'Killer Tomato' Farmers are Well Connected to the Organic Food Movement.

“Killer Tomato Stand” is not the name for a sequel to that 1980s mock-horror film “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” It’s the nickname chosen by Tom and Mary Page, owners of Page’s Organics, for their farmstand on Pamo Road in Ramona. The farmstand is part of their four-acre certified organic farm. To them, “Killer Tomatoes” means superlative freshness and taste.

“Currently we are growing 20 different varieties of heritage and hybrid tomatoes,” said Tom Page. “We sell tomatoes both as seedlings in the spring and as ripe tomatoes in the summer and fall.”

While tomatoes are a specialty, Page’s Organics also grows and sells a variety of other seasonal produce, including eggplant, peppers, zucchini, lemons, oranges and watermelons, as well as fresh herbs. Like the tomatoes, the other produce is sold fresh from the stand during summer and fall and as “starts" —young plants in four-inch pots—during the spring.

The Pages sell their produce directly to consumers through the farmstand and wholesale to stores specializing in organic food, including Jimbo’s, Whole Foods and .

Our recent conversation provided a snapshot of how San Diego county’s small farmers tailor their growing seasons to match customer demand.

“I’m planning to plant more cucumbers for Ramona Family Naturals,” said Page. As for Jimbo’s, he said “our yellow zucchini is very popular, also basil and eggplant.

“But we don’t sell them much in the tomato area,” Page added, explaining that Jimbo’s buys its tomatoes mostly from another organic grower whose crop comes in later than Page’s.

“We’re looking for the niche,” said Page.  “We don’t want to compete with other farmers.”

Jimbo’s has inaugurated a program to help promote local produce by erecting signs in its produce area identifying the specific farms that the displayed produce comes from, with background and contact information on each farm. Signs for Page’s Organics will soon be up at the two Jimbo’s stores to which they sell: Escondido and 4S Ranch.

Page is an active member of California Certified Organic Farmers, (CCOF), where he is the local certification chair. He’s also a member of Slow Food USA, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and Chefs Collaborative.

This week, the Page’s Organics farmstand will close for the year and will reopen next July.

“The season is short in Ramona for spring and summer crops,” Page said.   "Winter crops are slow and labor intensive.”

He’s in the process of installing hoop houses—small easily assembled greenhouses made of plastic and flexible piping. These structures retain solar radiation longer, in effect extending growing seasons. Page is doing the installation with help from a cost-share program sponsored by the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service).

“It’s not like a grant,” Page said. “We pay most of it and they pitch in to help us out."

Page said he has "always been in the organic and natural foods industry."

From the 1970s to the 1990s he had a vegetarian restaurant, The Prophet, in East San Diego. He had his own greenhouse in the back, Page said. The restaurant, under subsequent ownership, continues as part of the World Beat Center.

He continues to use his chef skills in his day job as a regional deli trainer with Jimbo’s.

“I train managers for the food service department," he said. "As a chef, I’ve developed menus and recipes for their delis.”

I asked how he got into farming.

“It runs in the family. My grandfather was a sharecropper in upstate New York. I started out growing greenhouse crops in my younger days and had a passion for growing my own food. As a chef, I have a passion for locally grown and cooking healthy. The farm was a hobby that turned into an enterprise and community service.”

To find out more about Page’s Organics, call 760-789-3859, or see their entry on the Local Harvest website .