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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
Thu May 19, 2016, 09:32 PM May 2016

Urban farm in downtown San Jose transforms blighted acre into vibrant food hub

http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2016/5/11/urban-farm-downtown-san-jose-transforms-blighted-acre-vibrant-food-hub/

Zach Lewis manages a Northern California farm that produces many different vegetables – kale to spring onions – but it’s in a location where planes fly close overhead and Silicon Valley traffic whizzes by.

Lewis is executive director of Garden to Table, a San Jose-based organization that focuses on building community around a sustainable, local food system. The nonprofit has established an urban farm on San Jose’s Taylor Street – right next to a big freeway and not too far from the flight paths of nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport. The 1-acre lot – just a 5-minute bike ride from the downtown core – had been vacant for over 50 years, covered in weeds and occasional trash. A few years ago, Bay Area-based developer Barry Swenson donated a land lease to Garden to Table, which is now transforming the space into a fresh food. Knight Foundation provided $60,000 in support to the farm.

“The purpose of the farm is really to connect people together through education and through great food,” Lewis said.

About half of the available space is being used for farming. Garden to Table has built a series of large raised beds, totaling about 5,000 square feet, which required bringing in soil suitable for planting, Lewis said, “which is one of those funky challenges you get in urban environments.” The farm is growing vegetables that are suitable for San Jose’s climate: garlic, radishes, beets and carrots are thriving now, while summer crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are being planted.


Way to go, Zach, but how about some tiny farmhouses?

edit: And let's do this all over town! What is now $iliValley was once known as "the Valley of Heart's Delight", some of the best ag land in the world. And Barry Swenson has made some major $$$ building SJ up into The Tenth-Largest City(TM). This could be YUGE!
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