen, classrooms and the last remaining wetlands on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Raising urban farmers is only part of the equation. BUGS kids have a safe, fun place to explore after school and during the summer. With access to academic help, these kids also delve into cooking/nutrition, gardening, STEM and creative arts.
10. Superbloom Farms
Grand Rapids, Michigan
In Michigan, farmers are taking urban agriculture to new heights – literally. Because vertical hydroponic farming combines sustainability, prolificity and nutrition, it might be the upward trajectory for the future of urban farming globally.
“Farmers today need to grow 70% more fruits and veggies for the world to be able to consume a nutrient-rich diet,” says Jill Frey, owner of Superbloom Farms in Grand Rapids. “That highlights the importance of alternative farming methods.”
In November 2021, she bought a shipping container that had been upcycled for vertical farming and only four months later purchased a second. She raises a mix of salad greens, basil and edible flowers.
“We use 95% less water than traditional soil farms. Our urban setting means the costs and carbon footprint of transporting our greens are almost zero,” she says.
How do they achieve that level of sustainability? The answer is in the process. Hydroponic means gardening without soil. Seeds sprout in coco husk or peat moss plugs before being transferred to floats for root systems to be submerged or towers that provide timed water and nutrient delivery. In both methods, specialized light spectrum LED bulbs mimic sunlight for up to 16 hours a day to help the plants mature, and specific nutrients in precise amounts are added to filtered water.