We have been farming on the historic Simis Ranch in the Northern Mono Basin since 2006, growing nearly all of our own food and providing products for Sierra Bounty as well as for local markets. Products we specialize in include humanely raised grass-based chickens, eggs and turkeys, and such vegetables as head lettuce, cabbage, squash and various root vegetables.

I began growing vegetables in Mono City in the early eighties, as my home's landscaping ultimately transformed into an edible garden.  In 1997, I bought property in the Bodie Hills and immediately built a greenhouse.  Today, my farm is known for hydroponic tomatoes and lettuce.  I am self-sustaining with very minimal environmental impact, and totally "off the grid."  I designed the indoor hydroponic system because the soil here is poor; I don't have to over-irrigate and opt not to use pesticides or herbicides.  Although my vegetables aren't organic, I'd like for us to one day be a biodynamic property, and have my place to serve as a learning institute for solar panel usage in farming and various other sustainable farming techniques... anybody can do what I am doing and feed a community from out of a small space.

Banner Springs Ranch
Delinda Briggs and Jeph Gundzik

Banner Springs Ranch is a small "eco-minded" Organic farm located at 7,500' feet in rural Mono County.  The ranch is completely off-grid, powered by photovoltaic solar panels and a small wind generator.  The 40-acre parcel, surrounded by the Inyo National Forest, has two artesian springs nestled into a hillside of pinon pines.  First inhabited by Native Americans harvesting pinon nuts, hunting deer and small game, it was then patented as a homestead in the late 1800s, being used for livestock production and mining.  My husband and I began farming the relatively untouched native soil by Certified Organic standards in 2005.  In 2007, we doubled the area under cultivation by adding a shaded hoop house.  Spring of 2009 we expanded again, adding Organic hops for our local brewery and focusing production on Organic salad greens and some culinary herbs.  We are now planting another 7500 sq. feet plot under a newly built shaded field house to include a variety of root crops like garlic, shallots, onions and potatoes.

Seismic Gardens
Martin and Dory Freeman

Goat Hollow Gardens
The Hendersons

The Henderson Family of Goat Hollow Garden is pleased to present you with delicious and nutritious local produce grown in the rich soil of Bishop Creek in the shadow of the mighty Sierra.  Farming is a family adventure for Brad and Amy Henderson, along with daughters Claire (10) and Hannah (6).  Amy and Brad are well-known Permaculture practitioners and native plant enthusiasts.  Their former garden in Lawndale, California was featured the PBS show, California’s Green, in 2004.  Since moving to Goat Hollow Garden in August 2009, the family has kept busy transforming their new yard into a productive garden and home for chickens, goats, and ducks, while encouraging native plants and animals in other parts of the yard. The Hendersons’ gardening philosophy is focused on working with nature, using abundant amounts of composted grass, hay, straw, and leaves, along with aged goat, chicken, and horse manure to build rich soils.  Clovers and other “green manures” also provide a free and natural boost to nutrient levels in the soil.  The Hendersons grow a wide variety of vegetables and free-range eggs, and are especially interested in passive solar methods to extend the harvest season. The Hendersons hope that their small garden and others like it can feed a growing Eastern Sierra locavore movement.
Visit Goat Hollow Gardens Blog!
http://goathollowgarden.blogspot.com/

Dennis Oakeshott began gardening in the Eastern Sierra with a single raised bed of spinach in his front yard in Mammoth.  After a midsummer hailstorm that left it looking like Swiss cheese, he decided to head down to a lower elevation.  He has been practicing organic “gardeneering” at 6,300 feet in Swall Meadows since 1992 and specializes in “Meadow Greens”.  His latest project is keeping his 32 Columbian Wyendotte and Buff Orppington laying hens from free-ranging on his seedlings!  They produce a couple dozen eggs per day and his turkeys lay a few dozen per week.  Dennis will be raising meat chickens and turkeys under his fruit trees again this summer.   Contact him to reserve yours today!

The Pumpkin Patch
Ken and Nancy Deboy

Ken and Nancy purchased their one acre property in West Bishop about 40 years ago, so that their children and other 4-H members would have a place to raise animals.  At the same time, they planted a large vegetable garden and a pumpkin patch on the property.  The kids called the farm “The Pumpkin Patch."  Though their garden is not certified organic, Ken and Nancy grow by organic standards. No chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used in their garden. The Pumpkin Patch is known for fresh gourmet garlic.  This year Ken is growing 7 heirloom varieties.  He also grows some of the best premium blackberries available in the area.  Five varieties grow in the lush blackberry patches, and he is always on the look-out for other varieties to extend the berry season. Ken’s favorite things to grow in the garden are beautiful gladiolas and dahlias.  For people who enjoy baking, Ken and Nancy grow several kinds of Heirloom Indian flour corn.  After the corn is dried it is milled into cornmeal and corn flour, using a stone mill.  Nancy also sprouts hard red winter wheat and soft white winter wheat and mills it into fresh flour. Nancy ’s real passion is her herb garden.  Many varieties of sage, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sweet marjoram, garlic chives, chives, lavender and dill are sold fresh, often in an bouquet of mixed herbs.  Other produce growing in the garden are varieties of very sweet cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, paste tomatoes, several kinds of winter squash, pumpkins, large sweet onions, green beans, Chinese long beans, eggplant, beets, kale and Swiss chard.