• Integrated Pest Management
• Riparian Habitat
• Sustainable Methods
• Organic Labels

Rosemary Oil or DDT?

We use a method of pest control called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which we feel is great for our health as well as that of our planet. Each day we look at our plants and identify problems while they are small and react with the softest method possible. For example we release 'good bugs' that eat 'bad bugs.' No chemicals involved at all. Dont worry, the good bugs like to hang out deep in the plants lush canopy, not on the parts we sell! When we do use a chemical, we do not want to harm our 'good bugs' so we use chemicals that affect only the target pest. We prefer OMRI certified products which are approved for use on organic crops. My personal favorite is a rosemary oil. This differs from broad spectrum pesticides which basically kill everything. Unfortunately many imported flowers use pesticides that are banned in the US as known carcinogens and as having very negative impacts on our planet. Please consider this when you choose via your purchase which approach you endorse.

Pajaro River

The Pajaro River which is listed as one of the ten most endangered rivers in the US by the group American Rivers lies on our northern property line. Here a third of our land is dedicated to riparian habitat. Good for the endangered species, good for our carbon footprint mitigation and good for the planet.

Coco Coir, Rice Hulls and Compost (Oh My!)

Rather than use peat moss we go with coco coir (ground up coconut husk) which is a waste by product of the coconut industry thus recycling a waste instead of impacting natural resources as peat harvesting can. Rice hulls are another by product that we add to the coir to allow better air space in the soil. We also compost all our organic waste using the shredded material as mulch to improve the soil.

Why Labels are not Always a Good Thing

To become certified organic, sustainable, or some other term is a costly process. On our farm we grow a few acres of Kiwi fruit. They are grown organically but we could never recover the cost of becoming certified. So we cannot say they are grown organically. The word ORGANIC is controlled by a small group of for-profit and "non-profit" groups. To me this seems unfair and I will not be party to it.

We feel organic has become some what of a buzz word and that many well intentioned people assume the word to imply better when in reality they may be doing more harm than good. For example runoff from manure pollutes as surely as chemical fertilizers with the added issues of bacterial contamination. As with your health, healthful flower growing requires a balanced approach using common sense, restraint, and when required medicine. However as with medicine for your body, using the least intrusive approach beats the nuclear approach.