Oasis Garden is a 10-acre organic farm in the agricultural heart of Clovis. Since 1999 they have been building their site upon the ideas of the Mokichi Okada Association, a group dedicated to improving quality of life by creating small prototypes of a world in harmony with nature, focusing on organic farming, art, and purification of the spirit and body.
Some people may know Oasis Garden as the site of the annual Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee. I walked the orchard and farm grounds with Bruno Lucoli as he told me about this and more, claiming last year’s jubilee hosted roughly 1,200 people in 3 hours. In his words, “It’s very intense.”
This morning, however, the farm was anything but intense. It was quiet and calm, beautiful in the morning light.
Oasis Garden is meant to be a place of healing and cleansing, and that starts with purification of the soil, which means no chemical fertilizers or pest control which will weaken the earth. He explained that weak soil will create weak plants, and that those plants naturally attract pests that are, in effect, sent to destroy the weakness in the system.
Inside the main house I was shown where people come for a sort of therapy to purify the spirit and body. There’s a large room where part of that takes place in the practice of floral arrangement. All of this ties into how everything is done at Oasis Garden, and though this might sound strange to some people, the results indicate that what they’re doing is working. What’s being grown here is simply stunning. One of my favorite spots was the herb garden.
In the front of the house there’s a large gazebo, and there are many flower garden spots spread throughout the orchard. In the future there are plans to build a tea house and zen garden to add to the enjoyment of people visiting the oasis.
After the tour, Bruno left me to wander for a bit with my camera. I leave you now with some of those photos. If you like what you see, Oasis Garden has a produce stand at The Vineyard Farmer’s Market. You can find them there on Saturday mornings from 7am – noon or Wednesday afternoons from 3pm – 6pm. For other inquiries please visit their contact page.
There are lots of cruciferous veggies growing at Oasis Garden
Pomegranates
Peppers grow beneath the nearly completed greenhouse
More peppers!
Oranges
Asian Pears
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish I hadn’t missed out on the Stone Fruit Jubilee this year. I went the year before and it was so cool to taste the huge variety of organic stone fruits being grown here in the valley. You’ll have to check it out next year for sure!
This definitely looks like a place I’d like to visit. Are they open for walk-in visits? Or do you need an appointment?
Tari,
I don’t think they’re open for walk-ins. If you want to try to make an appointment or see about a schedule of events, you can contact Bruno. The number and email is on their contact page (link at the bottom of this article), or you can do like I did, and just talk to him at the Vineyard Farmer’s Market.