Since we began Dickinson Farm in 2014, the support that has poured in from our customers, partners and the San Diego community is something we could never have imagined and our gratitude runs deeper than the trees that were planted here by Wallace D. Dickinson back in 1888. Your support has inspired some exciting updates you can expect to see in the coming months around here.
As we enter into Spring, a season for growth, you’ll see a fresh new look for our brand blossoming across the property, our website and social media. We are evolving from Dickinson Farm to W.D.Dickinson: Farm, House, Mercantile to encompass everything we proudly offer from our humble location in National City. Consider W.D. Dickinson your modern general store. Stop by for seasonal organic produce, gather to learn more about heirloom methods such as canning and block printing, and bring home handmade relics for your own off-farm moments of stillness in this modern life we live.
When Wallace D. Dickinson laid the foundation for our property back in 1888, little did he know the very soil he once tilled would be revived and cared for over 120 years later. Considered “modern of his time,” Dickinson was a horticulturist, business man, civil engineer and active community member; laying foundations in National City for years to come. In 2014, when I planted out the first raised bed with fresh veggies to help in managing my recent Lyme disease diagnosis, I committed to not only be the caretaker of my health, but also to the heritage of this land.
Most of you know us for our Farm and the harvests we’ve been so lucky to provide in the form of our Produce stand, CSA subscriptions, FARMacy, and chef collaborations. We will continue to offer these services, but we are ready for you to get to know us beyond the farm. We are also makers and hosts. Available in the Mercantile, we offer handmade goods such as our hand-printed tea towels from fallen produce and jellies & jams from our excess/overripe produce. Our historic property, the House, will be open to welcome events, classes, and other programs that bring the methods of the past into our modern lives.
W.D. Dickinson - the house and farm - is where my husband Mike and I laid our roots. It is homebase for our lives and our big dreams of other locations that will have kindred offerings. This modern general store is a place we envision having communal dinners and long conversations around the table.
We’ll toast to these exciting changes at our upcoming spring dinner April 13th, so please join us, there’s always a seat at the table for you. Thank you for planting these seeds and growing with us over the past five years.
Stepheni Modern Caretaker