It’s something the urban farmer in your life has probably told you more than once: food just tastes better when it’s grown and sourced locally. These gardening gifts for urban farmers are the best way to get them started on their own food growing journey to save money, enrich their life and enjoy new-to-them foods along the way!

Below are just a few of the options suggested to us by some of the most trusted food gardening experts in the northern gardening community (Note: As an Amazon Associate, MSHS earns from qualifying purchases):

1. Hydroponic gardening system: Your urban farmer can grow small herbs and vegetables all year round with this Rainpoint hydroponic gardening system. They’ll know exactly where their food is coming from with easy operation and daily education along the way. (Buy on Amazon) P.S. Want to boost their hydroponic growing IQ? Check out one of these books from our friend, Larry Cippola, over at our Bookshop!
2. Herb leaf strippers: Help your urban farmer get their garden herbs on the plate quicker with this fun and effective herb leaf stripper. Keep all the fresh taste and aromas that come with newly-plucked herbs while giving your urban farmer and their family an enjoyable, interactive job in the kitchen. (Buy on Amazon)
3. Green onion scissors: Now any urban farmer can enjoy professionally sliced green onions at home in no time with this fun and functional herb scissors. Anything that helps with spending less time prepping and more time noshing will go a long away as a gift idea. (Buy on Amazon)
4. Slicer/chopper/mandolin with collection box: Everyone likes to think they’re on a detailed and labor-intensive cooking show in the kitchen, but let’s be honest; tools like this vegetable chopper and collector make life so much easier (and meal prep so much more enjoyable). Help your urban farmer keep their kitchen clean with this handy, all-in-one device for chopping fresh veggies on their countertop. (Buy on Amazon)
5. Harvest basket: Want to give your urban farmer some perfect social media photo opps? Get this harvest basket from Gardener’s Supply Company in their life and they’ll be turning chores into champagne picnics in the garden. On top of being a cute gift idea, it’s also fully functional and long-lasting to encourage years of close-to-home food growing and security. (Buy on Amazon)
6. Elevated Raised Bed: This elevated cedar planter box from Gardener’s Supply Company will give your urban farmer a perfect waystation just outside their back door for small crops or batches of herbs while also keeping them protected from the hungry critters who share their space. It’s makes for an especially great gift idea for urban farmers who don’t like to make long-term decisions about where to put their garden! (Buy on Amazon)
7. Outdoor cold frame: Ask any northern gardener, and they’ll tell you their cold frame is essential for extending our short growing window in the upper Midwest. This wooden cold frame offers the ideal growing environment for late-season crops by essentially giving your urban farmer a portable greenhouse that isn’t also an eyesore in the back yard. (Buy on Amazon)
8. Microgreens kit: Many new food gardeners we talk to mention how much they love supplementing meals with microgreens—not only because it provides a healthy boost to salads and pastas, but because it’s also a fun, interactive growing experience! This kit in particular provides a sustainable way to grow microgreens in a beautifully decorated frame. (Buy on Amazon)
9. Ball jars: You can’t be a true urban farmer without also being a food preserver, especially if your seed packets are bigger than your stomach! These Ball jars are the tried and tested favorite of food preservers everywhere, providing a timeless look to a functional tool. (Buy on Amazon) Pro tip: The more, the merrier! We think these Ball jars look best when your foodie has a dozen or more packed and stacked on their pantry shelves.
10. Seed block maker for seed starting: This seed block maker has changed the game for early-season seed starters everywhere. This well-constructed device ensures your urban farmer feels on top of their game when starting vegetables and herbs early in the year, turning what used to be a messy, discouraging task into one they’ll be looking forward to as soon as the snow begins to melt outside. (Buy on Amazon)
11. Kitchen compost bin: Help your urban farmer complete their sustainable gardening cycle with this attractive and functional countertop compost bin. Nothing will bring them more joy than the act of being able to turn this year’s garden scraps into next year’s soil. (Buy on Amazon)
12. Birdie’s Beds from Epic Gardening: These Birdie’s Beds from Epic Gardening come highly rated by our friend Michelle Bruhn of Forks in the Dirt. Shop her affiliate store to find the perfect patio or yard planter that fits your foodie’s aesthetic, and you’ll be supporting her mission to grow more gardeners in the north. (Buy at Michelle’s storefront)
13. Seed Savers membership: Our friends down in Decorah, Iowa offer yearly memberships to food gardeners for access to heirloom vegetable and flower seeds, reciprocal admission to gardens across the country and member meetup groups. Pair it with a gift membership to the Minnesota Horticultural Society and your urban farmer will be able to save on an annual membership through our Discount Partner program! (Buy a membership)

Now that you have some gift ideas for foodies written down, you may be wondering which are the best options to begin with. Be sure to ask your urban farmer what their ambitions are for food gardening next year—they may just want a kitchen garden on their patio to grow herbs or something to place in the window. Or, they may want a full bounty of vegetables and greens! It’s not all on you to ensure their foodie gardening success, but the gift you give them could go a long way in encouraging their new passion. Any questions on these items? Need more ideas? Be sure to let us know.

Pssst… A gift membership to the Minnesota Horticultural Society could also be a great solution for your urban farmer (and take some of the heat off of you to find the right gift!). Our Winter issue of Northern Gardener magazine provides some great ideas for food gardening. They’ll get access to the digital edition right away, or you could pick up a print issue from our online store for a great stocking stuffer.

We’ll also send your urban farmer our Digital Planning Guide in late winter to help them get the edge on growing food in our unpredictable northern climate. With twelve months worth of gifts, your foodie will never be left hungering for more food gardening information as long as they’re a member of the Minnesota Horticultural Society.