City Farmers Nursery — Attraction in San Diego

I adore this nursery...simply adore it. you dont get more local business, built from the ground up, completely reliable garden experts, than city farmers nursery. so people, i implore to you...go here if you want to get things done right the first time (learn from my mistakes!).

interestingly enough, i discovered city farmers from admiring a fantastic raised box front garden in OB. there i was, with my head turned upward (no joke) at the massive tomato plants before me --jack and the beanstalk style reaching into the sky! after standing around taking photos with my phone and the house dog gained attention, the owner came out to see Heather the Weirdo in front of her house. she revealed her secret to me: she got her dirt supplies at city farmers. some people might already know the secret of chicken manure in your garden mixture? it was new to me...that and a few other delightful elements she listed off got me to make the drive southward to this nursery. you can get everything you could possibly want to perfect your soil for gardening....down to purchases coyote urane (i assumed to ward off animals!)

catch farmer bill on a good day when its not too busy, and he will do a free soil test on your dirt! its not advanced...its more a garden expert trained eye of viewing the different component separation in water, and even tasting the soil for its pH. thanks to a sleepy sunday visit, i got full-fledged education on what was wrong with my soil and how to correct it (in care you care to know, it was taking out 1/3 compost, adding more regular dirt, and purchasing chicken manure, worm castings, and some sulfer pellets). they have bins and bins of bulk science experiment things to give you. blood meal, bone meal...etc etc. im still learning :) moral to the story is: if you are concerned about your garden soil quality COME HERE TO ADDRESS IT. absolute best place to get the right answers you can rely on. and being the basis of successful gardening, this is why i implore you to start and finish your gardening here.

some other things i love:

they are slowly on the road to becoming completely anti-plastic. when purchasing veggie starters you are instructed to use a shovel to scoop out a plant and put it in a paper bag. no throw-away plastic containers, i love it!

prices are fair. the veggies i got were sold for $2.19 for singles, or $5 for 6-pack varieties. cheaper than armstrong.

fun place to bring your kids. you can pay a flat price to have your kiddies hunt for worms in a soil container, to take home for your garden.

did i mention super knowledgable staff? and family-run business. bill is one of those guys you could sit and talk to all day...listening to his stories and facts. he is quite possibly the most genuine, personable, friendly person ive ever met. my favorite quote of the afternoon (when inquiring about delivery service, which they do have for ~$75) was "if you dont have a friend with a truck, you need new friends." haha bill, touché. and as he boasted about why he loves his job: "everyone who comes in here is happy."

i think that has a lot to do with the way this business runs...kudos bill, on owning my new favorite nursery...

I’ve stopped by this place and purchased things multiple times. The parking situation is definitely tricky, very small parking lot shared with a restaurant. I don’t think I’ve ever came and easily found parking, this is mostly out of their control though.. but just be ready to spend some extra time waiting or looking for parking.

The space is absolutely adorable. I could spend all day wandering around the gardens, there is an incredible amount to see! I don’t think I’ve ever not found a plant I was looking for because they have such a wide variety. Herbs, fruits, vegetables, bonsai trees, native plants, etc. I do wish the native plant section was much larger.

It also looks like they host free classes? That is a very cool offering for the community. I’ve seen the teaching space and it’s adorable! I’d love to attend one day.

My main issue with this place is the treatment animals- it’s giving hoarder vibes.

I truly have not ever seen tortoises in person in that bad of condition, and I’ve met a lot of tortoises.

Their tortoises are all in VERY small enclosures (the equivalent of you being in a queen mattress sized space) every time I have came over there they are all hiding which is concerning for cooler days, they should be wanting to bask. Their shells are extremely dry because they don’t have access to soak themselves and might not be on a proper diet, which is absolutely necessary for tortoises.

Their shells are all extremely “pyramided” which could not be their fault if they are rescues they received at an older age, but given their living conditions and overall health concerns, there’s a lot more they could be doing for their health and well-being.

The turtles are also concerning, the recommendation is 10 gallons of water per inch of the turtle's shell length.. the amount of turtles they have in net pond is highly concerning.

I have a really hard time returning to this place because of the animals living conditions. I also hope that their donkeys get regular exercise and aren’t confined to that small pen 24/7.

Animal welfare is a difficult topic because we’re also are they going to go? So I hope they can make adequate changes to the animals living conditions by doing research on species...

City Farmers Nursery is amazing! I come here for native plants for my garden. They have an ample and diverse selection from Moosa Creek, everything from cacti and succulents to grasses, flowers, vines, shrubs and trees! They rotate the plants based on availability so I always find something new and interesting when I visit. Native plants are just one of many things they carry, though. This place is a lush maze of surprises! They have just about everything- fruit trees, bonsai plants, water plants, tropicals- you just need to come check it out for yourself! I also can't say enough positive things about the staff. Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable. Whether you're a beginner gardener with a lot of questions, or more seasoned, the folks here are easy to chat with and welcoming. They also carry soil which is really reasonably priced for its high quality. It's been better than anything I've gotten from a chain. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find what you're looking for here. If you're worried about parking or lots of people, come during a weekday if you can, or earlier in the day on the weekend. As a neurodivergent person I can definitely navigate this nursery during the weekdays and have found it a lot more doable than a...