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Meet Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm in North Central Phoenix

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Peterson.

Greg, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In many ways, The Urban Farm represents a return to a simpler life, one where we are more connected with the impact that we have on the earth. It’s a place to discover our ability to make a significant impact on our environ-mental footprint AND to see how this impact is woven into our choices.

My Urban Farm is located in the middle of Phoenix, AZ and sits on a typical Phoenix urban lot, 80-feet wide and 160-feet deep a mere 3/10ths of an acre. Though the house was built in 1949, both my yard and home have been redesigned to emulate as green a lifestyle as possible. When asked, I generally define the space as an environmental showcase home. Boasting a primarily edible landscape, 70+ fruit trees, rainwater and greywater harvesting, two kinds of solar panels and a patio, that includes an outdoor shower and kitchen made from re-claimed materials.

One of the true pleasures I derive from my yard is that I get to eat heartily from it most every day. A favorite is what I like to call Urban Farm soup. In reality, it is a nice selection of herbs and vegetables that grow year around in my front and back yards. On any given day in the late fall, I grab a colander and a knife to collect carrots, parsnips, collard greens, snow peas and herbs to create a meal primarily grown in my garden. The preparation process is simple and the leftover veggie scraps are fed to the chickens, completing the circle and further contributing to the greenness of my life.

Although my yard and home may seem extreme and in some ways they are, I have spent a considerable amount of time during the past ten years designing the space to look normal. And THAT is precisely the point… creating systems that people can see, understand and then replicate themselves, inspiring an Urban Farm visitor to try something in their own living space.

In 1974, when I was thirteen, my family moved into a new home in north central Phoenix. When we arrived and got everything unpacked, my mom said to me, “Greg, see the right half of our backyard, that’s our garden. Start digging.”

Later in life, a friend wrote this about me: “I was only a boy the first time the earth breathed into me and left an invitation. I accepted.” In many ways this explains the unexplainable for me — why I do what I do. I am driven by a force to create a model of living green that I just cannot explain and it lives within me every moment.

Fast-forward fifteen years and I was searching for my first home. Not surprisingly, the seeds of my past played a large part in my decision. The property needed to be a place where I could garden, plant fruit trees and get my hands deep into the earth. In 1989, I found and purchased the Urban Farm or at least the beginnings of the Urban Farm, as it did not earn that distinction for many years.

Then two years later, while standing in my front yard, magic happened. Somehow a brochure that introduced me to the concept of permaculture landed in my mailbox with an offer of a four-weekend course on the topic. I was so moved that I ran into the house and registered. Little did I know that, this one act of post office providence would change my life forever.

I learned the word ‘permaculture’ was created in the 1970’s by Bill Mollison and one of his students David Holmgren and is a contraction of the words “permanent agriculture” or “per-manent culture.” Once you start studying permaculture, you quickly learn that every person has his or her own definition. I like to say that it is the “art and science of working with nature.” In any case, it is the study that fused all the logic of sustainability and everything that I had learned into one cohesive structure, giving me many of the tools that I was looking for.

Those who know me know that, I have had farmer blood in my veins for as long as my fifty-plus years can remember. I always assumed that I would find a small farm ‘out there’ somewhere, in a rural Arizona town such as Cottonwood, Verde Valley, or maybe even in Delores, Colorado, where I would raise food and transport it to Phoenix, thus fulfilling my destiny.

That was until sometime in the mid 1990’s when two unlikely incidences collided. The first was a conversation I had with a long-time friend about the status of his property. You see, he had almost two acres in central Phoenix that came with water rights and he had been doing a great job of growing a nice crop of Bermuda grass. I proposed to him that we work together and plant a fruit tree orchard. I would provide and care for the trees, he would water them and we would share the benefit of the harvest.

The second incident happened at the age of 37, when I decided to go back to school and get my bachelors degree. During one of my classes at Arizona State University, I discovered that I am more interested in teaching about urban farming and living green than actually growing and selling the food. In that moment, I realized that I was already accomplishing much of this in the space where I lived and in 2001, the Urban Farm was born.

At the Urban Farm, I have the luxury of harvesting a fresh apricot in May, while at the same time, changing someone’s perspective about where their food comes from. I have blended my vision of edible landscapes and learning, which has led me down a path of being a farmer as well as an educator.

These days, I spend my time educating and inspiring other to do the same to their yard. And while a mere decade ago, I was looked on as this kooky guy growing food in his front yard, these days I am doing the cool thing.

Has it been a smooth road?
Some were explained in the last question.

My biggest challenge has been how to turn this into a viable business which has taken a couple decades. Especially in speaking into a community that only recently viewed the idea of growing our own healthy, nutrient dense, local, low environmental impact food as a good idea.

In 2007, I was depicted on the front cover of a magazine (still have it) as a “would you want this kooky guy for your neighbor.” These days, it is a bit of a sport for my neighbors to proclaim that they live on my street.

Transforming people’s listening to one where they are inspired to WANT to grow their own food happens in a ‘pull’ way, where I share what I am up to and those that are interested jump on the band wagon.

There have been many false starts but persistence to my cause is my main reason for my success.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Urban Farm – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am in the business of inspiring people through epic projects. Under the umbrella of the Urban Farm I run:

Urban Farm Nursery – Each year, I host my Fruit Tree Education program that starts in September with a half day free event on growing fruit trees in the desert and culminates with our fruit tree pick up of all the trees that people preordered. Oh and we always have extras. In a typical year, we educate thousands of people with online and in person classes, in our podcast and YouTube in the pitfalls and successes of how to successfully grow their own fruit trees.

My yard here at the Urban Farm is open for tours a couple times per year so that people can explore and discover how to create this for themselves.

Urban Farm U – is my portal to creating a larger global reach for my message. We offer many online classes (free) and courses (paid) on how to grow your own food, save your own seeds, grow your own fish powered garden and more.

Additionally, I am the host of the Urban Farm Podcast with over 350 episodes released since launching in November of 2015. By the way, we are quickly approaching 1 million listens. I coach others to create their own urban farms by inspiring them to embrace their own urban farmer… grow food, share it and name your farm!

I am always looking for the next big way to transform the structure of our local food economy. What that might look like, where I can plant a seed for future harvest, who can I collaborate with. Because at the end of the day, my job is to transform our local food system into a thriving edible delight!

The Great American Seed Up – is a self serve ‘Seed Bizarre’ where people can select from over 70 different varieties of open pollinated seeds, scoop them in bags and learn how to grow, store and save their own seeds. GreatAmericanSeedUp.com

Grow Phx – Offers larger venue educational opportunities, including our signature Permaculture Design Course.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Phoenix is what I know having lived here for just over 50 years. I love the history that I know of it, the fact that I can be on the set at AZTV and see Pat McMahon and know that he played Gerald on the Wallace and Ladmo show.

I love our thriving local food system that includes some incredible edible delights. Local venues like St. Francis, Pomogranite Cafe, Tarbells are incredible.

Not so happy about the sprawl and brown cloud that I breathe.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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