A Nursery Ready to Grow: Thank You, Community Foundation of Monterey County

We have exciting news: thanks to the generous support of the Community Foundation of Monterey County, wildfarmers is developing a functioning nursery — and we are ready to grow.

This funding will make it possible for us to dramatically expand what we plant each fall, and more importantly, what we plant. Our nursery will focus on native species perfectly adapted to thrive here in San Benito County without supplemental water — resilient plants that belong to this land and know how to survive on it. We not only want to plant these here, but become a resource for land managers across the region.

We're particularly excited about the prospect of cultivating prickly poppies (which grow wild here and we love them for it), buttercups, penstemon, and red lady — plants that are as beautiful as they are tough. These are the species that once defined this landscape, and with your support, we are bringing them back.

From Pots to a Movement

The nursery will work the way nature does — slowly, and then all at once. Plants start in pots. The pots multiply. And before long, what began as a small propagation effort spread across the land.

Our land manager, Raphael Campozino, will be joining us weekly to support nursery operations, bringing knowledge and hands-on care that will keep our propagation work thriving season after season.

Growing Beyond Our Own Borders

What excites us most about this nursery is what it could mean for the broader region. In the future, we hope to begin selling drought-tolerant native plants to other nonprofits, community members in San Benito County, and partners across California. Imagine a network of organizations and individuals planting the same water-wise species, rebuilding habitat one yard and one hillside at a time.

Annual plant sales are on the horizon — a way for the community to take a piece of this restoration work home.

To the Community Foundation of Monterey County

Thank you. This investment in our nursery is an investment in the land itself — in the oaks, the pollinators, the wildlife, and the people who depend on healthy ecosystems. You are helping us grow something that will outlast all of us, and that is exactly the kind of work that matters most.

Want to get involved?