Product Services

 PLANNING:  

We provide the expertise and knowledge necessary to successfully incorporate food-producing plants into your existing landscape.  Our most popular offering is the creation of a personalized ‘family farm’ plot, but we also work with folks that simply want to add a fruit tree or two, build a grape arbor or plant some hedge berries.  Edible plants can be effectively and aesthetically worked into any landscape!  For other ideas on working edibles into your landscape, check our ‘Additional Edible Services’.

We provide consultation on-site to talk about the options that your space provides and to determine your degree of involvement in the project.  You are not required to work in your garden unless that is your wish!  Our part can be as simple as ‘consultation only’ (with you doing all of the farming) or our ‘full care’ option;  we do the farming, you eat the benefits!  If you pay someone to mow your lawn and trim your hedges, why not hire your own ‘family farmer’!  Most families find the costs comparable to what they would pay to shop for organic produce…

Family Farm Plots – We design and customize a backyard farm tailored to your family’s tastes and eating habits.  We have developed a quick and easy questionnaire that allows you to make specific choices about what will be produced in your garden.

WHAT WE REQUIRE:  

  • A garden area that receives at least 6 hours of sun daily with some protection from animals (large pets, digging cats, deer etc)
  • Nearby water source.
  • A commitment NOT to use pesticides or herbicides near this area.
  • A small area for composting (4×4) is requested but not required.
  • An understanding that we share in the weather-related risks of growing food (we can’t always predict what nature will throw at us!).
  • A HEALTHY APPETITE!

INSTALLATION:

Construction:  Once we have plotted the location, our experienced crew will do any necessary removals (including lawn reduction) to make room for your family farm.  A typical size for a family of four is 20 x 20 square feet; 15 x 15 for two people and a minimal 10 x 10 plot can feed an individual or family of 2.  The area needs to get at least 6 hours of sun per day!  We are licensed contractors and can take care of moving irrigation lines, transplanting, moving night lighting or any other incidentals associated with your install.

Depending on your preferences, installation can be as simple as laying out pathways and growing rows or it can include more aesthetic or practical upgrades like raised beds, theme gardens, permanent pathways, access for the disabled, fencing (from wildlife, pets, view or for appearance).  Most farms require some trellis construction for climbing and plants that can be trained to grow upward, which provides more space on the ground for intensive growing.  We are able to merge the family food plot seamlessly into most landscapes so that it becomes a pleasant visual addition as well as a productive part of the landscape.  New home buyers are asking for garden plots, and we don’t see a downward trend in the future for this property upgrade!

Soil Preparation: Proper soil preparation is vital and we prefer, whenever possible, to do this in the fall/winter prior to the spring planting season for full benefit.  Types of compost used and incorporation methods will vary based on your particular soil type and site.  Organic compost mulching is practiced throughout the growing season.  We prefer to have a small area for composting near the garden plot so we can recycle garden waste back into your soil!

Watering System:  We will install some type of automatic watering system for your family farm plot.  In some cases we can tap into the existing landscape sprinklers to accomplish this;  in other cases, we need a nearby hose bib and battery operated timer.

Planting:  We can supply and plant your farm with seed and plants, based on your choices and plot design.  We use heirloom varieties whenever possible and avoid genetically modified sources.  We choose varieties that are productive and vigorous in our locale.  We offer a wide variety of choices, but if you have specific varieties you want and wish to supply the seed or plants, we will plant them for you.  Staggered plantings of rotated crops provide the most abundant produce throughout the year in California…some clients prefer a ‘summer only farm’ while others prefer the ‘year-round farm’ option.  It’s totally up to you!

MAINTENANCE AND ONGOING CARE:

Your backyard farmer is available to stop in weekly during the warmer months and as needed the rest of the season.  We will weed, check for pests, compost, fertilize, make additional plantings as necessary (based on your plan), prune and harvest.  We do NOT use pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers!

You will find your freshly harvested produce at your back door on a pre-scheduled weekday, washed and ready to eat!

CUSTOMIZED OPTIONS:

Your farm, your way.  Let us know how we can help you create your dream plot.  Decide what your needs are, how much time you have and what your budget is and let’s come up with a custom plan that works for you.  Sometimes the best intentions go awry and clients run short on time…we can rescue you.  We enjoy and welcome the involvement of all family members in their gardens.

