City Slicker Farms

Using a model we have developed and honed over the last decade, City Slicker Farms partners with individuals, families and organizations serving low-income residents to build new gardens and deliver mentorship, heath education, and increase fresh food access as part of our "Backyard Garden" program. Program participants receive a fully stocked garden at no cost to them, complete with raised bed planter boxes, seedlings raised in the City Slicker Farms greenhouse, soil and compost. Gardeners then partner with an experienced staff or volunteer mentor who offers support, educational curriculum and/or technical assistance tailored for each individual and site, as well as gardening supplies and seedlings for two years. For many of our institutional and community group partners, we also provide garden-based curriculum to engage their clients in lessons on ecology and nutrition. The Garden Program benefits our community in many ways. For young children, exposure to school gardens and natural environments improves social and emotional development, fosters collaborative skills, alleviates stress, and improves dietary choices. For adults and senior citizens, gardens provide affordable fresh produce, opportunities for recreation and exercise, and for some, the ability to carry out a lifelong hobby that promotes wellbeing. For all of our program participants, we have found that increasing the availability of fresh produce through gardening, and pairing it with nutrition classes focused on preparing healthy meals, creates positive health outcomes for program participants. Every year participants report saving money on grocery bills, eating a more nutritious diet, and strengthening their community by sharing their bounty with neighbors.