What We Grow

We have over 30 mature fruit trees, the most striking of which is our central fig tree. She's at least 50 years old and is incredibly fruitful. Other trees include apple, apricot, Asian pear, avocado, babaco papaya, banana, carob, cherry, lemon guava, key lime, loquat, mandarin, nectarine, cara cara orange, olive, peach, pear, fuyu & hachiya persimmons, pomegranate, pomelo, plum, and yuzu.

In the summer and spring months, you'll find a kaleidoscope of vegetables including cherry and heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, chilies, cucumbers, onions, garlic, zucchini, tricolor beans, sweet corn, arugula, red leaf lettuce, and French breakfast radishes.

Winter months include mixed color carrots, rainbow chard, yacón, and Red Russian, dino, and curly kales.

Snaking up the stairs to the house is a beautiful passionfruit vine while 12-foot-tall sugarcane stalks grow below. Chayote vines creep over the chicken coop and grapevines line the fence. Deeper into the garden you'll find strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry patches, artichoke, hibiscus, Surinam cherry, and goji berry bushes, pepino dulce, Chilean guava, and sugar snap peas.

Two colonies of honey bees buzz happily throughout the garden. Around the hives, we've planted native species such as milkweed, as well as other flowering perennials like butterfly bushes, dahlias, California poppies, salvia, silver sage, euryops, & cobweb thistle.

While there are two designated herb beds situated at the top of the garden, they also grow throughout the rest of the space, popping up in the vegetable beds and around tree bases. They include mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, cilantro, rosemary, lavender, nutmeg-scented geranium, & various sages.

We have three types of chickens: Black Sex Link, Buff Orpington, and Barred Rock. The six ladies lay the most beautiful eggs daily. They live on a healthy diet of organic chicken feed with whole grains and seeds. We give them berries as well as other fruit and vegetable treats from the garden. 

Flowers are an essential part of the garden. Most importantly, their colors attract pollinators which is crucial for the reproduction of many plants including vegetables. They support biodiversity and serve as a food source for birds and insects. You'll find tons of varieties scattered throughout the garden, including abutilon, calla lilies, zinnias, lupine, marigolds, dahlias, poppies, and sunflowers.

Fun Fact: there are more than 60 different families of succulents comprising over 20,000 different varieties. We don't have that many, but we do have dozens, if not hundreds, of varieties including: jade, aloe vera, pink ice plant, agaves, sedums, euphorbias, echeveria, and so many more. These low-maintenance plants fill the borders and bring welcome color during dry or cold seasons.

Native California plants hold a special place in our hearts. From the super-local mazanitas, mimulus, and ceanothus, to semi-local egiogonums and white sage, these species thrive in our unique Mediterranean climate and soil conditions like none other!