In these cash-strapped times, a city asking just $1 to rent acres and acres of prime land might seem crazy. But Chattanooga, Tennessee, gets a lot more than its annual dollar back from Crabtree Farms. Thousands of lives are touched by organic produce, gardening education and even juvenile justice programs.
Crabtree Farms is a 22-acre oasis wrapped by trees just a mile from I-24, which cuts through downtown Chattanooga. Over the past two centuries, a series of families worked this land as part of a 600-acre tract that grew tomatoes, served as a horse farm and even a dove-hunting preserve, says Joel Houser, executive director of the nonprofit organization that has run Crabtree Farms since 1998.
Today this market and research farm produces more than 80 varieties of plants, many of which end up in the hands of local chefs and for sale at area shops and farmers markets. "We're definitely known for our tomatoes," Houser says, and the farm grows more than 20 mostly heirloom varieties each season.
Crabtree's extensive education and outreach efforts are designed to help expand access to affordable, nutritious food. "Our solution is to work with community gardens and underserved neighborhoods," Houser says. "Growing food is cheap and easy. Somewhere along the way, people thought it wasn't a good idea. We're trying to get back to that."
