Big River Nurseries at the Stanford Inn

Where

Mendocino · California

What they grow

Vegetables, greens, herbs, and edible flowers for the Ravens Restaurant

Growing practice

Certified organic since 1989; fertility from composted food waste and garden cuttings at a fully vegan resort — no purchased animal-input fertilizers

Visit, volunteer, or join

Garden tours and gardening classes, overnight stays, and the vegan Ravens Restaurant, open to the public

Big River Nurseries is the working garden of the Stanford Inn by the Sea, the Mendocino eco-resort widely described as the only fully vegan resort in North America. Gardening on the property began in 1985 at the historic China Gardens site, which once fed the area's loggers and mill workers, and the operation has been CCOF certified organic since 1989. The beds are managed with biointensive methods, and fertility comes from composting the inn's food waste and landscaping cuttings rather than from purchased fertilizers — a closed plant-based loop at a resort where no animal products are served at all. What grows here — vegetables, salad greens, herbs, and edible flowers — goes straight to the Ravens Restaurant, the inn's plant-based dining room. Visitors don't need to be overnight guests to experience it: the gardens can be seen on tours, the inn runs gardening classes through its Living Well program, and the property also hosts Victory Gardens for Peace — Ecology Action's biointensive demonstration mini-farm, which researches complete-diet growing, donates its harvest to the local food bank and senior center, runs residential internships, and keeps a free community seed bank.

Programs, hours, and visitor policies change — always check the official site or get in touch before you go. Last verified July 8, 2026.

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