Eatwell Farm

FARMLAND: 65 acres in Dixon (Solano County), 70 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

PEOPLE: Nigel Walker and twin boys Eric and Andrew, along with 11 full-time and 6 seasonal employees

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Nigel Walker grew up in Leicester, England, and studied Agriculture in Essex. Nigel developed an interest in organic agriculture early on and in 1997, purchased his own land. Eatwell Farm grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and sells many specialty lavender products from its Lavender Farm. The farm also sells pasture-raised, organic eggs. Besides selling at the farmers’ market, Eatwell Farm operates a sizable community supported agriculture (CSA) program. To conserve energy and reduce pollution, Nigel uses recycled vegetable oil to run his diesel irrigation pump and delivery truck.

SOIL: The silty clay loam is built with compost, cover crops, crop stubble, and gypsum. The use of animals, on a rotational basis, provides a natural source of nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient. Certified organic fertilizers are also used.

WEED CONTROL: Hand and machine cultivation, inter-crop rotation, and soil solarization.

PEST MANAGEMENT: Population monitoring, release of beneficial insects, habitat creation for beneficial insects, pheromone disruption, application of certified organic pesticides, crop rotation, selection of resistant varieties.

WATER USE: Irrigation by drip, furrow and sprinkler.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: CCOF since 2000