Welcome!

          Lone Willow Ranch sets 4 miles North of Firebaugh along the San Joaquin River in California . 
Lone Willow Ranch is owned and operated by John M. Teixeira.  The ranch has been CCOF certified for the past thirteen years.

          LWR has ideal conditions for growing Heirloom Tomatoes.  We have long, warm summer days; light loam soil; and a seasoned organic farmer, with a passion to farm.  We believe,  to grow great tasting produce you must start with rich soil.  Also, that when you feed the soil, the soil feeds the plant, and with a healthy, plant you will have great fruit production and excellent flavors. 

          To ensure this we begin, with rotating our crops, planting cover crops, and working the soil with compost and rock dust.  We use the Control Microbial Composting method.  (CMC).  With this method, we increase the diversity of the bacterial fungi and yeast.  Feeding the micros organisms is key to fertility.  The micros interact with the soil and plant biology to cycle and retain the nutrients, which improve soil structure and suppress diseases.

          With the heirloom tomatoes, each variety has their own distinctive flavor, color and texture.  We have strict guideline to ensure quality and integrity of our varieties.  We market 57 varieties of tomatoes.  We have over 300 varieties for seed sales.

 To name a few:

    Green Zebra -  Smaller, yellow-green with dark vertical stripes.  Emerald green low acid mild but not bland.

    Hillbilly -  Large ,smooth, ribbed beefsteak yellow-orange with red streaks, low acid.

    Moon Glow -  Large, round, orange beef steak. Tasty and pretty.

    Paul Robeson -  Round and slightly flatten fruit with dusky dark red skin brown center and dark green shoulders. Earthy flavor.

    Brandywine OTV -        Round and flat in size. A rich red color with orange undertones, sweet flavor.

          We hand-harvest the tomatoes twice a week and the other produce daily. We start the harvest as soon as we can see in the morning.  We harvest the fruit at its peak, for its fresh flavor.  The fruit is taken out of the field and packed right under the trees, they are then put into boxes, loaded in a truck and shipped out. We deliver the same day. 

          We also grow about six varieties of eggplant, bell peppers and a large variety of melons and corn.