Vegetable growers in San Francisco got a break this spring when the city’s Board of Supervisors approved legislation allowing gardeners to sell their produce either directly to consumers or to local restaurants. Previous zoning laws prohibited selling home-grown produce without a costly permit and a hearing in front of the city Planning Commission.
The new ordinance allows for the sale, pickup and donation of fresh food and horticultural products grown throughout the city. It also allows for the sale of “value-added products,” such as jams, pickles or pies where the primary ingredients are grown and produced on site in all areas except those zoned exclusively for residential uses. Growing food or horticultural products for personal use remains unregulated.