A Project of Cloud Forest Institute
About Us
Mission: Cultivating food security by growing and sharing locally adapted nourishing food, seeds, soil and knowledge.
How we got here:
2020: informal community group began adapting our favorite food crops to coastal conditions. Most of the plants are grown on 2.5 acres in Caspar, CA. Flour Corn, Sweet Corn, Squash, Beans, Melons & Tomatoes.
2022: Field of Dreams: Local Seed Project founded with a goal of creating a local network of coastal seed savers and adaptation gardeners.
2023: Created local seed saving cohorts and researching strategies to increase seed library return rates; We increased our outreach by tabling at the farmers markets and attending a host of local events.
2024: In partnership with Going to Seed we created a series of Seed Saving Guides to include with our seed packets and for distribution to seed libraries and educational organizations nationwide; Nye Ranch, a local small farm, begins trialing our coastally adapted Sweet Corn. Coastal peppers & Colorful Fava bean grex Seed projects started.
2025: Piloted a Seed School at Dana Gray Elementary School, reaching 362 students while developing a shareable seed saving curriculum; Authored a Regional Seed Resolution passed by the California State Grange; Start perennial hedgerow project for the field with CDFA Healthy Soils grant; Distributed 5,000+ seed packets to Mendocino County.
2026: Accessible backyard demonstration garden & seed hub started next to Caspar Community Center; Shifted focus in response to needs and community interest, increasing the emphasis on food security & expanded our knowledge sharing to include building healthy soil and compost making.
We continue to adapt Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash, Melons & Beans while growing food and community 1/4 mile from the ocean in coastal Caspar, Ca.
Our Team
