THEARC Farm, EST. 2010 | 1901 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC
THEARC Farm is the anchor site of the BBAR Farms network. The farm was built in 2010, when BBAR staff added 21 raised beds alongside Oxon Creek. The project farm was to encourage healthy nutrition in the community and utilize green space in a positive way. Kale, chard, lettuces, garlic, tomatoes, mint and basil were just a few of the fruits and vegetables planted that first season. Within five years, THEARC Farm expanded to include 22 raised beds, an 18-tree orchard, a season-extending hoop house, three community compost bins, four in-ground rows, medicinal & culinary herb gardens and a bee hive!
Ten years later, the small garden has fully evolved into an urban Farm – one of the largest of its kind east of the river. The raised beds have given way to a second hoop house; the number of in-ground rows has quadrupled; the orchard has nearly doubled in size, its fruit trees pollinated by bees from not just one, but three honey-producing hives.