Urban Farm Takes Root Amid Strip Malls, EcoCity draws residents looking for fresh food, healthier lifestyle

EcoCity Farms grows vegetables in winter. The Edmonston, Maryland, farm near Washington is an unlikely place to harvest produce in any season. Its four climate-controlled greenhouses standout in an otherwise bleak landscape dotted with small homes, strip malls and car repair shops.

Over the past two years, the farm has become a magnet for the community, attracting volunteers like Marcy Clark, who homeschools her four children. On this day, Clark uses EcoCity Farms as a lesson in sustainable agriculture.

“It’s important that the children understand the connection between the food that they eat, the soil, the air, the pollution, how all this is connected to their well-being,” she says.