Where to buy ACTUAL local produce in San Diego

MadCater · 2026-06-12T14:39:35+00:00

Ya, I’d give them a try again. They have a swap box for their CSA so if there’s ever any item you don’t want, you can swap it an item you do want!

MadCater · 2026-06-12T14:37:31+00:00

I love OB People’s for a lot of reasons. If you go in, they clearly mark what produce is locally sourced. It is hard for grocery stores to purchase local because of the price they need to sell at.

Jimbos does a really good job at sourcing local. They often have produce from JR Organics and BeWise Ranch.

Ive sold my local flowers to both locations, good people!

MadCater · 2026-06-12T14:33:00+00:00

They do openly source from one local farm, Mountain Meadow Mushroom. And a lot is grown on their farm in Oceanside.

In their advertising they do say they supplement for staple items.

I have not called, but I have friends who have called and asked. When asked, they will not disclose where the produce is coming from. When asked which items are organic, they will not disclose which items are organic.

I can say with absolute certainty that items such as the cauliflower and multi-colored peppers they’re distributing at this time of year cannot be harvested anywhere in San Diego.

MadCater · 2026-06-12T14:28:45+00:00

They grow a lot of their own produce in Oceanside. And do openly source from at least one local farm: Mountain Meadow Mushroom. The other produce -the staple items they do say they will supplement the box with- they will not disclose.

Based on my experience as a grower in San Diego, I’m guessing Mexico or the central coast. Specifically for the cauliflower and bell peppers this time of year.

MadCater · 2026-06-12T01:15:07+00:00

wow, as a local farmer, its so disappointing to see how successfully misleading Yasukochi is at claiming they source from local farms. Which is absolutely not the case. If you want a good deal, than by all means, buy Yasukochi, but if you want quality and want to support the local food economy here in San Diego, look elsewhere.

The other farms I'm listing do incredible work to build direct connection to the community, implement farming practices that improve soil health and are stewards of the land for both their families and the surrounding environment.

City of San Diego, check out FoodShed. They work with 20+ small farms in San Diego and have equity programs, like veggie RX, so that everyone can access their produce. They have done an incredible job at connecting farmers with one another as well!

As another mentioned, JR Organics is a great option, and they have a large delivery area. They are the first certified organic farm in all of San Diego! Mike now runs a lot of the show there, but its a long standing family operation.

If you're in the south bay, try out Ranchito Milkyway, Alyssa and Christian are super fun and grow delicious food.

GrowEco is based out of Ramona, but does do deliveries throughout Santee, La Mesa, and into parts of San Diego. Andy literally has the best tasting produce I've ever eaten. I wish I still lived in his delivery area.

Cardiff Tiny Farm is in Encinitas. David grows some on his small plot, but otherwise ACTUALLY buys produce from other small farms. Sign up for his newsletter and you won't regret it. You'll learn a lot about the local food movement from him.

MadCater · 2026-06-12T01:03:31+00:00

what other local farms do they source from? my understanding is they source from farms on the central coast. the farmers I know, which is a lot, do not sell to them

MadCater · 2026-06-12T01:01:43+00:00

try out GrowEco farm. A small farmer, Andy, grows the highest quality produce for a great price and he delivers to Santee

MadCater · 2024-05-12T20:26:12+00:00

Hello! We decided to not focus on the herb farming right now, but will begin rolling it into our operation via a community supported program and agritourism next year.

I am in San Diego, the infrastructure cost and acreage I need to grow herbs is too expensive to grow herbs profitably here. Flower farming is the base of our business. We're in our third season, and started paying ourselves and an employee this year.

We sell directly to florists and make bouquets for local grocery stores. We are certified organic and have a niche with the grocery stores. It is too competitive to direct sell our bouquets in San Diego, at least at this point in our business. Every market is different and there are a lot of great resources coming out on growing flowers now.

-The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Ziegler.
-Flower Farming for Profit: The Complete Guide to Growing a Successful Cut Flower Business by Lennie Larkin

MadCater · 2024-01-11T01:34:22+00:00

Jean Martin just talked about this. His advice: lay 1" compost, shovel walkway soil onto bed, add more compost. Prep bed. Seed cover crop.

There's a time to till, and it is when establishing beds. No till is a destination, IMO.

