IVC Organic Farm & Garden is a Hidden Jewel

Nestled in the rolling hills of Ignacio lies a hidden farm jewel: The Indian Valley Campus Organic Farm and Garden. This local resource for organic produce, which sprang seemingly out of nowhere in the past two years, is rapidly gaining notoriety.

Three years ago the land was undeveloped open space. I know this because I frequently hike the trails surrounding the college campus. I remember watching with amazement as this barren 5.8 acre plot of land transformed from unruly scrub brush to neatly manicured rows of organic vegetables, flowers, herbs and trees. Today I am on my way to learn about the careful planning and hard work that is making the farm a success story.

I drive west on Ignacio Boulevard to the end, where the road enters the. Parking in the last lot, I walk up to the adjacent soccer field. I follow the dirt track to the left until I see the farm outbuildings and deer-fenced  two-acre garden on the gently sloping hill nearby. I am meeting with Jenna Brager, the farm coordinator, who has generously agreed to give me a personal tour of the property. Jenna is a member of the Conservation Corps North Bay and an avid advocate for the project.

She greets me warmly as we stroll toward the large greenhouse. As we walk, she fills me in on the organic farm program at the college, and the driving forces that created it. "There were lots of facets that came together in a short amount of time to make this happen," she tells me. "It takes a village."

That "village" consists of three main partners and a community of volunteers who have made the farm a reality. First in line is the College of Marin, which provided the land and supplies water for the gardens. For students, the farm is an outdoor classroom and lab, used primarily for teaching the principals and practices of sustainable horticulture. Visionary Wendy Johnson, long-time gardener at the Green Gulch Zen Center, is one of the project's founders and instructors. She and farm supervisor Henry Wallace have worked tirelessly to create a cutting edge curriculum for students interested in organic farming.

The second component in the partnership is the Conservation Corps North Bay, a group that manages the farm and coordinates volunteers. Student crews are responsible for supplying much of the labor required to maintain the grounds. A handful of these students are paid through a federally funded work study program, while others volunteer through the college "farm club."

The Conservation Corps also partners with Americorp, whose members receive a living stipend and an education award in exchange for a nine-month commitment working in the field, nursery and special projects on the site. Americorp workers are responsible for building the 1,500-gallon rainwater catchment system that now provides some of the water for the nursery. Members also lead "Project Regeneration," a summer program aimed at middle school students that uses the farm to teach hands-on organic gardening techniques, and instill an appreciation for eating locally grown, sustainably-produced food.

The third partners are the and Marin Master Gardeners, which offer educational public workshops and lectures on site.

I am eager to explore the grounds as we enter the greenhouse: a 26-foot-by-40-foot temperature-controlled structure where various seedlings get their start. Inside, large tables are filled with rows and rows of plants: vegetable starts of all kinds, annual and perennial flowers, herbs, berries and trees. There are also a few ornamental plant varieties in addition to the edibles. Jenna tells me these starts will eventually be planted in the field, or sold to customers for home garden use.

We leave the greenhouse, passing briefly through the adjacent "shade house" where most of the perennial flowers, herbs, and veggie starters are propagated, then make our way up to the big field. At nearly two acres, this space is the centerpiece of the farm. There are over 200 varieties of organic plants in this outdoor classroom where the focus is on teaching students about crop diversity and healthy farming practices.

In addition to serving as a teaching ground for students, the organic farm also grows and sells quality produce and flowers to individuals and businesses in our community. Jenna informs me that much of the lettuce grown in the garden is sold to the Rustic Bakery in downtown Novato, which buys 200-plus heads a week for use in their restaurant. Boca Restaurant in Ignacio also purchases kale and chard for their menu, while Paradise Foods procures fresh herbs from the farm.

Local shoppers can support the garden by patronizing the year-round farm stand at the site, open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday. It's a great place to find freshly harvested seasonal organic produce at reasonable prices. In the spring, be sure to visit their booth at the Novato Farmers Market on Grant Avenue when the market opens again next spring.

Jenna starts our tour of the field by pointing out the flower patch, a colorful and fragrant bed of annual and perennial blooms. Recently, the garden provided fresh flower bouquets for a wedding, planted and grown especially for the occasion. Growing more flowers for special events is an avenue the garden managers intend to develop in the future.

The presence of flowers on the farm, I learn, extends beyond their aesthetic beauty. They attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees for pollination, beneficial insects that help with natural pest control, and provide cover for gopher snakes that keep the rodent population under control.

We meander farther up the slope, stopping to admire long rows of flourishing organic vegetables: trellises of climbing beans, sturdy red and yellow stalks of chard, verdant green Dino and Russian Kale, glossy deep violet eggplant, prolific zucchini, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, onions and a stunning array of lettuces. Intermingled with the veggies are annual and perennial herbs including flat-leaf and Italian parsley, fragrant basil, lemon verbena, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and chives — all workhorse staples in my kitchen.

The indian summer sun bathes the open field in light. All around me, the earth is thriving. Jenna attributes the robust growth to the farm's practice of rotating crops and amending the soil with rich organic green compost produced on site. A drip irrigation system distributes city water provided by the college to nourish the plants.

We continue our stroll to the upper end of the property, where we come upon a sprawling strawberry patch and a young orchard filled with fledgling olive, fig, pomegranate, apple, pear, and stone fruit trees. "We grafted the apple trees on site", Jenna tells me, and mentions the UC Cooperative Extention will offer a grafting workshop open to the public this February.

Adjacent to the orchard, I notice two sets of stacked boxes literally buzzing with excitement: the farm bee-hives. The presence of these hard working insects increases the pollination of fruiting plants by more than 30 percent, which means more prolific harvests. "Every third bite of food we eat requires bee pollination," Jenna tells me. "One zucchini flower must be visited by a honeybee eight times to produce a zucchini."

The college plans to include a "bee-keeping" unit, which is particularly relevant because honeybee populations are suffering a serious decline. In the past 50 years, both feral and managed honeybee populations have seen their numbers fall steeply; feral bees by 90 percent, and managed bees by nearly two-thirds. This trend is devastating for farmers and consumers alike.

"Without bees, farmers cannot produce most fruits, vegetables and nuts," Jenna tells me. "We'd have a very boring, limited diet without much nutritional content."

Standing in the midst of the garden's lush bounty, I have to marvel at this vibrant resource on the outskirts of our community. At the IVC Organic Farm and Garden, students and volunteers are honing the skills they will need to launch the next generation of green growers. It's a dynamic place to be!

GET DOWN AND DIRTY

The public is invited to drop in and volunteer at the farm on Wednesdays (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and Fridays (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). The day starts with a "stretch circle" and progresses to tasks including planting, propagation, weeding and harvesting. The farm garden is open to the public every weekeday. Local shoppers can support the garden by patronizing the year-round farm stand at the site, open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday.

For more information on volunteering and seasonal events, visit their website at www.indianvalleyfarmandgarden@blogspot.com .