559 Carpenter Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19119    
215-843-2350    


2129 72nd Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19138    
215-276-0706   


Taking off on the long march last year from Weavers Way Co-op Farm.

4th Annual Urban Farm Bike Ride
Scheduled for July 18, 2009

75 bikers of all ages and abilities saddled up last July for a tour of urban farms in Philadelphia. As usually, they were amazed and delighted by the diversity and ingenuity of the farmers they met … and got a kick out of rolling through neighborhoods they’d never visited on their own.

This year we expect an even larger group to join up at Weavers Way Coop Farm when the ride kicks off at 8:30 am on Saturday, July 18th.

RSVP Now
Email Weavers Way board member and ride founder Chris Hill to sign up: chris@chrishillmedia.com.

Bring a small donation:
We're requesting a small donation of 15 per rider, payable on the day of the ride, to cover the cost of snacks, drinks and pizza—with some left over to support the community outreach activities of Weavers Way Farm … and to help get a new bike co-op in Mt. Airy up and running.

Click here for a Google map of the route.

For a slide show of last year's farm tour, click here.

This year we’ve added a new stop: The Orchard at Woodford Mansion in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood—a site developed by the Philadelphia Orchard Project on the grounds of this historic mansion.

Other stops include:
  • Weavers Way Coop Farm, at Awbury Arboretum
  • Weavers Way Community Programs Farm at Stenton Family Manor (near the Coop Farm)
  • Mill Creek Farm at 49th and Brown in West Philadelphia
  • Spring Garden Community Gardens, overlooking the city skyline at 18th and Wallace
  • The Teens for Good farm at 8th and Poplar
  • Greensgrow, the grandmother of urban farms in Philadelphia, in Kensington.
  • Philadelphia Brewing Company, just a short 5-minute ride from Greensgrow, where we’ll finish up with beer and pizza in it’s great old tasting room.
A screening of Faces From The New Farm, a video produced by a group of women from Washington, DC about their three-month bike tour of urban farms from DC to Montreal, will be held at the Brewery at the end of the ride, for those who are interested.

The video has a local connection: The women from DC came up for a private bike tour of farms in Philadelphia to get inspiration for their ride, and have attended the ride for two of the last three years. (This year, they’re off in Upstate New York and Maine, working on farms, and can’t make the ride.)

The Weavers Way Farm Committee, which is organizing this ride, would like to thank folks from the Young Friends of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and from Young Involved Philadelphia for helping plan and promote the event.

Here’s what the day will feature:
  • A chance to speak with Dave Zelov, Weavers Way’s farmer, and David Siller, Weavers Way farm educator, at the start of the tour at the Co-op farm in East Mt. Airy
  • At Mill Creek Farm you’ll get to meet farm managers Jo and Jade, who will talk about the many programs they’re juggling—from green roofs to farming, to hosting tours, to solar, to biodiesel. Those who want to start in West Philadelphia should be at Mill Creek Farm (49th and Brown) no later than 10:30.
  • NEW THIS YEAR: The Orchard at Woodford Mansion, started by the Philadelphia Orchard Project. You'll learn more about this great new Philadelphia initiative.
  • There will be a stop at Spring Gardens community garden in Fairmount, overlooking Center City. This and many other community gardens have set aside plots that produce exclusively for community cupboards in the city.
  • We'll be stopping at a farm at 8th & Poplar run by Teens4Good, where a farm rep will tell us about this program designed to give teens experience in growing and marketing.
  • Greensgrow, Philadelphia’s oldest and most established urban farm is next. A commercial success, with CSA, farmers market and sales to area restaurants, Greensgrow is a fascinating place to visit.
  • Five minutes from Greensgrow is Philadelphia Brewing Company (formerly Yards Brewery), where all of us will relax with some sample brews--and some pizza.
More on the farms
  • The Weavers Way Co-op Farm is 1 1/4 acre organic (not certified) farm that supplies the well-known food cooperative with vegetables and flowers throughout the growing season. The Farm is managed by farmer David Zelov and farm educator David Siller and two full season apprentices Nicole Sugarman and Nina Berryman. Many volunteers and visiting students make this farm possible. The farm includes two fields dedicated to supplying the coop and area markets, as well as a children's garden operated in conjunction with the Awbury Arboretum. The Co-op farm is located in East Mt. Airy's Awbury Arboretum, near Chew and Washington Lane.  Click here for more on the farm's history. Click here for a map to the farm.
  • Weavers Way Community Programs (WWCP) Farm at Stenton Family Manor (New this year!) Is a 1/4-acre organic (not certified) farm started this growing season on the grounds of a city-owned family shelter. Residents and community volunteers assist WWCP staff in growing food for shelter meal preparation and for sale at local farmers markets. This summer, 55 campers from the Stenton summer camp participate in farm education and farming activities twice weekly as part of the summer camp curriculum. The farm is located 1/4 of a mile from Weavers Way Farm.
  • The Mill Creek Farm is a collectively run urban education farm that utilizes vacant land to improve local access to nutritious foods and to promote sustainable resource use by growing and distributing produce and by demonstrating ecological methods of living. Run with enthusiasm and creativity by co-managers Jade and Johanna, the farm sells produce on location twice a week, sells to nearby Mariposa Co-op, and has an on-site building featuring a living roof, composting toilet and straw and mud walls. Click here for more about Mill Creek Farm. MAP.
  • Mary Seton Corboy co-founded Greensgrow Farms in 1997 with the idea of selling right off the farm produce to Philadelphia chefs from an abandoned property in Kensington, within site of Philadelphia's downtown.  Today Greensgrow is a nationally recognized leader in urban farming, still selling to local restaurants (including Django, White Dog, Fork, Standard Tap, Little Fish, Rose Tattoo, and Beau Monde) but also open to the public from early spring through Thanksgiving. A small but dedicated staff runs a multifaceted operation, including a nursery, a farm market, and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, proving that abandoned land is only abandoned if we choose to leave it that way. Click here for more on Greensgrow Farms. MAP.
  • Spring Gardens, at 18th & Wallace Streets, is a mature, lovingly tended community garden between Spring Garden and Fairmount on 18th Street. MAP