Jacksonville to consider ‘Free to Garden’ urban farming rules as bill heads to council

A small farm tucked into Jacksonville’s Springfield neighborhood is fueling a renewed push at City Hall to spell out clearer rules for urban agriculture — especially when it comes to selling what you grow.Nathan Ballentine, who runs Overalls Farms, said growing food isn’t the hard part. The challenge, he said, has been operating without clear guidance from the city on how community and market gardens fit into Jacksonville’s zoning code.“They said… ‘we can’t tell you you can do that… but we also can’t tell you you can’t do that,’” Ballentine said.Supporters say that uncertainty helped launch what residents began calling the “Free to Garden Act” — a community push to create a legal framework for urban farming and neighborhood-scale gardens.A farm model serving hundreds of familiesBallentine says his Springfield site is one of several small urban plots in his operation.“We’re at Overalls Farm 3… which is our neighborhood farm,” Ballentine said.Across the farms, Ballentine said they have “