Visitors looking for a farm-to-table experience in San Diego County can find it in many places. With more than 6,000 farmers (according to the San Diego County Farm Bureau), the county offers more small family farms than any other county in the nation and an abundance of places to find their wares. The best place to buy fresh produce directly from the growers is at a farm stand. Here are a few of the most popular:

Chino Farms. Located in Rancho Santa Fe, Chino Farms is a favorite among California’s top chefs. Luckily anybody can buy from their farm stand, which provides some of the prettiest produce you’ve ever seen. For more information, call (858) 756-3184.

Carlsbad Strawberry Company. The family owned company offers strawberries from January through July. Visitors can purchase strawberries -- or get out in the field to pick the berries themselves beginning each April. www.carlsbadstrawberrycompany.com

Lavender Fields. In the foothills of Palomar Mountain in northern inland San Diego County, the region’s only organic-certified lavender farm grows dozens of varieties of English and French lavender and sells dried culinary lavender at their on-site store. Open Saturdays and Sundays. www.lavenderfields.com

California Certified Farmers Markets. Every day in San Diego there is a farmers market taking place, with the number growing. For a complete schedule of San Diego’s farmers markets and a regional harvest calendar, visit www.sdfarmbureau.org/Pages/farmersmarket.html.

In addition to the farm stands and farmers markets, a number of restaurants in San Diego County have embraced the farm-to-table concept. (Click "Read More" for list of restaurants.)

I recently had Nick Sakovich come to visit the herb and vegetable gardens we put in earlier this year here at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Like a lot of new gardeners, I didn’t grow up farming so felt I needed some advice on what I was doing right and wrong (mostly wrong) and couldn’t have found a better person than Nick, who was the farm adviser for the University of California in Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and ran their master gardener program. Now retired, Nick lives on the Big Island where he gardens on three acres and writes a column for the Hilo Tribune. He came out with his wife for a three night stay, where we filled them with good food in exchange for his help with the garden.

Mostly Nick’s advice centered on the theme of bringing what we’re doing back to the science -- that if you have a scientific foundation for what you’re doing, you’ll be in much better shape.

Here, specifically, are a few of the areas we concentrated on:

The Soil. It’s important to analyze the soil you’re working with so you know what nutrients you’re lacking and therefore what kind of fertilizer you should be using. A specific test for plant pathogenic nematodes can also be performed. Or you can just pull up some susceptible plants like tomatoes and look for knotted or galled roots. The damage is obvious. I’m pretty sure we’re dealing with a lot of root knot nematodes. If you do have them, there are some things to do to manage them; namely plant non-host varieties and species in the infected areas. In regions with warm climates -- lots of sunshine -- soil sterilization is an option. Certain marigold species also help in reducing nematode populations. (Click "read more" for whole article)

Ever wonder what it would be like to chuck it all and move to an organic farm on Kauai? Well, Lee Roversi did just that and, because she did, you can try it out yourself by staying in one of the two bed-and-breakfast cottages at her North Country Farms on the north shore of Kauai. This is not your traditional bed-and-breakfast. Personally, when I hear bed-and-breakfast, I think of an over-designed Victorian where it feels like you've moved in with the in-laws. I know this isn't fair as I've visited any number of really cool and different bed-and-breakfasts but, let's face it, that's the usual rep. At North Country Farms, you instead stay in two wooden guest houses that are completely self-contained and include a welcome basket filled with goodies to enjoy at your leisure instead of a formal breakfast where you’re expected to make chit chat with strangers. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you’re into it. Really.)