Ginger Edwards and her husband, Brigham, have made their North Fork 53 bed-and-breakfast and homestead along the Nehalem River an immersive foodie experience surrounded by organic gardens.

But as they try to become one of Clatsop County’s pioneers in agritourism, they face zoning hurdles and a slight uneasiness from some neighbors.

The couple requested a change of use with the county to become resort lodging, hosting workshops, retreats and other events based around growing food. They had wanted to apply for agritourism. But unlike Tillamook County, its neighbor to the south, Clatsop County has no agritourism written into code.

The Edwards’ plan to triple the garden areas around a farmhouse, offering walking tours through the 3.6-acre lot. They recently traveled to India to learn about growing the evergreen shrub, Camellia sinensis, and hope to become one of the region’s first tea farms.

“The whole thing will be an edible walk-through experience, and we’re going to lean on tea,” Ginger Edwards said. “We’ll be one of the first farms in the region to grow tea.”

The couple hope to restart a farm stand to sell what they grow, and a mobile food truck tea bar.

North Fork 53’s conditional use permit recently came before a county hearings officer. Although the proposal received more than 30 letters of support from growers, chefs and fellow farmers, it also drew resistance from several nearby property owners worried about the noise and traffic associated with a resort.

County staff proposed eliminating events, camping and the food truck, while downsizing retreats from a potential 25 people to 12 people and restricting the hours of operation. North Fork 53 would have to help maintain the nearby Bridge Lane heading to a gated community and ensure no on-street parking.

“It’s partially learning about agritourism, but also finding that balance between what is a commercial use in a residential area,” said Gail Henrikson, the county’s community development director.

A farm and forest advisory committee — including Edwards — has been working with the county Planning Commission for the past couple of years on rural land use issues such as agritourism, codified in state law since 2011. A recommended code change will likely come before the county Board of Commissioners this summer, Henrikson said.

The couple appealed to the hearings officer to allow events, periodic camping during retreats and their food truck. The hearings officer extended the review period of their application until later this month.

“I feel like what we asked for was pretty small,” Ginger Edwards said.

Allowing agritourism in smaller residential agricultural lots is especially important, Brigham Edwards said, because younger farmers often can’t afford to buy large farms. The couple made their down payment on North Fork 53 by fixing the property up for the previous owners, he said.

Several vendors, neighbors and others involved in North Fork 53 testified on the couple’s behalf at the county hearing.

Teresa Retzlaff, owner of 46 North Farm near Astoria and a member of the farm and forest advisory committee, said she sees the Edwards’ application as a test run for similar operations around Clatsop County. She worries that rejection by the county could set a precedent that neighbors unhappy with an idea can decide what people can do on their own property.

“That bothers me as a small-business owner, as a farmer in this county who’s trying to keep a viable rural economic development happening in our area,” Retzlaff said.

The struggle of getting approval for agritourism in Clatsop County is particularly ironic for Ginger and Brigham Edwards. Mere hundreds of feet south in Tillamook County, agritourism codes have been in place for several years. Small businesses have popped up throughout the valleys around Tillamook and Nehalem bays, offering consumers a chance to see how food is made.

In April, Visit Tillamook Coast launched the North Coast Food Trail, a collection of producers, restaurants and culinary centers stretching from Cannon Beach to Lincoln City.

Nan Devlin, director of the group, said the food trail grew out of farms, ranches, markets, seafood processors, brewers, wineries, distillers, chefs and others in the food industry all wanting a concerted way to highlight their products.

“Agritourism isn’t just about coming to look at the cows and plants,” she said. “A lot of it is about education. People are very, very interested in how people grow their things, how they adapt to the seasons.”

The trail runs north to Cannon Beach, including local restaurants, breweries, bakeries, a cooking school, Cannon Beach Distillery and a local farmer’s market. North Fork 53 and nearby grass-fed beef and lamb ranch Meadow Harvest are the northernmost farms on the trail. But with the name North Coast, Devlin said, the hope is to expand into Clatsop County.

“I would encourage the county to revisit their agritourism policies, because farming, it’s not a hugely lucrative business,” she said.

Farmers work seven days a week and seek out value-added products to help make ends meet, Devlin said. “We want to keep those small farmers in business.”