Sometimes it takes a little imagination to see potential. Whether it be in people, places, or ideas. Potential can be an enigma. But that’s why I love urban farming. Once you open your mind to it, you can see the potential in the least likely of spaces.
Take this vacant asphalt lot for example:
Seems pretty unassuming. It used to be storage space for an old upholstery store and a run down barbershop on Lincoln Blvd in Venice, CA. Most would argue that there is nothing remarkable or unique about this lot, but when you combine community-minded restaurateurs Paul + Tiffany Hibler, a talented builder/mad scientist, and an urban farmer…you plant the seeds of something special.
Construction on FarmSuperba began in early 2015. Funn Roberts, the mad scientist I was telling you about, was full steam ahead with building the shoebox farm.
The asphalt was busted open, and flagstone pavers were puzzled together to replace it. This now allows for rainwater to be returned back to the water table, instead of being diverged into the gutters and swept away to the street.
A total of twenty hydroponic towers live on the farm. The beauty of the towers is their lego-like design. They snap together and are completely self contained.
Funn did a fantastic job of sinking the bases of the towers into a deck to allow for a sleek profile and interactive layout.
Because of the relatively small size of the lot, vertical growing made sense. With 20 towers, each containing 44 growing slots, the tower portion of farm can produce 880 plants at any given time.
Funn’s mad scientist brain really came through when he designed and constructed a beautiful aquaponics system. The unit is self contained, large tanks filled with fish help fertilize the water to provide nutrients to the plants. The plants help act as a filter for the water. Wanna learn more about aquaponics? Just click.
Calming and inviting, one would never know that they are just yards away from Lincoln Blvd, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Los Angeles. Almost every plant on the farm is edible, and goes to supply food for Superba Food + Bread.
The farm has turned into a space for community engagement. FarmSuperba hosts things like Yoga On The Farm
Meditation + Mindfulness classes
A teen photography class from Venice Community Arts paid the farm a visit to learn about transformation of space
On winter solstice we gathered round the fire pit to set intentions and honor the passing year
Some rad things have already been happening on FarmSuperba, I can’t wait to see prednisone all of the possibilities that will manifest themselves as the farm continues to grow. Stay tuned for updates…
