Scottsdale’s Secret Garden

Singh Farms is a hidden oasis of organic goodness a stone’s throw from downtown Scottsdale

Ever find yourself sitting in traffic, bored, but soaking in your surroundings? Maybe it’s a cool-looking new florist shop, or a mom and pop deli you’d never noticed before. Or maybe it’s a sprawling 20-acre organic farm perched atop one of the Valley’s busiest freeway intersections.

Tucked behind a wall of earthen berms and mesquites at the northeast corner of Thomas Road and the 101 North, Singh Farms is a tiny plot of land with a big-time reputation among local chefs and landscapers. That’s because, aside from providing fresh-plucked produce and herbs for high-end kitchens such as Prado at the InterContinental Montelucia, everyone from Whole Foods and Nordstrom to the Desert Botanical Garden brings their green waste here to have it transformed into organic compost.

Every Saturday owners Lee and Ken Singh open the farm to the public from 9 am to 1 pm, selling an impressive assortment of seasonal goodies, as well as gunnysacks full of Ken’s famed compost. Wander the scenic grounds, but watch out for the wild mustangs and honeybee hives. The farm might not look as postcard-perfect as it did before this week’s storms and freezing weather, but it’s still well worth the drive from anywhere.

Paradise Found: Thomas Rd., just east of the 101 North