Meet the Left Foot Organics crew

Welcome to Left Foot Organics

Left Foot Organics mission goes beyond providing wonderful and nutritous organically-grown vegetables. They are also a private nonprofit corportation that provides employment opportunities for developmentally disabled folks from the Thurston County area. Their 5 acre farm is located on 11122 Case Road, about 5 miles south of Olympia.

Products Available

Left Foot Organics provides over 100 different varieties of vegetables including arugula, beans, beets, broccolli, cabbage, cilantro, cumbers, garlic, greens, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, and squash. They also grow beautiful flowers.

Growing Philosophy

"Growing and selling good food is a great medium for creating an inclusiveness that makes our growers a vital part of the community. The value of our people is reflected in the value of the food they are producing. It is so pleasing to watch a market transaction between one of our growers and a shopper. Every transaction is an acknowledgement of the value of what we do."

--Ann Vandeman, Executive Director

Soil, Nutrient, and Pest Management

As a state certified organic farm, Left Foot Organics takes great care in buidling its soil, and doesn't use any pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides. Allowable amendements such as thermally composted crop residue, chicken manure, bone and feather meal, and lime are used to create healthy soil. Techniques such as cover-cropping and crop rotation are used to minimize soil erosion and outbreaks of pests.

Water Resouces and Energy Management

Left Foot Organics uses a drip irrigation system except with some of its seeding and transplanting practices. This minimizes the use of water as well as running the pump that supplies its well water. Although they use a tractor for tilling, most of the cultvation and weeding is accomplished by hand, as this method best fits the mission and workforce  Left Foot Organics.

Wildlife on the Farm

Shrub boundaries and areas are maintained around and throughout the farm, providing habitat for beneficial birdlife, and numerous small mammals. Great care is taken for given situations such as the Killdeer mother that nested in their rows of leeks. "We took plastic tape and tapped-off a fairly large area around her nest, so we all could avoid disturbing her and her young," states Vandeman.