Hartman was beforehand (legally) rising hashish on the ranch. Nonetheless, when the market grew to become oversaturated, it was now not worthwhile to be a small-scale hashish grower within the Santa Ynez Valley, he stated.
Hartman loves rising crops, and his mom talked about protea, an historical kind of flowering plant present in South Africa and Australia. Protea are drought-tolerant and do effectively in California’s Mediterranean local weather, he stated. In the summertime, the employees solely has to supply a gallon of water to the vegetation.
Hartman stated his household took a “huge gamble” and picked out 16 of the most effective cultivars that they thought would develop effectively, planting them in 2020. They’ve discovered the South African varieties, just like the Safari Sundown and Goldstrike, do the most effective.
“These protea vegetation return within the fossil file like 300 million years,” Hartman stated. “They’re a few of the oldest flowers on the planet.”
Hartman stated he plans to open a nursery, hopefully later this yr, so folks can purchase potted protea and plant them round their properties, given how drought-tolerant they’re.
The tour by way of the ranch’s 8 acres of proteas features a U-pick choice the place company can take minimize flowers dwelling.
