Just beyond Interstate 275 and 22nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg, not far from the hum of nonstop traffic, sits Greens N Things Urban Farm. It’s just one of several farms that local farmer Eric Law developed on unused plots of land.
A little over five years ago, Law saw an opportunity to turn his front lawn into a farm. He’d had success with raised beds gardening and had done some volunteer work at local farms. His idea worked, so kept looking for pieces of land he could grow on, even if a few miles apart. Today, he’s got roughly 9,000 square feet of farms spaced out across the city. That number is likely to grow. It’s an innovative approach for a county that seems to value green spaces less and less these days. Law’s farm is a thing of beauty in a time thick with “agritourism.” For him, it’s really about getting good food to his community. He’s about empowering folks too, and offers advice along with affordable seedlings for herb and vegetable gardens. Plus, one of the best selections of local fruit trees around. All of it paired with a knowledge of this place that is a rare entity. He’s building sustainable food systems in a city that values paved land over planted.
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Think mustard greens grown under a massive live oak on a plot of land hugging the railroad tracks. Bananas and fruit trees produce dozens of mangos, guavas, fruits you’ve never tried. Avocados you can eat whole. After the sticker shock of the grocery store, Law’s farm is like an eden. He grows produce in the dirt, cultivating the land against all the odds, feeding families through sales of CSA memberships and folks coming to the farm or markets to purchase produce directly.
This is truly as local as it gets. Come to the farm, hand farmer Eric some money (or sign up for the CSA), walk away with produce that was in the ground probably just that morning. Then, go brag to your friends that you know your farmer by first name and bring them along next time. In terms of consistent bang-for-your-buck, the CSA is hard to beat. Full and half shares are typically purchased at the end of farm season, for the upcoming year. An investment in the farmer that comes with a return of produce. And because of how local this produce is, the food lasts longer (if you can stop yourself from eating it all). And it comes with a shift in a way of living when it comes to food planning, storage, and what to do with waste. Also, at this point it’s cheaper than any grocery store.
Farming is brutal work at any level. But watching Law and his farm come back season after season, through hurricanes, frost, drought, pandemics and extreme heat is something to behold. He and the land are scrappy, resilient, and indomitable. The fact that it’s all to keep a community fed and fed well makes it mean so much more. Plus, at a time where larger food systems are collapsing for so many reasons, Law is actually doing something about it. And you can be a part of it too.
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