Famous botanist Luther Burbank once remarked that the wine-growing and agricultural area of Sonoma County must be “the chosen spot of all the Earth as far as nature is concerned.”
Welcome sign at Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Farm. Photo by Mental Masala.
No wonder, then, that in addition to his beautiful home and gardens in downtown Santa Rosa, he also purchased a 15-acre farm near Sebastopol to experiment with new strains. The farm, dubbed Gold Ridge Experimental Farm, is located at 7781 Bodega Highway, and is open to the public for self-guided or docent-led tours.
Gold Ridge Farm also sponsors a plant sale from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays.
The history of the farm is, like Burbank’s flowers themselves, colorful. According to historians, Burbank purchased Gold Ridge Farm in 1885 chiefly because of its subtle variations in environments, exposures and elevations. This allowed him to conduct experiments on plants that varied greatly in characteristics.
Hybrid beach plums (eastern beach plum crossed with a Japanese plum). Photo by Mental Masala.
For 30 years spanning the turn of the 20th century, Burbank used this farm to grow more than 800 varieties of fruits, flowers, vegetables and grains. He also used it to develop new species of plants, hybridizing one species in particular called the Shasta daisy. Today, this flower has been developed into more than 100 varieties; it also is the official flower of Sebastopol.
The farm is now operated by the West Sonoma County Historical Society, which took over in the 1970s.
This is the organization that sponsors self-guided tours year-round; free maps are available at the recently renovated Burbank Cottage off Bodega Avenue. Docent-led tours are available until October by appointment for $3.