The Magical Urban Garden That Feed's San Francisco's Hungry

In one of the roughest neighborhoods in San Francisco, I found the most magical urban garden. Meeting this garden filled my inspiration cup up to its brim and now I hope to spill some over to you.

I love San Francisco. This is a city that has kept all its microcultures intact. They linger in the alleys, small unique shops, parks, and cafes.

The garden is tucked away in a corner lot, in shouting distance from city hall. Butterflies and flowers surround the small property, creating a pollinator sanctuary. The middle has beds full of food producing plants. A large mural towers above the neat rows of plants.

The gate was open and it had a sign welcoming visitors in. I walked over to the lone gardener who had just opened up. He was tending to some new kale starts. I introduced myself and inquired about the garden.

The Tenderloin People's Garden has four roof-top gardens for the low-income residents of the buildings. They are active in food justice efforts, helping impoverished areas have better access to healthy food choices. One problem in poor areas like the Tenderloin is no access to healthy and affordable food. When the garden opened, its main focus was to get healthy food to the residents in the area. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10 am – 12 pm for volunteers who feel like working in the dirt. It is an oasis in concrete, a rare place in the dense city to recharge and connect with the earth. Harvest is on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month 10 am – 12 pm. During harvest, they set all the produce on a table free of charge for whoever needs it the most. For a lot of people, this is the first time they ever had access to organic produce.

This is a collard tree, it's like a tree of kale! I want one!

I met a man who lives in the apartment above the garden. He tends to all the flowers on the ornamental side. It's a favorite place for the Bees. He told me he sits there often watching the city go by, feeling surrounded by nature. Here he has found a paradise, a direct connection to something real in a plastic world.

I was told a story about a woman visiting from Japan. She spent four of her vacation days working in the dirt and tending the plants. She said it was something she had to do. The natural world heals the unseen wounds of the soul. It soothes the stress of “progress” which has further taken us from the world that we belong to. From the true things that sustain us and our emotional, instinctual self.

Big Love.
Ren