Smarts Farm

I love what they are creating over at Smarts Corner and Smarts Farm!
The idea of a community garden is stimulating for any city and should be cherished for all. Urban environments need to have places to plant food so that people will be able to eat for better health and improved lives. Here you can purchase a plot to plant your own fruits and vegetables in the East Village neighborhood of San Diego.
My husband and I ventured over for this non-profit’s open house during the month of July. One enters the gates along a yellow brick road (how cool is that)…
I’m already thinking of some plans for a wine and chef dinner series at this site… along this yellow brick road!
We toured the individual boxes, participated in a contest on how many «ollas» (clay pots for garden irrigation) were utilized on site, and enjoyed a drum circle with Mark Lamson (afro-​cuban percussionist, teacher, and performer.) Homemade pizza was served to guests from garden produce and children and adults created art on wall to celebrate the farm and all it has to offer.
If you don’t have the space to have your own garden, consider Smarts Farm as a place for you to channel your inner gardner!

Just across from the very new and modern and alternative cultural space/​arts crafts fair surface Silos at Markets Quarter, you can find the more bucolic Smarts Farm, a hidden gem in East Village. Branching from the non profit organization known as Humane Smarts (founded in 2012) Smarts Farm define themselves as a hub for collaborative gardening, sharing, and learning. This urban farm is open to everybody although the intention is to help problematic young people or kids in trouble to teach them community gardening and self sufficiency through the communion with nature.
You can rent a planter box and start cultivating your organic tomatoes there, but I am not sure if you need to be resident of that area of the city. The provide the soil, water, storage for the tools and the camaraderie. I think this urban gardening fashion is here to stay and there is a level for everyone, from the simplest herbs to lettuce to fruit trees.
For now, I just like to enjoy the aromas of the veggies growing up and be more a participant observer (I like watching people tender their produce). A cool place to visit, to say the least. Visit during the day. At night is not a very comfortable area to hang around.