About Love Apple Farm

Located in the Santa Cruz mountains (coastal central California), Love Apple Farm is located at 9299 Glen Arbor Road, Ben Lomond.  Click here for a map to our location.  We originally became known for growing 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year. The farm is now the exclusive kitchen garden  for world-renowned Manresa Restaurant (Los Gatos, California).

Cynthia Sandberg, owner and farmer, uses biodynamic techniques to grow better veggies.  Love Apple Farm is honored to be highlighted in the 2008 San Francisco Michelin Guide, under the Manresa Restaurant entry.

The farm and restaurant are a mere thirty minutes apart, nestled half way between San Francisco and Monterey. No restaurant can become one of the finest in the land without an incredible amount of struggle and hard work. So too, struggles the farm, striving to grow the best produce possible -- biodynamically.

This blog is dedicated to tracking the progress of Love Apple Farm in its quest to transition to full biodynamic status, to tackle the challenges inherent in successfully providing hundreds of different kinds of edibles to Manresa Restaurant, to teach others how to grow not only the everyday popular vegetables, but also the exotic ones, and let’s not forget, to talk a whole lot about Cynthia’s primary passion, the love apple.

Cynthia gives a number of fun and informative gardening classes at the farm during the year.  Topics covered have included 'Tomato Seed Starting Class,"  "How to Grow Better Tomatoes,"  "How to Start and Tend a Winter Vegetable Garden," "How to Install a Simple Drip Irrigation System," and her popular "Tomato Masters" class for real tomato afficionados.  We welcome your suggestions for other class topics.

Love Apple Farm also offers over 100 varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings (also called "starts") for sale at the farm in spring.  There are also volunteer opportunities at the farm, and Cynthia welcomes anyone interested in learning more about growing better vegetables.

If you'd like to be notified of future classes, or of the dates of next year's tomato seedling sales, please subscribe to our newsletter.

Photo courtesy Tana Butler of www.iheartfarms.com