Urban farming in United States
59 citizen-driven urban farms recorded in United States. Each entry documents who runs it, how the land is held, and where the information came from — nothing is listed without a source.
The Edible Schoolyard
USBerkeley, United States
A food-education program founded in 1995 by chef Alice Waters at a public middle school, using an organic garden and kitchen as classrooms to teach academics and the values of nourishment.
edibleschoolyard.org+1
Uncommon Ground Rooftop Farm
USChicago, United States
A Chicago rooftop farm that in 2008 became the first certified-organic rooftop farm in the US, growing pesticide-free produce atop an Edgewater restaurant and serving as a site for beekeeping and food education.
abc7chicago.com+1
Keep Growing Detroit
USDetroit, United States
A Detroit non-profit supporting over 2,000 gardens, working toward a food-sovereign city where residents grow much of the produce they consume by activating vacant lots.
visitdetroit.com+1
P-Patch Community Gardens
USSeattle, United States
Seattle's municipal community-garden program, P-Patch, dates to the 1970s. Residents grow food organically at sites across the city, and each garden's 'Giving Garden' donates its harvest to food banks.
seattle.gov+1
New Roots Community Farm
USSan Diego, United States
The IRC turned a 2.3-acre vacant lot in San Diego's City Heights into an urban farm for refugees and immigrants. Opened in 2009, around 70 families grow foods from their homelands while putting down roots in a new country.
sandiego.gov+1
Growing Home
USChicago, United States
Growing Home runs USDA-certified organic urban farms on vacant Chicago lots and offers a 14-week paid job-training program to people with barriers to employment, using agriculture as a vehicle for personal and community renewal.
growinghomeinc.org+1
The Coop School's Rooftop Edible Garden, Brooklyn
USBrooklyn, New York, United States
The Coop School in Brooklyn runs a rooftop edible garden that turns scarce urban space into a place for children's food education. Registered in the Berkeley-founded Edible Schoolyard Project network, it converts a rooftop gap-space into a learning garden.
edibleschoolyard.org
City Blossoms (Kid-Driven Gardens, Washington DC)
USWashington, DC, United States
Founded in 2008 by two native Washingtonians, this non-profit transforms under-used land into 'kid-driven gardens' in majority Black, Latino and immigrant neighborhoods that lack safe green space. Children aged 2-19 learn food education and community-building through growing, cooking and a youth cooperative that sells produce. It has developed over 100 projects in DC and nationwide.
cityblossoms.org+1
BK ROT Bike-Powered Composting (Brooklyn)
USBrooklyn, New York, United States
A fossil-fuel-free, bike-powered community-compost enterprise founded in Bushwick, Brooklyn, that collects and composts food scraps while creating good jobs for youth and green space, countering environmental racism and gentrification.
bkrot.org+2
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Restaurant 2 Garden (Seattle CID)
USSeattle, United States
A hyperlocal cycle in Seattle's Chinatown-International District that turns neighboring restaurants' food scraps into compost for the Danny Woo Community Garden—the area's only green space—supporting elderly immigrant gardeners growing culturally significant foods.
restaurant2garden.com+2
Ron Finley & LA Green Grounds (guerrilla gardening)
USLos Angeles, United States
In South Central Los Angeles, a 'food desert,' fashion designer Ron Finley began planting vegetables on curbside strips and vacant lots; it grew into a movement where residents build DIY edible gardens to provide fresh food and to teach nutrition and self-reliance.
ted.com+1
Chicago Honey Co-op
USChicago, United States
A West-Side Chicago urban-beekeeping cooperative founded by three urban beekeepers in 2004. Originally aimed at job training in an area with scarce employment, it now runs more than 50 hives across the city with a focus on education, health, and awareness of urban nature.
chicagohoneycoop.com+1
UW Biodiversity Green Wall & Edible Green Screen
USSeattle, United States
A demonstration completed in fall 2012 that turned two concrete walls at the University of Washington's Gould Hall into urban habitat, combining a biodiversity green wall, an edible green screen, and rainwater harvesting. Roof-collected rainwater irrigates hop and kiwi vines, demonstrating reduced energy use, heat-island mitigation, and increased urban biodiversity.
