Urbavore: An Urban Farm

Urbavore is an urban micro farm in Springwood, Blue Mountains NSW, where Joe and Jo Tabone and their family grow fresh local produce. Joe and Jo have converted their suburban home into a fully functioning farm, selling veggies, fruit, herbs, mushrooms, and even quails eggs to sell to their community. They also sell veggie boxes from their home and in local markets.

Joe and Jo and their family started to grow vegetables on their quarter-acre block in the Blue Mountains in 2018. Their garden was so productive that the family couldn’t get through all the food they grew, even when Joe and Jo brought the produce to monthly 'crop swaps' to swap produce with other local gardeners. Their garlic was so popular at the local farmers’ market that it would sell out as soon as the market opened!

At the suggestion of a fellow farmer, Joe and Jo expanded their operations; turning their driveway into a working greenhouse and building a thriving market out of their thriving market. Working with their neighbours in Springwood and with permission from the council, the family planted on the ‘nature strip’ along the street. They started a community compost and allowed the community to help themselves to the veggies grown in the nature strip.

Although Urbavore is a microfarm, it supports an impressive array of produce. The microfarm includes a bio-intensive market garden, mushroom production, seedling nursery, fruit trees, bees, and small-scale rotational grazing in the form of quails and chickens. Urbavore also minimises waste through composting, which is a particularly important part of the farm process. By recycling organic materials like coffee grounds, autumn leaves, arborist waste, and grass clippings, Urbavore is not only providing fertiliser for its produce, but also rescuing much organic waste from the local area and reducing greenhouse gas production.

Joe and Jo are not only passionate about providing fresh food to the community; an important aspect of their work involves offering workshops and open gardens to help others grow their own food. Urbavore helps people to learn about the benefits of compositing, growing food without chemicals, monitoring the health of soil, plants, animals, and people. They hope that by reviving a truly local food supply and teaching others about their journey, they can not only feed the Blue Mountains community, but also help others on their own journey toward urban food resilience.

Learn more about Urbavore and their skills workshops and opportunities to visit during the annual Blue Mountains Edible Garden Trail.