Urban Farming in Tucson

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TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) – An urban farm in the heart of Tucson wants to keep perspective and produce as fresh as possible.

Bill Shriver, owner of Merchants Garden, connects with the community. Since opening the store with his son Chaz in 2016, the municipal farm has only supplied local restaurants and grocery stores, but the pandemic slowed things down.

“Without the support of the neighbors, we wouldn’t have made it. There are people who come over here and tell us their stories and some of them say that one of the only things they did during the pandemic got through.” our market, ”said Shriver.

The slowdown in COVID-19 has also opened new doors, with Bill now spending a few days a week selling fresh talapia fish and vegetables from his drive through and on the farm to the public.

“The Arizona Community Food Bank Network reached out to us through this network called Friends of the Farmer to help. I can’t think of anything healthier than freshly picked vegetables, ”said Shriver.

The farm at 555 South Tucson Boulevard is starting to cause a sensation with its neighbors. Operations manager Danielle Fowler loves her job and says the 10,000 square foot greenhouse is a unique part of a sustainable local food chain.

“We not only accept cash and cards, but also SNAP, EBT and Farmers Market Nutrition coupons. It contributes to the food system and the security of our food system. If things shut down and logistics networks shut down during the pandemic, you would know exactly where your food came from and you still had access to it, ”said Fowler.

The workers keep the water flowing and the greens grow to produce variations of lettuce and herbs. The process begins in the seed room, where between 35.00 and 5,000 seeds are planted on a base. The trays in the farm’s seed room hold about 276 seeds each. After about a week, the seedlings are then taken to the greenhouse where they will continue to grow.

“Our varieties are salvanova also known as frisee behind me, you can see butter. We also have red leaf, green leaf, and romans. We have basil, Thai basil, chives. Most of our business is hydroponics, a nutrient-rich water. Part of our business is aquaponics, which uses the science of fish water and fish waste to feed the plants. This side of our business is 100 percent organic, ”said Fowler.

The process from seed to feed takes between 5 and 7 weeks, depending on the weather.

“It supports your neighborhood, it helps with food insecurity, it helps with the local economy,” said Shriver.

Merchants Garden is open Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The fish is sold every last Saturday of the month.

“We want to support the neighborhood even after the pandemic, we want to continue to support them as they have supported us,” said Shriver.

You can find more information about Merchant’s Garden here.

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