Braddock Farms

Braddock Farms is in the midst of its fourth full growing season on a series of abandoned lots in the borough of Braddock!

The farm sits on the corner of Braddock and 10th Street, a highly visible portion of the main business corridor, and is set against the backdrop of the borough's last remaining steel mill.  Braddock Farms is Grow Pittsburgh's largest production site and Braddock's single source of fresh produce.

The idea for Braddock Farms came about in 2007 when Braddock's Mayor John Fetterman approached former Grow Pittsburgh Executive Director Miriam Manion about developing an urban farm in Braddock. Plans were put into motion and by the summer of 2007, Grow Pittsburgh broke ground on the Braddock Farms site.

Intent on fostering community involvement, Grow Pittsburgh also began a Summer Youth Intern Program on the site in 2007. For this program, we partner with the Braddock Youth Project.  BYP selects and hires a group of local high school students and gives them hands-on training in sustainable agricultural production. During the 8-week internship, students learn the fundamentals of maintaining healthy bodies and a healthy environment, with an emphasis on teamwork and community building. By the summer of 2009, the summer interns ran the Braddock Farm Stand and underook efforts to advertise the farm in surrounding boroughs.

The vegetables grown on the farm rely on raised bed construction, intensive planting techniques, and all-organic methods of growing.   Throughout the season, Braddock Farms grows a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, sells produce to local restaurants, and manages a farm stand right next to Bell's Market on Braddock Ave on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. The farm stand is currently in operation for the season. 

"My dream is for Braddock to become the center of urban agriculture in the region."
--Mayor John Fetterman

Braddock Farms has received strong support from the Mayor's Office and Braddock Borough Council as a revitalization tool that will create job opportunities, transform vacant land into attractive greenspace, and increase local access to fresh, nutritious foods. The long-term goal of Braddock Farms is to create a self-sustaining operation through the sale of food grown on the site.

During the 2010 season, Braddock Farms expanded to a neighboring lot  which has nearly doubled the farm's size. With the help of volunteers and Braddock's Summer Youth Interns, we brought in tons of soil and made 19 separate 100-foot rows.  By the end of the summer, the fall crops thrived on the farm.  Additionally, in November of 2010, we constructed  a second hoophouse on the expansion. This second hoophouse will give the farm the capacity to grow much more produce earlier in the spring and late into the winter. Grow Pittsburgh looks forward to its growth and development in the years to come. Check back for updates on our progress.