Kildara, Church of the Oaks in Gaelic, is owned by Brian and Daphne Hughes and certified with the Island Organic Producers Association. It is a multi-generational family-operated farm, producing salad mix, field vegetables, apples, strawberries, eggs, and flowers. Their large production of specialty beans (like the speckled dragon’s tongue) finds its way into markets in Vancouver and the Interior. The farm supplies its salad mix under the name “Deep Cove Gourmet Greens” which are produced nearly year-round under glass in the winter. Kildara is likely one of the warmest farms in B.C. on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, and a stone’s throw from Saanich Inlet.
The Hughes intensively farm their 30-acre property, using 12 greenhouses and cultivated fields; however, their farming is done in close relationship with the natural ecosystems. They leave hedgerows, forest and pond in natural condition to provide habitat for beneficial birds and insects. Cultivation includes crop rotations, greencovers, intercropping, mulching, chicken ’tilling’, and a wide range of crops. The farm is also lush with many native species, including wild roses, hawthorne, snowberry, fir and maple trees, and a copse of endangered garry oak trees.
Sidney, BC (35 km from Victoria warehouse)
Secure Site