Tomato Time

The Garden

The Garden – Organic, sustainable gardening has been a big part of the ranch from day one, but it wasn’t until the move to the Escalon location that both the horses and the gardens were in one place. The ranch’s founders have been testing and growing heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables for over twenty years. Their accumulated knowledge has gained the ranch a loyal following of gardeners who seek out the varieties they grow. All proceeds from plant sales go to support the ranch.

The test garden has many facets. The heirlooms are cultivated to test, take notes and bank seeds for the following year’s plant sale. More importantly, it is available for ranch families to enjoy the produce and learn about gardening, preserving and healthy eating. The garden is also used to offer classes to the community on growing, seed collecting, composting, irrigation and more.

The annual heirloom plant fundraiser

The annual heirloom plant fundraiser begins when the order form/varieties list goes out February 1^stfor pre-orders. Orders begin pouring in soon after. If you would like to have the annual list e-mailed to you on February 1^st, you may send a request here and ask to be added to the distribution list. The list will also be posted here on the website and on the Facebook page at that time. Plants are pulled and marked first for orders. Completed order forms can be submitted one of several ways. You can print, fill out, scan and email them to us using the email address: info@mercyspringranch.org, or you can drop off the same forms at the ranch, or snail mail them to us. You can also call (209)691-6054 and leave a message with the varieties you’d like to order.

The varieties list changes every year as they discover new favorites in the test garden and cross off varieties that don’t perform as well. They begin starting seeds in January and continue rotating the seed start dates until mid-March. If you have your heart set on specific varieties from the list, placing an order early is the best way to guarantee you’ll get what you want. Also, keep in mind that because they start small batches of each variety at different times from January through March, ordered plants may not all be ready at the same time, so you may need to pick your plants up in multiple trips. The heirloom plant sale season usually wraps up in Mid-May. To see the most recent varieties list/order form, click here.

Plant Sales

Plant Sales – If you don’t want the hassle of picking up orders, the ranch also holds two plant sales in March and April where you can come and purchase plants directly from their tables. Photos and descriptions for each variety are displayed on the tables, so you can read, browse, and ask questions. Though not all the varieties on the order forms will be available at each sale, their selections are usually quite large! To see the current Heirloom Plant Sale dates, click here.

The annual Tomato Tasting

The annual Tomato Tasting event in August gives everyone a chance to come to the ranch and taste the varieties growing in the garden, take notes on which ones they would like to grow the next year, see the way the plants are grown and ask questions about the over 100 varieties on the plant list. There is also a hot sauce tasting, utilizing several of the varieties of hot peppers they offer, as well as samples of dishes to make using the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants on their varieties list. To learn more about the annual tomato tasting, click here.

As the ranch develops, gardening classes will be offered to the community. Continue to check the Events Page for dates and details coming soon!