About us
Urban Farms LA was born in 2012 with the intention of empowering people to lead healthier lives through vegetable gardening. Through personal experience, Sophie learned that edible home gardening have far-reaching benefits beyond just cultivating the fresh, nutritious food we put into our bodies. Being outside in nature, working with soil and even just seeing insects and hearing birds all have therapeutic mental health benefits. Gardens strengthen communities, encourage self-sufficiency and connect people with planet.
Increased backyard greenery and food production also challenges the model of industrial agriculture that is harming our environment through the use of:
heavy machinery that compacts irreplaceable topsoil
pesticides and herbicides that run into our waterways
mono-cropping that destroys genetic diversity in food and animals
extreme water demands that lead to drought and desertification
With just a sunny spot and some care, we can turn the table on destructive methods of farming and reap all of the benefits of gardening without ever leaving home.
Along with our edible garden services, we also help our clients with full landscape projects using California native plants.
California native plants evolved in our distinct climate and therefore require little extra water and support native species of insects and birds that are endangered or even facing extinction. These plants also don’t need the wasteful byproducts of the traditional gardening industry such as:
extra fertilizers or soil amendments
leaf blowers or lawn mowers which are both heavy contributors to air pollution, noise pollution and greenhouse gasses
California native plants pair perfectly with an organic edible garden. You can learn more about California native plants here.
Meet our Team
Sophie
After a year of college in New York, Sophie moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles to start exploring a different future for herself. Through a series of fortunate events she found her love for gardening and the therapeutic health benefits that it came with. After starting UFLA in 2012, Sophie graduated from Chapman University with a degree in environmental science and communication, and then completed a post-grad certificate program at UCLA studying horticulture. Her passions include environmental education, re-wilding cities, combating habitat loss and species extinction and creating beautiful spaces for humans to connect with nature.
Alison
Alison came from the world of set and floral design before joining the UFLA team in May of 2022. Her passion for a more environmentally focused career led her to her current role of executive assistant, overseeing client relations and her getting her hands dirty in on site gardening and installations. In August of 2023, Alison completed the Theodore Payne California Native Plant Landscaper program. This line of work has been extremely fulfilling in driving Los Angeles towards smarter choices for our climate. She is grateful that the learning never stops!
Gabrielle
Gabrielle grew up exploring her mother’s and grandmother’s gardens in Northern California. She is wildly passionate about habitat restoration and ecosystem building. She believes that the re-wilding of our urban spaces is a necessary transformation in order to build a sustainable relationship with our environment. Her love for plants and animals led her to UFLA two and a half years ago and she is now the propagation and sourcing specialist for the company. In June of 2023, Gabrielle completed the Theodore Payne California Native Plant Landscaper program.
About our graphics: Our logo, illustrations and overall theme was designed for us by the extremely talented Kelly Malka (Instagram).
About our photos: Photos were taken on site by our favorite photographer, Lexi Wimberly.
About our website: Our website was designed by Nestingzone (Instagram).