Tonapah Rob - CSA and Farmer's Market

Übersicht

Hello and welcome to Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm website. Thirty-five years ago, I picked up gardening as a hobby, a pastime that eventually led me to the challenge of farming the desert. I have lived in Tonopah, Arizona, the home of my all-natural fruit and vegetable farm for the past eleven years.

My property is a five-acre parcel, but I have less than 3/4 of an acre under cultivation (1/3 hectare) – about 30,000 square feet (2,800 square meters) of earth. Originally, the intent was to farm using purely organic methods. Unfortunately, though, as large corporations and the federal government became involved with organic certification, small farmers such as me were being priced out getting the “certified organic” label. A small farm must now pay between $400 and $1,400 for certification, annual fees, plus the cost of the inspection which includes travel expenses for the inspector.

Growing everything myself, the produce sold at my farm stand is chemical-free and better than organic. I use NO pesticides of any kind, NO insecticides, ZERO antibiotics, NO chemical fertilizers, and absolutely NO genetically modified organisms. Certain sprays and soaps are allowed in organic farming, but at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm I practice an all-natural method using beneficial bug warfare, green compost, natural fertilizers, and companion planting as my strategy and line of defense.

Green Map - Phoenix Metro Area
updated 03/2012 by Phoenix Arizona