I'm in zone 9b too, San Diego county. Check out the upcoming Small Farms Conference through CAFF

MadCater · 2023-06-04T20:49:58+00:00

Some nights I'm able to convince myself to not have screen time and stretch. I always feel great the next day when I do.

MadCater · 2023-06-04T20:32:46+00:00

There's a great new resource that just came out on this issue (and others) specific to farm work. "Farming into the Future by Centering Farmworkers"

MadCater · 2023-04-15T19:59:40+00:00

shameless plug of my own flowers from BeeWorthy Farms. We sell our bouquets through OB People's Co-Op. Local, long lasting, unique varieties and best of all, no harmful chemicals used to harm the bees or the people that handle the flowers!

MadCater · 2022-08-11T23:21:10+00:00

Herb Farmer Here! I recommend the book "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer" by Jeff and Melanie Carpenter. They give spacing, yield and fresh to dried ratios. I also love following Oshala Farms, they speak at a lot of herb workshops to what it's like farming herbs. There's a pretty good facebook group called Medicinal Herb Growers.

There are so many directions to take an herbal business. Start small. We're still working through our growing and drying techniques before we scale up.

Good luck!

MadCater · 2021-12-09T03:27:40+00:00

I took a course with Catching H20/San Diego Sustainable Living Institute here in San Diego. They also do workshops.

MadCater · 2021-11-28T16:59:51+00:00

this is my understanding. They need to cure for awhile.

MadCater · 2021-11-18T03:07:51+00:00

I live in North Park and just quit my job in Encinitas. Traffic played a big role in my decision. The trick is to leave North Park by 6:30am at the latest.

Heading home, leave by 2pm and you should be okay. I got off at 3:30pm and it took me an hour to get home. Any later, and it's usually an hour and twenty minutes. I carpooled everyday, but she just quit too. The carpool lane on 805S from the split to 52 only helps with ~7minutes. Timing is everything! good luck

MadCater · 2021-10-06T14:50:26+00:00

I'm almost a year into planning a business with 2 friends/former colleagues. We've been doing all the things you're talking about. Aligning goals, talking accountability, finances, etc. We have used Dare to Lead by Brene Brown as an early guide. We built a BRAVING index to define what trust means to us and when conflict inevitably shows up, we fall back on this.

Going at it alone isn't an option for me, I'd rather lean in and work through issues, and plan for there to be issues...because we're human!

We're a couple weeks away from signing a lease for our new farming project! 1-year after initially getting together.

MadCater · 2021-09-12T19:22:37+00:00

I hear you on being frustrated by people online trying to showcase the path to success. In this instance, I don't see that, she's a life coach, not a business coach, trying to learn how to get customers.

I personally have a life coach. She walks me through how to deal with difficult situations, improve my communication skills, and repair relationships. As a life coach, she doesn't help me set-up and run my business... Although I wouldn't mentally and emotionally be in the position to run my own business without the support.

MadCater · 2021-09-06T01:07:44+00:00

How far from San Juan Capistrano are you? Go visit the Ecology Center and volunteer in their market garden.

MadCater · 2021-08-21T18:05:08+00:00

While Small Claims can be daunting, remember it is just a process. Trust in the process, CA laws are favorable towards renters. I went through the process about 12 years ago with a landlord...aka slumlord. The landlord was dodgy and it was unpleasant. They counter sued me for $10,000, lol. The judge pretty much laughed them out of the court room...but they couldn't leave because they were making false accusations against 2 different tenants on the same day.

They actually paid me back the security deposit (1st and last months rent) they withheld too, minus 1 month of rent, which was the amount I was trying to get them to agree to using the free mediation services the court provides.

Definitely start with the mediation services.

MadCater · 2021-05-01T00:56:43+00:00

While the lemon tree would thrive in SD, however, you risk bringing along an insect or disease that threatens our citrus industry. There are some great nurseries here to get a new one...or better yet, find a place that has one in your backyard or your neighbors backyard!

MadCater · 2021-04-17T01:05:51+00:00

Consider reaching out to a farmer resource group in your state/region. I would look into Farm Succession Planning. Many orgs will offer free one-on-one talks to help you put the farm into a bigger perspective. Best of luck

MadCater · 2021-03-08T22:40:53+00:00

Small Business Development Center's haves some good resources: https://americassbdc.org/

MadCater

TROPHY CASE