Cole Canyon Farm

Cole Canyon Farm
Steve Rehn and Pamela Mason
1495 Cole Road
Aromas, CA 95004
831-726-3990
colecanyon@colecanyonfarm.com
http://www.colecanyonfarm.com

Markets: Aptos, Carmel, and Monterey

Products: Vegetable starts including heirloom tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and squash. Herb starts including some unique items such as Holy Basil, Vietnamese Coriander, and Shiso. Seasonal window boxes including annual and perennial herbs.

History/Philosophy: Working with our respective parents in the garden was a happy memory for each of us. Steve grew up in the urban Sunset District of San Francisco. I (Pamela) grew up on a small farm in Ohio. Our childhoods were different, as were our gardens, but the experience was memorable. When we purchased our five acres in Aromas, we finally had room for year-round gardening.

We started our garden in the spring with transplants purchased from stores and nurseries. As the summer progressed though, we found smaller selections to choose from. Fall and winter vegetables and herbs were simply not available. So we began starting our own! One or two packets of heirloom tomato seeds turned in 180 tomato plants, which turned into a thousand tomato plants stored all over the place, which finally turned into a greenhouse, a truck, a canopy, and a space at a farmers market or two!

We remain committed to year-round gardening as a means of growing high quality, healthy, seasonal foods and herbs. We believe in our seeds and our gardening practices and find that our seedlings do beautifully without the use of pesticides or other unnatural additives. Our customers share with us that sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from a table laden with home-grown vegetables, picked the same day from a garden lush with productive, healthy plants.

Certifications: County certification.

Soil: We purchase sterile soil seed mixes and potting soils.

Weed Control: By hand.

Pest Management: By hand with the help of chickens.

Water Use: Minimal.

Workers: Part-time seasonal workers are employed to help transplant the starts and sell them at the farmers markets, as well as farm work.