sustainability.uw.edu+1
Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (Samuel J. Green Charter School)
USNew Orleans, United States
Founded in 2006, this was the first replication of Alice Waters' Berkeley Edible Schoolyard. Gardens encircling the school and a kitchen classroom serve as living classrooms where students at low-income public charter schools learn from seed to table as part of the regular curriculum, now spread across four FirstLine schools.
edibleschoolyard.org+1
Edible Schoolyard NYC (P.S. 216, Brooklyn)
USBrooklyn, New York, United States
Opened in 2010 by transforming a concrete parking lot at Brooklyn's P.S. 216 into a half-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom, this is the NYC demonstration school. Children learn from seed to plate while growing about 160 crops, and the model has expanded to network schools in East Harlem and the Bronx, reaching thousands of students.
edibleschoolyard.org+1
GrowNYC Community Garden Green Infrastructure (rainwater & rain gardens)
USニューヨーク市 / New York City, United States
GrowNYC has built more than 120 rainwater-harvesting systems, rain gardens and bioswales in community gardens and schools across the city. In combined-sewer New York, these capture and reuse rainwater on site, diverting over a million gallons a year from the sewer system while enabling citizens to grow more food, conserve water and improve water quality.
grownyc.org+1
Timberland Victory Garden
USStratham, United States
A headquarters-lawn garden run by employee volunteers in New Hampshire, donating produce proceeds to a food bank — a flagship employee-engagement CSR case.
3blmedia.com
Corporate Commons Three Rooftop Farm (Staten Island)
USNew York, United States
A real-estate firm built a Brooklyn Grange-operated organic rooftop farm atop its office building for tenant employees — a flagship corporate (real-estate) branding rooftop farm.
agritecture.com
Detroit RecoveryPark Farms
USDetroit, United States
In Detroit, the land bank cheaply leased 35 acres of vacant city land for urban farming that also supports people in recovery (since 2015) — a pattern of interim leasing of vacant land with a buy option.
crainsdetroit.com
NeighborSpace (Chicago)
USChicago, United States
A Chicago land trust (founded 1996) that secures citizens' otherwise-temporary community gardens permanently by taking title and leasing back at a nominal fee — the 'permanent-protection' end of interim use.
neighbor-space.org
Dream of Wild Health
USMinneapolis, United States
A Native-led nonprofit founded in 1998 with an urban hub in Minneapolis, holding 200+ Indigenous seed varieties including Cherokee corn carried on the Trail of Tears. It reconnects urban Native youth with traditional crops, cooking and culture to restore food, health and sovereignty.
dreamofwildhealth.org+1
Soul Fire Farm – Soul Fire in the City
USAlbany, United States
An Afro-Indigenous community farm that gives free home gardens to city residents in the Albany area and saves and shares seeds of African, Indigenous and Palestinian heritage crops, reclaiming ancestral farming and food culture to end food apartheid.
soulfirefarm.org+1
D-Town Farm (Detroit Black Community Food Security Network)
USDetroit, United States
Opened in 2008 by the Black-led grassroots network DBCFSN (founded 2006), this ~7-acre Detroit urban farm grows 30+ crops rooted in African-American food culture—collard greens, okra, hot peppers—to strengthen food security and sovereignty for Detroit's Black community.
dbcfsn.org+1
Seattle P-Patch Community Gardens
USSeattle, United States
Seattle's city community-garden program, begun in 1973 with ~90 sites, where immigrants and refugees grow heritage crops from their homelands—Ethiopian kale, Hmong herbs and more—recreating ancestral tastes and food cultures in the city and forming one of Seattle's most multicultural public spaces.
seattle.gov+1
Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm
USNew York, United States
NYC's largest rooftop farm spanning 5.6 acres across three locations (Astoria, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Sunset Park). Produces 80,000+ lbs of organic vegetables annually and manages 40+ honey bee hives. Operates CSA, farmers markets, restaurant supply, and wedding/event venue. Equitable Distribution Program ensures ~60% of yield reaches low-income New Yorkers at no or reduced cost.
