De La Mesa Farms LLC

About Us

De La Mesa Farms is a family-owned 2.5 acre farm located in the urban setting of Tacoma, Washington. Our farm is a regenerative, no-till market garden that focuses on organic methods to improve soil health and soil biodiversity. We are committed to being good stewards of the land and think about farming as a way to preserve and perpetuate our own cultural heritage as well as the various BIPOC traditions in our community. Our mission is to offer fresh, diverse and affordable produce.

Despite the fact that everything is done by hand - no tractor, no till - we are always seeking ways to innovate and usher in a new generation of farmers. We use hyrdroponic/aquaponic systems to grow our microgreens, cultivate mushrooms and other row crops are grown in the ground. We brew our own compost tea to improve soil conditions and diversify the microbes in the soil. We inoculate our beds with various mycelium to create symbiotic relationships with plant root systems. We pasture raise our poultry.

Our farm is focused on growing unique and heirloom vegetables with a Latin and subtropical twist such as dried Oaxacan corn, smoky peppers, yuzu and much more. Owners Bryan and Natalie Mesa originally began farming in Waimanalo, Hawaii in 2016. In 2020, amidst the pandemic, they took a leap of faith and purchased land in Tacoma, Washington to relaunch their farm in the Pacific Northwest.

Bryan and Natalie are farmers first, but they are also working on offering farm to table value-added products such as fiery salsas, pickles, ferments and freshly prepared masa and tortillas from the heirloom dried corn they grow on their farm. When Bryan and Natalie initially began farming in Hawaii, they did so because they couldn't find fresh Latin produce to make the home-cooked Mexican meals that Bryan grew up on. Bryan's family is from Mexico and he spent much of his youth in Michocan, Mexico learning to cook from his abuelita. They are excited about sharing their products with customers when they become available in the Spring of 2023. .

Growing & Operating Practices

We use only organic growing methods and utilize regenerative agricultural principles on our farm.

For example, for pest control, the first line of defense is preventive maintenance. Healthy soil creates strong plants that are resilient to pest pressure. We encourage populations of natural predators and beneficial insects, like ladybugs. Other strategies include rotating crops and selecting pest-resistant varieties of crops. When all other methods have been exhausted and we are faced with a potential significant loss, targeted sprays of organic-approved pesticides may be used. Broad sprays of non-specific pesticides are always a last resort.

For weed control, we utilize an integrated weed management program that combines cultural, mechanical and biological practices like the following: crop rotation, cover crops, companion planting, solarization of beds with tarps, timing and spacing, mulch, flame-weeding, and hand-weeding.