With spring upon us, we thought we should tell you about an urban oasis that has had its roots in San Diego since 1972. We won't beat around the bush. Let's dig in.

In a time when we're all looking for the good story, this is just that. Let's start with a 16-year old boy back in 1972 who planted the seed in his own mind about starting a garden nursery. It was a dream that grew into a reality. The teenage boy worked out a deal with his folks to lease some of their land in order to watch his garden grow. True story.

Over the years, the boy became a man and, in the process, created an urban oasis smack dab in the middle of everything. A few hundred feet from the corner of Home Avenue and Euclid sits a place where, 37 years ago, the seeds were sown. City Farmers Nursery is not your garden-variety nursery. It isn't exactly a community garden while it also serves one. San Diego Travel Tips.com loves special places. City Farmers Nursery is simply a special place.

City Farmers Nursery

You'd never expect to find a nursery in this location. Heck, you wouldn't expect to find a pony, chicken, roosters, rabbits, goats, doves, or ancient tortoises in this location either. Expect it. In this nondescript hamlet tucked in a hillside a few miles from downtown San Diego (the 8th largest city in America), there is a menagerie of creatures living in harmony. City Farmers also found a way to squeeze in a tiny playground for tots who find garden nurseries slightly, well, boring.

As if all that is not enough, if you're hungry, there's food on the premises. The owner, Bill Tall, had a friend Nate. Nate helped Bill build the business. Somewhere in the mix was Nate's dream to have a cafe. In 2000, the cafe came to fruition at City Farmers Nursery. Sadly, though, Nate passed away before Nate's Deli took root.

In 2006, Larry, a retired community member with over 40-years of cooking experience, offered to take over Nate's Cafe. Since then Nate's has blossomed. Today, Nate's Cafe serves nursery patrons and community people Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and Sundays 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. You can eat breakfast or have lunch in Nate's charming patio just off the City Farmers parking lot. They have breakfast items, sandwiches, grilled items, and salads.

City Farmers Nursery is one of those places that you have to take your time and have a good look. Look for the unexpected. Look for the kitsch. Look for the antiques and vintage commercial products. Mill about and climb up the hill to the right of the succulent garden to get a sense of the property in proximity to the rest of the community.

It doesn't take much weeding through to see that City Farmers Nursery is a lot of things. Customer service and education are big on their list. If you have questions about gardening, these people know the answers. If you want to transplant your own plants while you're at the nursery, they've got that ground covered, too, They have a special free do-it-yourself plant bar or potting stand dedicated for that purpose. If you need anything to do with gardening, then City Farmers is a one-of-kind treasure to seek out.

In the last 37 years, City Farmers Nursery has been a mainstay of the community. In fact, Bill Tall still lives on the property in a house in the middle of the nursery. City Farmers has taught generations all about community and organic farming. It is afterall, the largest 100% organic nursery in San Diego. Go check it out and support this local landmark.

There's more to the story, but we won't give it all away. We never do.

Map-City Farmers Nursery
4832 Home Ave. San Diego, CA
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, closed Sundays