Meet the Third-Generation Alemany Farmer with a Passion for Heirloom and Asian Vegetables

July 23, 2026

Many local farms have deep roots in the Alemany Farmers Market, and K&G Farm is no exception. Owner Seng Xiong is the third generation of her family to sell at the Alemany, with a passion for heirloom vegetables you won’t find at many grocery stores. She is now bringing bitter melon, opo squash, and other Asian specialty crops to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays, too.

With an inquisitive approach to farming, Seng decides what to grow based on her own curiosity and interest in expanding people’s flavor horizons. “What inspires me is just trying out new produce. There’s so many varieties out there I want to try,” she shares. “When you bring it out, people are so intrigued. They don’t know that it exists and they’ll give it a try.” 

Growing Alemany Farmers Market Roots Since the 1970s

The first members of the Xiong family to join the Alemany Farmers Market were Seng’s paternal grandfather, Hue, and her grandmother, also named Seng. On their farm, they grew peppers and a small selection of Asian vegetables including daikon radishes, baby bok choy, and Thai chilies. In the late 1970s, they joined the Alemany Farmers Market, driving from their farm in Fresno County to San Francisco every Saturday. 

They stayed at the Alemany Farmers Market for 30 years until they made the decision to retire, but fortunately, their legacy would continue. They spent four years teaching their son, Ger Xiong, and his wife, Khou Vang, the ins and outs of running a successful farming business. Both Hue and Seng finally retired in 2011, which also came with a decision not to renew their lease on the farm. But Khou and Ger found a new 15-acre plot in a city just east of Fresno called Sanger, where they founded K&G Farm.

From 2007 through 2012, Khou and Ger grew long beans and Thai chilies with the help of their family and their then-teenaged daughter, Seng. Though they maintained the spot at the Alemany Farmers Market, it wasn’t the focus of their business. Instead, Seng’s parents grew their beans and chilies to be sold to agricultural distributors, who then sold them to wholesalers.

“Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things”

Though Khou and Ger still help run the farm, in 2021 they eventually took a step back to pass the business on to the next generation. When Seng took over, she decided to do things a bit differently. 

“Right after I took over, I decided to just do farmers markets. I went looking for farmers markets to expand my produce and let people taste a variety of vegetables that they don’t sell at the grocery stores,” Seng says. She encourages shoppers, “Don’t be afraid to try new things.”

Today, Seng still manages the farm with her parents, while her siblings and partner, Juan Herrera Fuentes, work with her at the farmers markets. She continues to sell a the crops that her parents and grandparents grew, such as long beans, bok choy, and pumpkins, alongside a wide variety of crops that she’s chosen based on customer feedback, including over 40 heirloom tomato varieties, such as Sungold cherry, Green Zebra, and Purple Cherokee.

Having grown up in the Alemany Farmers Market community, she enjoys catching up with regulars every Saturday. “I just love the customers there. Since I’ve been there for over a whole decade, I’ve created a family there. They come, and they talk about how they liked my produce, and we talk about our days.”

“Farming is easy if you put your heart into it,” Seng says. “You want to just let nature take its course, and let things grow.”

Visit K&G Farm at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays.