Community Gardens

Departm

en

t of P

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lic W

orks Department of Public Works

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Mohammed Nuru, Deputy Director for Operations

San Francisco Department of Public Works

Photo: One of the first Victory Gardens in San Francisco in 1943

How did Community Gardens begin in San Francisco?

•During World War II the Government encouraged families to grow their own fruits and vegetables

•Termed “Victory Gardens”, over 20 million Americans joined the efforts and began growing fruits and vegetables in their backyards and on public land.

•In this photo, a group of women are growing spinach on public land between 15th & 16th Avenue near Fulton & Cabrillo in San Francisco

How were community gardens able to expand?

Photo: Fort Mason Garden3

• In 1975 CETA, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, a federal program granted 20 gardening jobs to the SF Art Commission

• 20 employees were hired & involved in establishing on-going programs in 25 schools, five housing projects and many day care centers and community gardens, including the Fort Mason Garden, shown here.

Community Gardens in San Francisco

Photo: Tom Bressan, Owner of Urban Farmer providing irrigation workshop in Visitation Valley Greenway ‘10

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Through the decades:

• People gardened for recreation

• Guidelines around public gardens were developed

• Gardens became ADA accessible

• San Francisco’s League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) provided education classes in horticulture, landscape construction & open space maintenance.

Community Gardens in San Francisco

Photo: Alemany Farm ‘015

• During the SLUG era, gardens were built on prime real estate sites including: • Easements • Senior housing• Schools• Churches

• Gardens became more sophisticated through the years and provided: • Seating areas • Dog runs• Educational signage

Community Gardens in San Francisco

Photo: DPW’s Gleaning Program6

• Hundreds of gardens exist on public land throughout San Francisco. DPW has 120 parcels of land we’ve transformed into gardens through our Street Parks Program.

• Our goal is to use more land for food production

and donate extra food to the needy.

• In San Francisco alone150,000 people access the Food Bank each day.

• DPW created a Gleaning Program and has been donating fruits and vegetables to our local Food Bank.

• As the number of people who go to the food bank increases, gleaning programs will continue to be in high demand.