Fresh: What's Up Farm enthusiastic

What’s Up Farm, one of Sonoma County’s newest agricultural endeavors, is tucked a bit out of the way on the campus of the Redwood Adventist Academy, where farmer Ricky Wheeler attended first through 12th grade and graduated in 2005.

With his brother-in-law, Joby Oft, Wheeler began planting late spring and early summer crops on April Fool’s Day of this year. The duo opened their farm stand in July.

The two-and-a-half acre farm is currently producing the last of the year’s cucumbers and summer squash, the first of the season’s pumpkins, green beans, eggplant, Crane melons, orange-fleshed honeydew melons, colorful bell peppers, Chinese Five Color hot peppers, mature Padrons and about 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. There’s also have a large assortment of micro-greens, along with sunflowers and zinnias.

And here’s a heads-up for okra fans: What’s Up Farm is also growing both green and red okra, something I’ve not seen since Jill Adams of Crescent Moon Farm moved to Maine.

Winter squash will start coming on soon. Broccoli is finished but there’s a new crop in the ground. The same is true of onions. The farm will also soon begin selling split firewood.

The farm has quickly gained a reputation for its delicious watermelons - yellow, orange, pink and deep red - which are, sadly, done for the year. Cantaloupes, too, were delicious. It’s something to keep in mind for next year.

Wheeler and Oft intend to operate the farm year round, with beets, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, kale and artichokes already in the ground.

The land is not certified organic but they apply no chemical inputs and have taken several steps to conserve water. They currently grow in raised beds, which helps warm the soil, and use drip irrigation only. Black plastic covers the irrigation system, which slows evaporation. When insects became interested in summer seedlings, they used row covers to exclude them.

Before founding the farm, Wheeler worked in the solar power industry. Oft had a one-acre garden in Forestville before moving to Colorado, where he worked in commercial agricultural for three seasons, growing corn, summer squash and melon.

Today, What’s Up Farm is a full-time endeavor. They are the farm’s sole full-time employees. There is one part-time staff member and friends and family help out, too.

“I think it is important to offer really good food to people at reasonable prices,” Wheeler said when I asked him why he started a new career that is notoriously difficult.

He has the sort of enthusiasm that conveys that the future, when it comes to local farming and agriculture, is not vanishing but rather is being infused with new, young life.

What’s Up Farm, founded in 2014 and owned and operated by Ricky Wheeler and Joby Oft, is located at 385 Mark West Springs Rd., on the campus of Redwood Adventist Academy. Currently, the farm stand is open Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., but a shift to winter hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., will take place soon. For more information, visit whatsupfarm.com or call 481-4001.