Southeastern San Diego

The motivation to reform San Diego’s urban agriculture ordinances started at the vacant lot that has become the Mt. Hope Community Garden. The garden continues to inspire innovative approaches to city farming, hosting talented gardeners seeking to get their garden beds certified organic to sell their produce at a premium and preparing a large production garden to harvest vegetables to be sold at Project New Village’s other initiative, the People’s Produce Farmers’ Market. At the garden we meet Kadumu Moyenda and Rosalind Garcia. Kadumu works to keep the weeds from taking over and tends to the communal garden bed for the Black Storytellers of San Diego. The garden represents more than a place for growing plants, for Kadumu, it’s a place to grow community. Nibbling on the strawberries she’s growing, Rosalind explains that gardening is physical therapy for her recovering back. Relying upon public transit to get around, it’s tough for residents in the neighborhood to go shopping at big box shops outside the neighborhood. She sees the garden and the nearby farmers’ market as positive opportunities in the neighborhood.