On January 22, 2026, nearly two years after first applying, Overalls Farm Three secured its Certificate of Use from the City of Jacksonville to operate legally as a neighborhood farm. Winning a certificate of use granting us permission to grow took 2 years, 3 citations, 4 meetings with city officials, the backing of 5 operational non-profit partners, 11 letters of support from neighborhood business leaders, 13 Greens & Beans community meals, 15 American Gothic inspired community posts, 125 neighborhood uPick Farm Members, 500+ families on our farm member wait list, over 1350 signers on the Petition for Permission to Grow (including 350 immediate neighbors), and over $50,000 in lost revenue – not to mention: having our USDA farm serial number...
After making sure you've got adequate sunlight, the next two things necessary for food gardening success -- as any kindergartner can tell you-- are good soil and, you guessed it, water. These are your food growing basics: sunlight, soil, and water. However, before I jump into talking about soil, which I'll do in my next post, let me take a step back. You see, I've realized that I could draft a...
After 16 months traveling, Mary Elizabeth and I are Florida bound. Our home base will be Jacksonville, and I look forward to rooting in a new community. I will, however, continue to support the good food work in Tallahassee. I remain on the board of Tallahassee Food Network(TFN). (This past year I served as TFN ambassador to connect with and learn from community-based good food efforts around the...
Southwood Community Garden looking great (12/2012)
So lets say you're starting a community garden. You've done your homework, so you realize that when you're starting a community garden, the community aspect is just as important as the garden aspect. In that light, before breaking ground or applying for land from the City of Tallahassee or Leon County, you'll likely organize a community garden...
Check it out!I've been working with the FL Dept of Ag to create a bunch of "How To" Food Gardening Videos. For example: "How to build raised beds," "How to plant," "How to water," and all kind of other basics. Below are a few to get your started. For the rest (and for the ones still to be released), stay tuned to the Fresh for Florida Kids Youtube Channel. While I'm at it, I'll go ahead and...
