As part of our plan to create a self-sustaining and healthy environment, over 95 percent of the produce used by the McEvoy chefs in our kitchen is provided by the ranch’s organic garden. Developed in 1994 and originally designed to yield an array of flowers, fruits and vegetables for family, friends, staff and celebrations, the gardens have truly grown; they now provide in abundance for our San Francisco Ferry Building shop and for two local farmer’s markets.

The gardens have been certified organic since 2002. Although Head Gardener Margaret Koski-Kent does not focus on only one particular school of organic gardening, she does draw upon the teachings of Allen Chadwick, Rudolph Steiner, and John Jeavons, among others. Koski-Kent maintains the increasingly diverse plantings at the ranch, including over 800 combined varieties of flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. While Margaret believes the ranch-made compost is the key to nurturing our exceptional produce and flowers, she embraces cover-cropping, crop rotation, inter-planting, mulching, beneficial insects, and biodynamic preparations as essential components of the health and sustainability of the gardens and surrounding landscape.

Almost all of our plants are grown from seed, which is sown year round. Varieties are chosen both because they are organic and because they are unique heirloom varieties that are cultivated to maintain genetic material for the future. This philosophy has inspired us to save our own seeds to pass along; you can find them and make them your own by stopping by our shop in the Ferry Building. You can also visit our online store, where you'll find the healing herbal and soothing lavender hand salves developed by our gardeners!

If you are interested in viewing these beautiful gardens, tours are available. Please see our Tours page for more information.