Victory Garden to remain in place until November! | Civil Eats

Victory Garden to remain in place until November!

As the sun sets on the fourth and final day of Slow Food Nation, we’re thrilled to announce that the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden will remain in place on the lawn of San Francisco City Hall until November. The garden, which has been producing substantial amounts of fresh produce and supplied some of the food for this weekend’s events, has received tremendous support from Mayor Gavin Newsom and the city. Most everyone who has come down to witness the beauty and bounty of the garden has voiced their desires to see this project become a permanent symbol of San Francisco’s progressive position on food, farming, and social justice.

“By all accounts, this has been a wonderful installation for the city and has been a highly visible demonstration of our commitment to the issues embodied in how our food system operates,” said Mayor Newsom. “From protecting the environment, to supporting our local and regional economy, to ensuring we can provide access to wholesome, nutritious food for all San Franciscans, the Victory Garden has given us a powerful platform from which to make the case for more good, clean and fair food in this country.”

If you haven’t visited the garden yet, please do! The corn is high, the squash are mature, and the California native wildflowers are in full bloom.

We’ll bring the news to you.

Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox.

Images: jrodmanjr and Sarah Rich

Today’s food system is complex.

Invest in nonprofit journalism that tells the whole story.

Sarah Rich is an editor at Dwell magazine, where she specializes in sustainable design and architecture. She was the managing editor of the Slow Food Nation blog leading up to the inaugural 2008 event in San Francisco. She was also the managing editor and co-author of the book Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century (Abrams, 2006). Sarah lives in the Mission district of San Francisco where fog is scarce and tacos are not. Read more >

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

  1. Abe Abuhilal
    good job Thank you
  2. Awesome pictures and project! I hope the enthusiasm stays high for many years.
  3. What's the possibility of the garden staying at Civic Center permanently (or for a full year to start)? Who would we contact to encourage this? Gavin?
  4. Marilynn Rowland
    I'm so glad this beautiful and bountiful garden will not be torn out, but left until November. But why tear it out then? This can be a proud symbol that SF is walking the walk instead of talking the talk. I'm sure Gavin Newsom and the city of SF and the Slow Food Nation can figure out some way to fund this and see that it is the glory of Civic Center, and not a blight of a weed patch. I'm hoping they can get the homeless to work in the gardens and benefit from its harvest. Alice Waters took on the public schools, now it's time for her to take on the homeless.
  5. Rachel Weidinger
    Delighted that the garden will remain for longer! Has funding been secured to pay the hard working people that pulled off this feat for another two months? Sustainable gardens will hopefully also pay workers.

    To those who are excited about permanency, remember there's a concrete sidewalk under those plants, and a parking garage beneath that. Permanent is a big project...but replanting those decorative flowerbeds with edible plants might be much more achievable.
  6. Darci Pauser
    Let us continue to utilize urban space in creative and innovative ways. I would certainly like to see some takeover of land relegated for motor vehicles (streets/overly-large parking lots) as well.
  7. Green Bean
    Like other commenters, I would love to see this Victory Garden become a permanent fixture. What a message it sends out to the rest of the world! I was damn proud to be a local when I walked through it during Slow Food Nation.
  8. Anna Dunn
    I love the garden. It is a force of nature and urbanity. I would like to know more about where the food is going, who is picking etc. Can someone direct me to this information? Great job!
  9. If people are interested in learning more about the Victory Garden project please check out Amy Franceschini's recent publication, "Victory Gardens 2007+" produced by Gallery 16 Editions. It is a fantastic book and deserves attention.

    Available through Small Press Distribution and Gallery 16 for $25. www.gallery16.com

More from

Urban Agriculture

Featured

Popular

This Farm Bill Really Matters. We Explain Why.

a trio of illustrations showing a black farmer, corn growing in front of the US Capitol Building, and a white woman with a baby paying for groceries with a SNAP-enabled card

Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Indigenous Water Rights in the Southwest

A close-up view of center-pivot irrigation watering corn on NAPI farmland. (Photo courtesy of NAPI)

All Eyes on California as Fast-Food Worker Rights Land on the 2024 Ballot

Fast-food workers and activists protest McDonald's labor practices outside a McDonald's restaurant on March 18, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Alaska’s Climate-Driven Fisheries Collapse Is Devastating Indigenous Communities

An Alaskan king crab trap and fishing vessel.