Meet Natividad and Eustolio Rubio

Rubio Brothers Farms

It takes some heat to grow good tomatoes and peppers, and the sunny environment of Brewster, Washington provides all the heat needed to grow large tangy tomatoes and fiery hot peppers. Rubio Brothers Farms sits amidst the orchards on a dry bench-land above the Columbia River and grows some of the best produce to be found in the State of Washington.

Growing Philosophy

“I started farming when I was 13 years old, learning from my father when we lived in Los Moches Sinolar, Mexico. I have always felt close to the land.”

--Natividad Rubio

Products

Sweet corn, green beans, melons, peppers (dozens of varieties), summer squash, winter squash, and tomatoes

Water Conservation

Rubio Brothers Farms employ a thoughtful strategy to give their corps much needed water in this dry environment, while practicing excellent conservation. They use drip irrigation for all melons, peppers, and tomatoes, a micro-sprinkler system for green beans and squash, and a larger sprinkler system for their tall-growing corn.

Soil Quality

Natividad applies commercial fertilizer once in November, spreading it over his left-over crop stubble. He then tills all the crop stubble into the soil in early April, which gives the soil a great shot of nitrogen from the green matter, as well as nutrient balance from the previous fall’s fertilizer application. A small amount of chicken manure is applied to each plant midway through the growing season.

Pest Management

Rubio Brothers Farms does not use any spray applications for pest management. Green beans are planted in sequence, with the first planting usually donated to migrating aphids. To control tomato worms, individual worms are culled by hand into a container, and then poisoned. Natividad then places one poisoned worm every ten feet along his rows of tomatoes. The live worms come down off the plants to feast upon the carcasses of the dead worms, and then die themselves. This is a very innovative and low-impact method of pest management!