High Ground Organics

521 Harkins Slough Rd.
Watsonville, California
95076
831-254-4918

http://highgroundorganics.com

Certified Organic: YES

Description: We are a Certified Organic CSA farm which delivers weekly boxes of vegetables to pick-up sites from Carmel, CA to Palo Alto, CA. Winter shares available!

Products: apples, artichoke, arugula, beets, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chinese greens, collards, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, garlic, green beans, green onions, honey, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lemons, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsnips, pears, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radish, salad greens, salad mix, shallots, spinach, squash, strawberries, summer squash, sweet peppers, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, winter squash, zucchini

Farmers Market: The Mountain View Farmers Market provides local fruits and vegetables to Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, and Santa Clara County year-round direct from over 80 local farmers. It is located at: 600 West Evelyn Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94041 (800) 806-3276 – (925) 465-4690 ?

Farm Stand: We have leased the farmland around the Redman Hirahara House for the past 9 years and are delighted to be able to offer what we grow to the public at the little farmstand on the edge of the property. Located conveniently just off Highway 1 at Riverside Drive in Watsonville, you can stop in here to load up on fresh strawberries, or to buy your week’s lettuce, greens, potatoes, herbs, artichokes, scallions, squash, and other vegetables and fruits. We always have a good variety to sell. In addition to our own certified organic produce, we also sometimes offer a few sought-after items from other local organic farms, including avocados from Old Adobe Orchard, eggs from Fiesta Farm and organic flowers from Steve’s cousin Josh at Thomas Farm.

U-Pick: Strawberry U-Picks on certain days in the summer

Farming Practices: As a small organic family farm, we do a lot of things differently from the big farms around us. Here are some of the practices that we take pride in: Extensive use of cover cropping both in winter and summer to improve soil fertility, outcompete weeds, and preserve the topsoil during rains Crop rotation to prevent soilborne disease and pest build-up in any given portion of the farm Planting and maintaining insectary hedgerows of native plants to provide habitat for beneficial insects Conservation tillage practices to reduce fuel consumption and reduce soil compaction Planting on contour to prevent erosion Planting perennials, like blueberries, apples, and pears, on our steepest hillsides to reduce the disturbance of the ground in areas most vulnerable to erosion Taking steeper areas out of production early in the fall to establish a strong cover crop before the winter rains Use of beneficial insects to keep the two-spotted spider mite under control in our strawberry fields Strategic use of terracing for better management of steep hillsides Use of organic seed and seed stock wherever possible No use of pesticides, even organic approved ones. Use of organic compost and organic fertilizers only Participation in studies and research to add to the knowledge base for all organic growers