10/13/2026
On , and every day, we're celebrating farmers everywhere, past, present, and future. Giving thanks for their grit and determination through hard days, harder years, and everything it takes to feed us. We're feeling grateful for our City Farmer Collaborative and everyone who supports our work at City Farm SLO. We'd love to introduce you to the farmers in our growing Collaborative:
Cyrus is the farmer behind Ethereal Gardens. He farms a range of crops regeneratively, letting his own flock of chickens work the soil. When the season is right you'll find his citrus and herbs at our farm stand. Ethereal Gardens is more than the plot. It grew out of his sustainable landscape design practice of the same name. Years spent designing, installing, and caring for local landscapes, along with a real love of community arboriculture, meant he came to the soil already fluent in how land wants to be tended. His landscape work often features bonsai in living compositions, in balance with both the earth and the eye.
Our Global Family Farm is stewarded by Teresa Lees, known as Tree, who farms and educates by the principles of permaculture, working within whole, natural, systems. In her corner of City Farm, she grows an intentional variety of food and medicine, from pomegranates and winter squash to a wide range of herbs: calendula, comfrey, spearmint, lemon balm, and bay laurel. She opens her farm for community potlucks and herbal harvest days. She farms with the larger picture in mind, toward a more resilient and connected world.
Blosser Urban Garden has grown certified organic produce since 1996, with a farmstand on Blosser Road and a CSA more than 250 members strong. It's run by Jerry and Alejandra Mahoney. Before Blosser, Jerry spent eleven years managing the Cal Poly organic farm, teaching a generation of growers the craft of sustainable farming, and that same care carries into everything they grow today.
MG Farms is owned and operated by Francisco Martinon, known to everyone as Frank, and his wife Alma Martinon. On his plot he grows an impressive range of crops, from squash, broccoli, and cauliflower to lettuces, tomatoes, leeks, beans, berries, and herbs. His harvest can be found at our farm stand without fail, but reaches well beyond the farm, feeding local school districts, Harvestly and SLO Veg, and farmers' markets across the county.
Caroline Smith of Little Pea Florals is a regenerative flower farmer turned SLO County based florist, but just can’t stay away from farming! After growing produce and herding sheep for several years, she honed in on her favorite part — the flowers. In 2023, She moved to the Central Coast of California and found her way to City Farm SLO. There, she worked with the team to craft a Cut Flower CSA 'Flower Club' and now delights in floral arranging for the masses. She believes in the beauty of the Earth, and letting her magic & medicine shine through at our most sacred & poignant thresholds & gatherings.
Aviator Acres Family Farm is owned and operated by Nathan Ecret, who has been farming for more than 28 years. He grew up in a farming community and has grown just about everything over the decades. These days Nathan is retired, which at City Farm means working harder than ever, raising fresh vegetables for home cooks and farm-to-table chefs alike.
Monarch Hills Education, led by Erin Stehli and Hali Anaya, puts the farm to a different kind of work. Their outdoor program gives children in grades TK through 6 the land itself as a classroom, learning through hands-on exploration in the open air.
Kate Ditrani is our Farm Operations Coordinator here at City Farm SLO
Born and raised in Cambridge, MA, Kate moved out west to start at UC Davis in 2019. There, she earned a degree in Environmental Science and Management. During a gap period, Kate hiked the Appalachian Trail - a 5 month backpacking trip which clarified her sense of self and passion for community involvement. Kate is excited to pursue her passions in the environmental science field and community work and to delve into her year of service and work on continuing to grow the farm’s volunteer base.
Thank you for taking a moment to know your farmer!
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