Every — Empty — Lot

Seven acres of free food sits in the middle of a former food desert. No fence. No fee. Just pick what you need.

Atlanta just created the largest public food forest in America. Seven acres of fruit trees, nut trees, vegetable beds, and herb patches planted on public land in a neighborhood where grocery stores are scarce and fresh produce is scarcer. You do not need a membership card. You do not need to qualify for anything. You walk in and you harvest. Peaches. Figs. Pecans. Collards. Mint. Rosemary. The design is based on food forest principles — layered plantings that mimic natural forest structure while producing human food at every level.

This is not a community garden with individual plots and waiting lists. It is a commons. The city owns the land. A nonprofit manages the plantings. The neighbors eat the harvest. In a former food desert, that changes what is possible. Kids who have only seen apples in plastic bags can watch them ripen on a tree. Families who budget around canned vegetables can walk home with fresh greens. The forest is young now. The trees are small. But in five years, seven acres of mature food forest will produce more fresh food than any convenience store in the neighborhood. And nobody will ask you to pay for it.

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ADMIN: Notice this doesn’t need to be tax-payer funded. Notice this isn’t costing over a million dollars to come to “fruition”. Notice it’s what I call a “kitchen table” idea.

So many affordable housing projects are a corporation’s (or sometimes a nonprofit’s) solution looking for a problem to fit their product. This system funds the pipeline. Funds the developers. Funds the lenders. Funds the (fill in the blank). Who is at the bottom of the food chain? The people they say they are helping. We need to start THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX!

LOOK AT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT GIRLS WITH GARDENS! Ideas like this — and the people that give them wheels — are powerful planters! Planters of ideas that build healthy communities. Strong communities. Interwoven communities.

Take the challenge and THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX around YOUR kitchen table and see what grows!

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Search Results

1. harvestsavvy.com › atlantas-pioneering-urban-foodAtlanta’s Largest Food Forest: A Sustainable Urban OasisMay 4, 2024 · Nestled in the food-scarce Lakewood neighborhood, just a short commute from downtown Atlanta, the project addresses the urgent need for fresh produce in an area where convenience stores outnumber healthy food outlets.
2. discoveratlanta.com › stories › things-to-doExploring the Green Havens: Farms and Gardens Near AtlantaDec 12, 2024 · This garden network collaborates with residents to establish backyard and community gardens, fostering healthy, sustainable food sources. Visitors can explore garden spaces that showcase seasonal vegetables, native plants and edible landscaping, all while supporting a movement aimed at food security and empowerment.
3. atlantafi.com › atlanta–food-forestAtlanta Food Forest: Everything You Need To Know With food insecurity seen as a growing threat to America’s kitchens, a food forest comes at a crucial time. But why now? And why Atlanta? It all began to grow roots in 2016. That’s when the Atlanta Mayor’s Office requested federal funding to address food deserts in the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. A seven-acre plot of land was found in sou… See full list on atlantafi.com
4. www.blackenterprise.com › food-forest-atlantaAtlanta Grows Nation’s Largest Free Food Forest In Browns MillMar 25, 2025 · The free food forest covers 1.7 acres of land and offers locals over 2,500 edible and medicinal plants that are free for anyone to use.
5. greentechnologyinvestments.com › in–atlanta-theIn Atlanta the largest urban food forest in the United States …Jan 24, 2025 · With about 7.1 acres of land covered with over 2,500 edible and medicinal plants, the Free Food Forest of Atlanta is the largest urban food forest of the United States, a visionary project that combines sustainability, education and solidarity.
6. www.conservationfund.org › our-impact › projectsUrban Food Forest at Browns Mill – The Conservation Fund Atlanta’s urban food forest is the first of its kind in the city, providing fresh produce in a community that has limited access to affordable, healthy foods.
7. www.thecooldown.com › outdoors › urban-food-forestOld family farm transformed into groundbreaking community …Mar 12, 2025 · A collaboration between nonprofit organizations and community volunteers is helping to combat food insecurity by revitalizing an old family farm. Only four miles from Atlanta‘s city center, the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill has become a source of free nutrition for those who live in a food desert.
8. spiritsciencecentral.com › atlanta-has-built-theAtlanta Has Built The Largest Free Food Forest In The US 2500 …Jan 23, 2025 · This initiative, the first city-owned and managed food forest in the U.S., spans 7.1 acres and offers over 2,500 edible and medicinal plants free of charge to the public, addressing critical gaps in local food access.