brooklyngrangefarm.com+2
AeroFarms Newark Vertical Farm
USNewark, United States
2015 vertical farm conversion of 70,000 sq ft warehouse (formerly steel-supply company). Produces 2 million lbs microgreens annually in 36-foot tall stacked beds under LED lights. Uses 95% less water and 50% less fertilizer than traditional farming. Created 100+ jobs for Newark residents. Delivers within hours to Manhattan markets and Singapore Airlines. Functions as R&D facility for next-generation crops.
aerofarms.com+3
Detroit Farm-A-Lot Program
USDetroit, United States
A $240,000 grant program launched by Eastern Market Partnership and City of Detroit Office of Sustainability in February 2026. Prioritizes Black- and Indigenous-led farms, youth-led projects, and initiatives in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Recipients (including Grow Moore Produce, Brightmoor Artisans Collectives, Chang Hill Tribe, and Leilu Gardens) advance food access, climate education, and sustainable agricultural practices through December 2026.
michiganmamanews.com+1
Denver Urban Gardens - Culturally Inclusive Seeds Program
USDenver, USA
Denver Urban Gardens operates a culturally-inclusive seed program that crowd-sources plant variety requests to create a catalog of hard-to-access seed varieties appropriate to the local climate.
dug.org
USDA People's Garden Initiative
USMulti-city, USA
USDA-led national initiative launched in 2009; expanded nationwide in 2022. Increases fresh food access in underserved communities, supports wildlife habitats, and enhances urban green space.
guides.loc.gov
Four Sisters Urban Growers Collective
USChicago, United States
Part of NACDI's Indigenous Food Sovereignty program, bringing together Native American urban farmers in Chicago to cultivate culturally appropriate foods and strengthen community economic self-determination.
nacdi.org+1
Detroit Community Composting Collective Project
USDetroit, United States
Community-led composting initiative diverting food scraps from landfills and teaching sustainable waste management; diverted 3,300+ pounds of food waste between Aug–Nov 2025; supports circular urban food systems.
planetdetroit.org+1
The Plant Chicago
USChicago, United States
A circular food hub in a former meat plant, housing indoor aquaponic farms and artisanal food tenants.
ourworld.unu.edu+1
Farm.One
USNew York (Brooklyn), United States
A Brooklyn indoor vertical farm growing rare herbs and edible flowers, opened to the public via classes and tours.
prnewswire.com+1
Urban Farming Food Chain - Miguel Contreras Green Wall
USLos Angeles, United States
A pioneering project mounting pesticide-free edible green walls on downtown LA buildings, including a public high school.
greenroofs.com
Green Bronx Machine - Edible Wall Classroom
USNew York (Bronx), United States
America's first '100% edible classroom', using an edible wall to drive food education in a Bronx school.
greenbronxmachine.org
AppHarvest
USMorehead, United States
A large-scale Kentucky indoor-farming startup; opened a 60-acre flagship greenhouse in 2020 but went from Wall Street darling to bankrupt in six years.
agfundernews.com+1
Kalera
USOrlando, United States
An Orlando-based vertical-farming leader with farms in Orlando, Houston, Atlanta and Denver; filed Chapter 11 in April 2023.
thepacker.com+1
Fifth Season
USPittsburgh, United States
A Pittsburgh robotics-driven vertical-farming startup; raised $35M and planned Columbus expansion but abruptly shut down in autumn 2022.
agfundernews.com+1
Bowery Farming
USNew York, United States
Once valued at $2.3B and celebrity-backed, one of America's largest vertical-farming startups; announced closure of all facilities in November 2024.
techcrunch.com+1
Upward Farms
USBrooklyn, United States
A Brooklyn aquaponics indoor-farming firm; was building a $160M Pennsylvania farm but wound down its 10-year-old business in March 2023.
just-food.com+1
Smallhold
USBrooklyn, United States
A Brooklyn indoor-mushroom startup; filed Chapter 11 in February 2024, closed several company farms and pivoted to a partner-farm model.
agfundernews.com+1
Plenty
USSouth San Francisco, United States
A Silicon Valley flagship of vertical farming that raised nearly $1B from SoftBank and others; filed Chapter 11 in March 2025, closed facilities and narrowed to premium strawberries.
