Organic, local farm coming to the Old Fourth Ward
This week, some truly incredible and inspiring news hit the Old Fourth Ward. Rashid Nuri, the 62-year-old urban farmer and operator of Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms, announced that he has found a property in the heart of intown Atlanta where he and his team can grow fresh, organic fruits and vegetables for local markets and restaurants. Truly Living Well reconnects urban dwellers to the earth and their food supply through produce grown sustainably on small plots of land throughout the metro Atlanta urban area, as well as organic and sustainable gardening and landscaping classes offered to the public. The new plot will be located half a mile from the Pencil Factory Flats & Shops at the corner of Hilliard and Old Wheat Streets in the Old Fourth Ward, on four acres next to the historic Wheat Street Baptist Church.
According to Nuri, "the new garden site will be a marketplace and a training center for Atlanta citizens interested in urban agriculture. There is a growing movement in the US and around the world to grow organic foods where most people live, which is in cities. In an area of downtown Atlanta that is well known locally and around the world, the use of the currently vacant Wheat Street Garden property is an innovative way to promote forward thinking and nourish the people of Atlanta."
Locals can apply for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription and receive a basket of fresh produce each week for 13 weeks starting in March. Apply at the Truly Living Well subscription site. Spring subscriptions are filling up fast! Crops grown by the farm include arugula, butter beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, collard and mustard greens, turnips and turnip greens, lettuce, kale, sweet potatoes, broccoli, beets, spinach, carrots, cabbage, garlic, onions, chard, and many fresh herbs.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the new farm occurs this Sunday, December 5th at 2 pm at the prospective site. Congratulations to Nuri and everyone involved!
