Helen Krayenhoff grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and always had a thing for plants. Ten years ago, when she moved to the East Bay and discovered our year-round growing season, she hooked up with Peggy Kass and founded Kassenhoff Growers. It's a labor-intensive operation that uses no pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified seeds
All their plants are certified organic and are grown outdoors on several plots located in Berkeley, Alameda and Oakland. Most of their business is wholesale with clients including Grand Lake Ace Nursery, Magic Gardens and Berkeley Horticultural. The Grand Lake Farmers' Market was their original retail outlet and they now sell at the Temescal Market as well. While they grow pretty much year-round, their selling season is from April through the Fall.
Originally, their focus was exclusively on tomatoes and that remains the mainstay of their business. Their catalogue lists 70 varieties including "Mortgage Lifter", "Arkansas Traveler" and "West Virginia Hillbilly". Eventually, however, Kassenhoff Growers expanded their offerings. Vegetables now include cucumbers, eggplant and hard-to-find salad greens. Ornamentals include fuschias and salvias. Culinary and medicinal herbs has emerged as another Kassenhoff specialty. The latter includes Echinacea, Mugwort and Yarrow. In a delightful 2003 column in the Chronicle, Helen and Peggy gave advice on optimum planting methods.
(This entry was last updated August 2, 2007)