Our goal is to provide more local, sustainable. and nutritious ways to feed our families…one garden at a time!  We also hope that the experiences we provide can ignite a new interest in the thrill and satisfaction of growing your own food on your own soil!

ADDITIONAL EDIBLE SERVICES

There are unlimited ideas for adding edibles to your existing property!  Even small areas can produce delicious food for your kitchen…some folks have farms that fill their whole yard and produce enough food to share with neighbors and friends.  You choose what is right for you!  Even a single dwarf fruit tree or a grapevine will produce POUNDS of fruit that will taste better than anything you can buy in a grocery store while providing the satisfaction of growing it right in your own soil!  This list of installations we have provided for previous customers will give you some ideas:

Children‘s Gardens:  We believe that ALL children benefit from being part of the experience of growing what they eat!  There should be edibles near play areas that children can snack on, right off the plants…teepees of beans to camp under…and berries to eat until their fingers and mouths are purple!  We design safe garden areas especially for children, that cater to their tender tastes and sense of whimsy and fun!  Let’s turn that unused old sandbox into a strawberry farm!

Herb Gardens:  Herbs can be inter-planted with veggies or featured in a formal herb garden.  If you like to cook with fresh herbs, you will find inspiration in your very own backyard herb garden!  There are seasonal (i.e. basil, cilantro, dill)  and perennial herbs (i.e. tarragon, oregano, chives, sage, rosemary).  Herb gardens can be grown simply in a collection of pots or laid out as an elegant focal point in your yard surrounding an antique urn.  Your choice!  

Fruit Trees: Plant one, plant an orchard;  use dwarf types for a mini-orchard!  Fruit trees come in three sizes – standard, dwarf, and semi-dwarf.  We can create a living fence with fruit trees or espalier on a wall. There are columnar apples that only need 3-4′ of space!  Types that perform well in our locale include:

  • Almond
  • Loquat
  • Pear
  • Apple
  • Mulberry
  • Persimmon
  • Apricot
  • Nectarine
  • Plum
  • Citrus
  • Olive
  • Pomegranate
  • Fig
  • Paw Paw
  • Kumquat
  • Peach

We can help you SELECT the right varieties, SITE and PLANT them for you and PRUNE them for best fruit production.  We also PRUNE YOUR EXISTING FRUIT TREES.

Berries: If you have some extra space, there’s nothing like your own fresh berries!!  Perfect for that sunny strip up against a fence or even along the driveway edge.  There are berries that excel in our area:

  • Blackberries
  • Loganberries
  • Blueberries (best in pots)
  • Olallieberries
  • Boysenberries
  • Strawberries

Grapes: Grapes bask in our warm summers!  Try a juicy, crisp table grape trained on a fence or an arbor.  If you have more space or an unused slope…why not plant a vineyard?  You can try your hand as a winemaker…  Fresh grapes look beautiful on the table and kids love the sweetness.  There are grapes for eating, juicing and for making different types of wine.

Patio Farms:  We have clients living in condensed settings that allow only a few containers for growing edibles…yes there are varieties that will grow in pots!  They won’t supply all your produce needs, but having a supply of fresh tomatoes, potatoes or herbs (and more) is certainly possible!

  • Artichoke
  • Arugula
  • Asparagus*
  • Beans:
    • Fava
    • Snap
  • Beets
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Chard
  • Collards
  • Corn*
  • Cucumbers:
    • Lemon
    • Pickling
    • Slicing
  • Eggplant
  • Flowers – edible (pollination)
  • Garlic
  • Ground Cherry
  • Herbs:
    • Basil
    • Chives
    • Cilantro
    • Dill
    • Parsley
  • Melon:
    • Cantaloupe
    • Watermelon
  • Okra
  • Onions:
    • Green 
    • Full bulb
  • Kale
  • Leeks
  • Lettuce
  • Mustard Greens
  • Parsnip
  • Peas
  • Peppers:
    • Extra hot
    •  Hot
    • Mild (i.e. Anaheim, Poblano)
    • Sweet
  • Potatoes
  • Radishes
  • Rhubarb*
  • Spinach
  • Shallots
  • Squash:
    • Acorn
    •  Butternut        
    • Delicata
    • Patty Pan
    • Pumpkin (carving)
    • Pumpkin (pie)
    • Spaghetti
    • Zucchini
  • Strawberry
  • Tomatillo
  • Tomatoes:
    • Cherry
    • Heirloom
    • Slicers
  • Turnips