I am a 64-year-old woman who fell in love with the soil about seven years ago. My husband, Kirk, and I live just outside the city limits of Fortuna, California, in beautiful Humboldt County. I run the farm with the help of a couple of assistants, while Kirk, a licensed civil engineer, supports the farm through infrastructure, maintenance, and systems design.
We began as a licensed medicinal cannabis farm and microbusiness and expanded into growing produce about five years ago. We believe food is medicine and grow with a deep focus on soil health. Our practices include no-till farming, cover cropping, companion planting, crop rotation, alley cropping, electroculture, and on-farm composting. We maintain a worm farm and make our own compost teas and plant-based amendments.
We are expanding our farm this year and plan to sell at three weekly farmers markets as well as supply local schools. Our goal is to grow nutrient-dense food while caring for the land and sharing knowledge with others.
We share our farm with a dog, three alpacas, and chickens.
We grow a wide range of produce and make several value-added products, which we lovingly refer to as “healthy fast food.” Education is central to everything we do — we believe it’s important to teach our customers and community not only how we grow, but why we grow. Our mission is to help make our community healthier through food and land stewardship.
Typical farm activities include weeding, planting, transplanting, harvesting, washing and preparing produce for market, collecting and spreading alpaca manure, building soil, and mulching. We practice chop-and-drop, closely observe our crops for signs of pests or stress, and work intentionally with the soil. We work hard — and we truly love what we do.
Days vary depending on the season and weather, but with five small greenhouses, there is always meaningful work to do. On our eight acres, tasks may also include tree trimming, trellising tomatoes and cucumbers, general farm maintenance, and infrastructure projects.
WWOOFers will learn regenerative farming practices, soil health, composting and vermiculture, greenhouse growing, value-added food production, and how food can be grown as medicine. We aim to create a hands-on, educational, and supportive learning environment.
We provide WWOOFers with a comfortable one-bedroom trailer located on our property. It includes a queen-sized bed, a chaise lounge that can be used as an additional sleeping space, a full kitchen, and a private bathroom. WWOOFers are welcome to cook inside the trailer or outside using a camping stove. We also have a BBQ and a firepit available for shared use.
We enjoy sharing community meals and fellowship in our gazebo and aim to create a warm, welcoming, and supportive living environment. We are also planning to build an outdoor kitchen in the future, though the timeline is not yet set.
We believe Humboldt County is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Our area is home to old-growth redwood forests, six rivers, and the Pacific Ocean. There are paved bike paths, mountain biking trails, abundant hiking, birdwatching, surfing (you’ll need a thick wetsuit!), kayaking, fishing, and many other outdoor activities. Nearby is the charming Victorian town of Ferndale. While there are no public swimming pools, there is no shortage of natural beauty and adventure.
We enjoy hiking, water and snow skiing, hunting, traveling, hosting friends, and cooking shared meals—though farm life keeps us busy! We have four grown children, with one currently living nearby.
Hablamos un poco de español y uno de nuestros trabajadores habla español con fluidez. Damos la bienvenida a WWOOFers que hablen español y nos encanta compartir y aprender juntos.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Raising of other farm animals
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Production farm
3.2
Hectares
|
8
Acres
