Serving as a vehicle for youth education and development, the Youth Farm at Hilltop Urban Farm engages school-aged children from the Hilltop communities with food production and teamwork. Partnering with the Pittsburgh Arlington School, Lighthouse Cathedral, and the New Academy Charter School, the Youth Farm acts as a living agricultural and ecological laboratory for children. It promotes the teaching of Nutrition & Cooking, Growing Food, Local Food Systems, Agriculture as a Career Pathway, and Ecology of Western Pennsylvania through the lens of urban farming with the support of program partners Penn State Extension, Allegheny Land Trust Education Department, Power Up, and Grow Pittsburgh.

All elements of the Youth Farm are visually appealing, colorful, child-friendly and scaled to size. Children can expect to learn, play and interact among raised bed growing areas, youth gardens, a youth orchard and a youth food forest.

Youth Farm Programs

After-school programs, summer camp, youth employees, tours & workshops. Reach out to learn more about what is being offered this year.
hattie@hilltopurbanfarm.org

PRODUCTION ORCHARD

Hilltop Urban Farm planted the largest orchard in the City of Pittsburgh on May 4th, 2019. The one-acre orchard features 175 fruit and nut trees, including Apricot, Elderberry, Apple, Hazelnut, Cherry, Peach, Pear, Asian Pear, Nectarine, and Fig. The orchard planting was a partnership with The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation and Plant Five for Life. Within the orchard, Hilltop Urban Farm has planted 52 cider trees in partnership with Threadbare Cider House, a local cider house and meadery in Pittsburgh’s Spring Garden neighborhood.

YOUTH FARM ORCHARD

In May 2018, Hilltop Urban Farm planted 47 fruit trees to establish the Youth Farm orchard. In September 2018, Hilltop Urban Farm planted 20 restoration chestnut trees with the support of the American Chestnut Planting Foundation and Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences.