Nye Ranch is a labor of love. Kyle and Melanie Burns share a passion for farming organically and sustainably, for growing their own vegetables and flowers, and sharing them with their community. Their expansive farm is right on the ocean, close to MacKerricher State Park, once part of the property. You might be surprised to discover that this former dairy farm now grows a wide variety of produce year-round, despite the foggy maritime climate.
The couple worked hard to improve the soil, once considered too poor to grow anything but potatoes and peas, with organic compost, including algae and kelp harvested sustainably from the neighboring ocean. The crops are rotated to keep the soil rich in nutrients, and no chemicals are ever used. Ladybugs and frogs serve as pest deterrents. Native flowers and plants attract and nourish bees and hummingbirds. Together, Melanie and Kyle have built a flourishing business, growing hundreds of varieties of vegetables and flowers.
At their farm stand, open on Saturdays, you’ll find produce that changes by the season, such as peas, lettuces, kale, squash, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries. In addition to vegetables, Nye Ranch is well-known for their beautiful flowers and elegantly rustic hand-tied bouquets. Like the vegetables, the flowers vary by the time of year, from sweet peas to poppies to dahlias. All the crops are lovingly seeded, planted, tended, and harvested by the Burns family, and they are proud to sell nearly all of the food they grow within a few miles of their farm. The family, the farm, and their produce are beloved in this small community.
You can find Nye Ranch’s beautiful bouquets and bountiful produce at the year-round Farmers’ Market in Fort Bragg, every Wednesday afternoon from 3:00 to 6:00. The Market is inside the old gymnasium in the City Hall building during the winter and moves outside to the intersection of Laurel and Franklin streets during the warmer months. They also attend the Mendocino Farmers’ Market, which is open from noon until 2:00 pm on Fridays from May through October.
Nye Ranch is located at 23300 North Highway 1, just north of Fort Bragg. Their farm stand is open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturdays, year round. Call (707) 964-0939 for more information.
23300 North Highway 1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 964-0939
www.nyeranch.com
Farmstand: Saturday, 10am – 3pm