Slow Food Nation '08

Civic Center Plaza | July 12, 2008 - December 6, 2008 | Free

In collaboration with Victory Gardens 2008+, Slow Food Nation heralded the era of self-sufficiency by creating an edible garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center. Planted on the same site as the post-World War II gardens 60 years ago, the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden demonstrated the potential of a truly local agriculture practice, uniting and promoting Bay Area urban gardening organizations and producing fresh, healthy food for those in need.

A wide variety of heritage organic vegetables suited to the Bay Area microclimate grew under the care of new and experienced gardeners using an array of urban food production practices. Support from the community and from Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed the garden to stay open and be a resource and inspiration through November 23, 2008. Over 1,000 pounds of food were harvested and donated to those with limited access to healthy organic produce through a partnership with the San Francisco Food Bank.

The garden was dismantled from November 23 to December 6. Materials were donated to Project Homeless Connect to help the organization start a productive skills-training and healing garden in San Francisco that will serve the city’s homeless population.

Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who put time and energy into making this project a very inspiring success.

Project Timeline

• July 1 – Groundbreaking
• July 1 - 11 – Garden Installation
• July 12 – Community Planting Day
• August 29 - September 1 – Slow Food Nation
• September 2 - November 22 - Maintenance and Community Days
• November 23 - December 6 - Dismantling and Materials Donation

Participating Organizations

The Slow Food Nation Victory Garden was designed by John Bela of the Garden for the Environment’s Victory Garden 08+ Program and CMG Landscape Architecture. Seeds and starts were donated by Seeds of Change and numerous individuals from around the country. City Slicker Farms and Ploughshares Nursery managed seed propagation and provided garden advice, and the Coevolution Institute provided pollinator attractor plants.

• San Francisco Victory Gardens
  Victory Gardens 08+ is an organization that designs, builds, and maintains edible landscapes at a variety of scales throughout San Francisco focused on garden-based education and community food production. This year the organization will give away 15 free backyard starter gardens and create the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden at Civic Center.
• CMG Landscape Architecture
  CMG is a landscape architecture firm providing collaborative design and management services to a wide range of public, institutional and private clients.
• City Slicker Farms
  City Slicker Farms increases food self-sufficiency in West Oakland by creating organic, sustainable, high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens.
• Ploughshares Nursery
  Ploughshares Nursery is an environmentally sustainable retail and wholesale nursery located in Alameda, California.
• Co-Evolution Institute
  The Coevolution Institute’s (CoE) mission is to catalyze stewardship of biodiversity.
• Seeds of Change
  Seeds of Change is committed to providing 100% certified organic, open pollinated seeds of the highest quality including many heirloom, traditional and unique Seeds of Change varieties.
• The Studio for Urban Projects
  Founded in 2006, the Studio for Urban Projects is a research and working group that works within art, architecture, ecology and the public realm to generate projects that re-imagine the urban landscape.
• Garden for the Environment
  Garden for the Environment, through its nationally acclaimed one-acre urban demonstration garden, offers environmental education programs about organic gardening, urban compost systems and sustainable food systems.

Thank you to our Supporters:

• Cole Hardware
• Ecology Action
• Invisible Structures, Inc.
• The Reuse People of America
• Restoration Timber, LLC