Paoletti Farms

FARMLAND: 60 acres in Linden, about 95 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

PEOPLE: James Paoletti along with 1 full-time and 1 seasonal worker

ABOUT: James Paoletti’s grandfather immigrated to California from Genoa, Italy. He got his start in California’s fields working on a lettuce farm until he saved enough money to buy his own land. He started Paoletti Farms in 1917 with a grove of chestnut trees, and began growing cherries (still the farm’s primary crop) in the 1920s. James grew up on the farm, and farmed alongside his father until 2007.

SOIL: Sandy to a heavier loam in some areas. The orchard runs along a river and so the soil quality is quite good. The Paolettis occasionally use some commercial compost to build their soil.

WEED CONTROL: Mechanical weeding using a disc and hoe. They do not use herbicides.

PEST MANAGEMENT: They do not use pesticides on their cherries. James explains that because cherries are the earliest fruit crop that ripen in cooler months, the do not have many pest problems.

WATER USE: Some flood and sprinkler irrigation. Water is from on-site wells.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: None.