Video: Churchill Orchard’s Native Planter: Mike Sullivan

Since Mike came to Churchill Orchard 13 years ago, he has steadily embroidered its citrus and avocado groves with a crazy quilt of native plants. There is a method to this madness.

Meet our resident plant freak and deep thinker.

I thought last week that we would be in the Ojai Sunday Farmers’ Market starting January 12, but alas it ain’t a gonna happen – some of us got a little sick, all of us had too much to do, we are affected by the tragedy of the fires in LA — what with one thing and another we’ll be there starting January 19.

The kishus came through the winds fine, and we’ll be very happy to start selling them to you!

Gael and I went to Yosemite in September and got married!

Gael has been working with me at the Sunday Ojai Farmer’s Market starting now on her 5th year. Here we are last year with our friend Doug LaBarre’s 1953 Chevy 3/4T truck, which he was kind enough to let us use while our regular truck was out for repairs.

We start again at the Ojai Market on Sunday January 12, and will be there every Sunday until mid-May or until the fruit runs out, whichever comes first. We will start with plenty of Seedless Kishus, also with tree-ripe limes, lemons, meyer lemons, cocktail grapefruit, also with bacon, fuerte and possibly Mexicola Grande avocados. If you’re in town, please come visit us at our stand – we’ll be glad to see you!

This time of year the sun aligns perfectly with the orchard rows, making sunset a delicious time of day. The kishus are almost ready and the pixies have begun to show themselves on the trees, relieving my annual anxiety that we won’t have any fruit for you all.

Happy New Year – may 2025 treat us all well!