Springdale Farm is available for weddings, private parties and corporate events, having hosted many pig roasts, supper clubs and special outings in the past five years.[/caption]

Springdale Farm sells its vegetables and other goods Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.[/caption]

March marks the beginning of the spring growing season at Springdale Farm, an East Austin agriculture operation owned by Paula and Glenn Foore.

“We will get as much into the ground as fast as we can, and we won’t stop until July,” Paula said.

Despite its location—2 miles from downtown Austin—the area has been a farming destination since the 1920s, Glenn said. He credits topsoil deposits from the Colorado River for making the land so fertile.

“That is why all the urban farms are right here in East Austin,” Glenn said. “There’s nothing but the best soil profile in a day’s drive in any direction.”

Glenn, who has a degree in horticulture, and his wife acquired the 5-acre property in 1992 as part of a city exchange program that encouraged job growth in East Austin.

What started as a landscaping business eventually evolved in 2008 to become Springdale Farm. During the next few years the Foores’ property started hosting an award-winning restaurant, Eden East, and a twice-weekly farm stand as well as special events such as weddings.

Their farm also works with many of Austin’s top chefs to supply their restaurants. That exposure helped Springdale Farm gain the attention of the Austin Food & Wine Alliance, which last year granted the Foores a $7,500 grant to help start a new nonprofit called the Springdale Center for Urban Agriculture. The money will go toward planting more experimental heirloom varieties to learn what plants can tolerate Austin’s weather conditions, Paula said.

“That grant gives us the freedom to try new things that may or may not work, document it and share that information so anybody can grow something we can,” she said.

Paula is also working to develop an education curriculum she can share with partner groups to promote urban farming methods.

The couple also hopes to eventually add a learning center with a commercial kitchen to inspire chefs and home cooks alike to cook using fresh, locally grown produce.

“The local farmers figure they are only feeding about 3 percent of the population here,” Paula said. “We need more farmers and more people here to figure out why [urban farming] is so important.”

City controversy

Paula and Glenn Foore aim to bring a renewed sense of optimism to their farm following a contentious series of City Council meetings last year. Despite some residential protests, council members approved an ordinance that allows Springdale Farm to host nearly two dozen events annually, events the couple said are necessary to overcome expensive property taxes. Conditional-use permits must still be granted in the next month or two, but the couple said they are optimistic about gaining approval.

“The city is either going to bless us, or we’ll just have to sell the farm and get out of here,” Glenn said. “We don’t want to—we fought this for a year and a half.”

Urban farm, event venue

Springdale Farm is available for weddings, private parties and corporate events, having hosted many pig roasts, supper clubs and special outings in the past five years. Eden East, a farm-to-table restaurant, rents a food truck on the site to host Friday and Saturday evening reservation-only dinners. The food truck also caters various events held on-site.

East Austin Urban Farm Tour

The sixth annual tour, which includes an afternoon tour of Boggy Creek Farm, HausBar Farms, Rain Lily Farm and Springdale Farm, takes place 1–5 p.m. April 12. There will also be restaurant tastings and local beer, wine and spirits available for attendees.

For more information, visit www.eastaustinurbanfarmtour.com.

Farm stand

Springdale Farm sells its vegetables and other goods Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Many Austin chefs visit the market rather than order ahead of time, according to the Foores. “One of the chefs said, ‘This is my social time for the week,’” Glenn said.

Restaurants that use produce from Springdale Farm include Arro, Congress, Dai Due, Easy Tiger, Gardner, Lenoir, Odd Duck, Olamaie, Swift’s Attic and Salt & Time.

Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Road, 512-386-8899, www.springdalefarmaustin.com