Urban Farm

The Urban Farm grows over 3,500 lbs of food annually, donating over 60% of the food produced to the LSA Food Pantry. This pantry serves 350 families in our neighboring community of East Harlem. Much of the remaining harvest goes to the Urban Farm’s Edible Education programs. The public can sample the farm’s produce at free cooking workshops throughout the season or at the Urban Farm’s free farm stands at one of RIPA’s major festivals. Check the events calendar for a chance to take home some of our vegetables grown on the Urban Farm.

The Urban Farm utilizes sustainable agricultural practices that support soil fertility and increase biodiversity on the farm. Careful crop rotation enables plants to draw different nutrients from the soil each year and discourages the spread of pests and diseases and the need for chemical pesticides. The Urban Farm uses integrated pest management practices, like using netting or row cover to discourage large animals, releasing natural predators, planting disease-resistant crop varieties, or removing pests by hand. These practices ensure that a range of animals and insects can still visit the farm without causing serious damage to the plants. In addition to adding compost to beds, the Urban Farm plants cover crops that benefit the soil, like oats and peas, which build nitrogen levels.

Students and volunteers help maintain the farm’s three-bin compost system, by regularly processing food scraps and turning each bin by hand. In addition to hand-aerating, the compost bins are also fed by a solar-powered forced-air system (a gift from Green Mountain Energy’s Sun Club). Air provides oxygen to diverse beneficial insects, invertebrates, bacteria, and fungi, which in turn break down the food scraps. In 2023, the Urban Farm processed more than 3,200 pounds of food scraps, converting this community waste into nutritious soil amendment for its growing beds. Students who visit the farm apply the compost created to the vegetable beds, learning valuable lessons in cultivating healthy soils and vegetables all at once.

A tunnel leads into the Tot Lot, doubling as a play space for children and a trellis for growing climbing plants for visitors to taste. In the Tot Lot, visitors can find a farm-inspired play area for children of all ages. It features a dig bed, flower-shaped chalkboards, pollinator-themed “rocking chairs,” herbs to engage all five senses, child-sized tools, and a play-sized farm stand. The space is designed both for active and social play and for quiet, self-guided exploration, allowing children to participate in sensory engagement and imaginative, creative role-play. In a corner of our Tot Lot, visitors will find our Book Barn, a growing collection of farm, garden, animal, and food-related books. Visitors can enjoy books during their time on the farm and return the books before leaving.

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The rice paddies at the Urban Farm are some of the only known rice paddies in New York City and offer visitors a rare chance to see how a foundational part of the human diet is grown. They are also a fascinating example of how artificial wetlands ecology is used in food production. Each lowland paddy holds 1,000 gallons of water in its soil and 1,600 rice grains every season. The rice paddies form the cornerstone of the Taste of Rice Program, designed in partnership with Central Park East II, which follows students through their early elementary school years. Students help seed, plant, and process all the rice grown on the Urban Farm. Through the multi-year program, CPE II students delve into the science of growing rice while celebrating our cultural connections to the food we eat.

The Urban Farm’s recently-established orchard pathway takes visitors past a wide range of fruit species, including fig, pomegranate, peach, plum, pawpaw, Asian pear, and persimmon trees. Depending on the time of year, visitors can witness the emergence of flower buds, the growth of the immature fruit, or its changing hues as the fruit slowly ripens. The farm’s fruit production also features a variety of berries, trellised grapes, and several espaliered fruit trees, highlighting space-saving growing methods useful in urban spaces.