techcrunch.com+1
FarmedHere
USBedford Park, United States
A Bedford Park (Chicago) operation once billed as the world's largest indoor vertical farm; ceased farming in 2017 and pivoted to branded foods.
growertalks.com+1
Iron Ox
USSan Carlos, United States
A San Carlos, California startup building robotics-enabled greenhouses; raised over $100M but ceased operations after layoffs.
news.crunchbase.com+1
South Central Farm
USLos Angeles, United States
A 14-acre lot once slated for a waste incinerator, turned into one of the largest urban farms in the US.
en.wikipedia.org+2
Esperanza Garden (El Jardin de la Esperanza)
USNew York, United States
An iconic East Village community garden that became a flashpoint of anti-development protest.
en.wikipedia.org+1
Adam Purple's Garden of Eden
USNew York, United States
A legendary circular garden on the Lower East Side, a pioneer of the urban gardening movement.
en.wikipedia.org+1
Chico Mendez Mural Garden
USNew York, United States
A garden that anchored a neighborhood scarred by drugs and violence, lost to development.
en.wikipedia.org+1
Hayes Valley Farm
USSan Francisco, United States
A temporary-use urban farm that turned freeway ruins into a food forest.
sfexaminer.com+1
State Street Community Garden (Ukiah)
USUkiah, California, United States
A ~20-year-old plot community garden in Ukiah. Its operator NCO could not secure funding after grant applications (including a $558,429 request to the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture) were rejected, and it closed at the end of June 2026.
mendovoice.com+1
Farm-A-Lot (Detroit municipal urban gardening program)
USDetroit, Michigan, United States
A city-run urban gardening program launched by Detroit under Mayor Coleman Young in the 1975 recession, turning vacant lots into gardens to help residents grow food. When city funding dried up, the program was dissolved.
glass.hfcc.edu+1
South Central Farm (community garden)
USLos Angeles, United States
One of the largest urban farms in the US (~14 acres), active from the 1990s to 2006. A vacant lot seized for an incinerator that was never built became a self-organized garden where immigrant residents grew traditional crops as a hub of food and culture.
en.wikipedia.org+1
AeroFarms
USNewark, United States
A Newark, NJ pioneer of indoor vertical farming; after a failed 2021 SPAC listing it ran short of capital and filed Chapter 11 in 2023.
njbiz.com+1
Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm (New York City)
USNew York, 米国
North America's largest operational rooftop farm established in 2010 atop an industrial building in Brooklyn, NYC. Produces approximately 220 tons of organic vegetables annually on 2.3 acres.
earth5r.org
Brooklyn Grange
USNew York, United States
A pioneering for-profit rooftop soil farm operating across several NYC buildings, balancing commercial production with education and community, and widely cited as a model for urban rooftop agriculture.
brooklyngrangefarm.com
Seattle Community Gardens in Public Parks
USSeattle, United States
Seattle Parks integrated community gardens into public park spaces with clear roles, participatory planning, and community engagement
sciencedirect.com
Growing Power, Milwaukee
USMilwaukee, United States
An urban agriculture nonprofit founded in Milwaukee in 1993 by Will Allen, a former professional basketball player. Based on what was described as the last functional farm inside Milwaukee city limits, it ran aquaponics, composting and soil-reclamation operations together with a large training programme for city residents, and also maintained a Chicago office. It became one of the best-known symbols of the US urban farming movement.
en.wikipedia.org
Farm on Ogden and the VeggieRx produce prescription programme, Chicago
USChicago, United States
A 20,000-square-foot urban agriculture facility opened in 2016 in a historically disinvested food desert in Chicago, Illinois, by the Chicago Botanic Garden together with Lawndale Christian Health Center. It anchors VeggieRx, a produce prescription programme in which clinicians refer patients to the farm for free produce boxes, nutrition counselling and cooking classes.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Taqwa Community Farm (Bronx, New York City)
USNew York, United States
A half-acre community farm opened in 1992 by Abu Talib and neighbourhood residents on a city-owned vacant lot in Highbridge, the Bronx. Alongside vegetables it keeps bee colonies and chickens, producing roughly 10,000 pounds of food a year.
en.wikipedia.org
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