New Roots Garden
A haven in the city filled with verdant trees and lush foliage, New Roots Community Farm has emerged as a space for refugees and immigrants from around the world to thrive and build community around diverse farming practices and crops. People from more than 12 different countries – encompassing multiple faiths and cultures – have been able to flee the violence and poverty of their homelands and find peace and comfort in the garden, building friendship, camaraderie and food security.
Largely kept up by community volunteers, the garden occupies a 2.3-acre parcel of land in City Heights, a bustling and culturally diverse urban San Diego neighborhood. A total of 71 farmers from all over the world work the garden’s 74 plots – growing hundreds of plant varieties, including kale, chard, pumpkin, taro, cucumbers, char, corn, beans, lemon grass and multiple lettuce types. A meandering path links all the plots and allows farmers easy access.
Many of those who work the land here were farmers in their countries of origin. New Roots provides a unique opportunity for them to connect with the land in the United States, as well as boost their family’s access to nutritious food. With the help of various partners and gardeners themselves, the program also encourages enterprise and self-sufficiency – enabling farmers to sell food at farmers markets
The garden is ever evolving, with current projects in the works including a composting program and meditation space.
History: The initiative began when a group of Somali Bantu refugees wanted to grow their own food, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hoping to encourage healthy eating and help clients establish San Diego roots, the International Rescue Committee, a refugee aid organization, found a location for the project at 54th Street and Chollas Parkway in 2006 and the garden was officially opened in 2009. In 2010, the farm gained nationwide recognition when former First Lady Michelle Obama visited, calling it a model for building healthy communities across the national and around the world.
City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) – a California public benefit nonprofit corporation – assumed management of the garden in 2019.
In 2023, the farmers completed the construction of a large onsite greenhouse to grow seedlings, a project that took 200 hours.
Basic Information:
The garden is home to 89 plots run by people both from here and around the world.
City Heights CDC sees the ongoing success of New Roots Garden as an opportunity to preserve a cultural asset founded and shaped by local residents.
The garden is situated adjacent to several of City Heights CDC’s transportation justice wins to promote healthy and safe transportation in City Heights: 54th Street Sidewalks and the Oak Park Branch Trail of Chollas Creek.
New Roots Garden is located across the street from the future Chollas Triangle Park, a planned park that will increase green space in our park-poor neighborhood.
Languages spoken by staff: Spanish, Vietnamese, English, Cambodia, Arabic, Khmer, Thai, Laos, and Tagalog. For any language that is not spoken by a City Heights CDC staff member, the organization seeks professional interpretation services to support language translation.