Farm Description:
    Live Earth Farm is a small, family-owned, certified organic farm located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. We grow a variety of crops selected for their flavor, beauty and nutritional value. The diverse bounty we harvest throughout the season is all grown organically, and thereby more environmentally sustainable, and better for the consumer, agricultural worker, and the land itself. We started our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in 1995 with 25 members, and ten years later we are closing in on 400 members! We farm on about 37 acres now (2005), 9 of our own, and the rest on leased organic land. We now have over 32 locations where you can pick up your share: in Santa Clara County, we deliver as far north as Palo Alto, all the way south to Gilroy, and in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, we deliver from as far north as Ben Lomond in the San Lorenzo Valley, all the way down to Carmel. See our website for a current listing of pick-up locations!

Practices:
    We farm organically, which for us means to work in harmony with nature. Organically grown is not just a label; we believe it is a way of farming where one honors the connection of all living beings and their dependence upon each other. The key to growing nutritious fruits and vegetables is to nurture and grow a healthy soil. We rest our soil in the winter by covering more than 80% of our growing area with a lush cover crop made up of a mix of bell beans, vetch, peas,and barley. This increases the organic matter content and the soil's microbial activity. It also increases fertility and the soil's water retention capacity, and reduces potential soil erosion. Our main source of fertilizer is our "farm-made" compost which we apply at a rate of 6-10 tons per acre. Additional nutrients are sometimes directly fed to the plants in the form of "teas" made of compost, fish and kelp concentrates, and various other organic compounds. We try to preventatively control pest and diseases by selecting appropriate varieties for our growing conditions, following a detailed crop rotation scheme, using physical barriers such as row covers, and releasing beneficial insects. To minimize crop losses from insect pests we grow a large diversity of crops and create natural habitats around our fields to maintain a native beneficial insect population. To control weeds we use mechanical and hand cultivation, flamers, and properly managed irrigation and planting techniques.

Describe your product specialties and highlights:
    Please see the list of fruit and vegetables we grow under 'Production Categories' at right.

Where we sell our products:
    You can sign up for our CSA directly from our website www.liveearthfarm.com. We also sell at several farmers markets: ** Tues: Felton Farmer's Market, 2:30 - 6:30pm, May thru November ** Weds: Santa Cruz Downtown Farmers Market, 2:30 - 6:30pm, year 'round ** Thurs: Capitola Market, 2:30 - 6:30pm, May - Oct ** Fri: West Santa Cruz Farmers Market, 2 - 6pm, year 'round ** Sat: Willow Glen Farmers Market (San Jose/downtown Willow Glen) 8:30am - 12:30pm April thru November ** Sun: Los Gatos Farmers Market, 8:30am - 12:30pm year 'round (we miss an occasional Sunday during the winter months)

Web/Mail Order Items:
    No information provided