Urban Permaculture Property Tour

In celebration of International Permaculture Day, May 5^th, 2013 the Chico Permaculture Guild is sponsoring 2 FREE tours of our urban permaculture project.

About the Tour:

Brian and I (Stephanie) are helping our local permaculture guild celebrate International Permaculture Day by providing a public tour of our local permaculture project; an urban 2/3 acre residential property that has been in development and succession since 2009.  (You can view photos of the Project here.)

3.5 years underway this property has been designed, implemented and managed utilizing the ethics and principles of permaculture. We'll be providing tour participants a first glimpse of this property which has not been open to public until now. We plan to provide and overview of the designs, permaculture techniques and strategies they used for creating an evolving oasis on this urban piece of land.

Map of Fruit Trees 2011 (canopy and subcanopy of forest gardens)

 Site Elements and Systems Tour Attendees will Observe:

•    From Swimming Pool To Aquaculture Pond

•    Rainwater Harvesting

•    Edible Forest Gardens

•    Perennial Polycultures

•    Coppice Tree System

•    Chicken Integrations

and more...

TOUR INFORMATION

Tour #1: 10am - 12pm

Tour #2: 2pm - 4pm

Registration is required; please indicate which tour you wish to attend when registering. Please register here: http://ipdtour.eventbrite.com/

Space is limited to 20 people per tour so register today to ensure your spot!

This event is free but donations are accepted to support the Chico Permaculture Guild and more events such as this one! No dogs or other animals, please.

Please join us for a day of learning and fun in solidarity with other permaculture activities around the world as we celebrate International Permaculture Day 2013!!

For more information please contact Stephanie at 530-828-6390 or modcpg@gmail.com

Introduction to Permaculture Workshop June 23, 2012 in Chico, CA

Flier for Intro to Permaculture Workshop

Brian and I, via our business Gaia Creations, will be teaching an Introduction to Permaculture Workshop next month in Chico, CA. The focus of this workshop is to invite the community to learn more about permaculture in general and at the same time begin/continue networking with each other to gain experience in permaculture design strategies for effective local food production and resource efficiency.

BEYOND COMPANION PLANTING –‘Guild Building’ a Forest Garden

In one of our recent articles I wrote about companion planting and the specific plants my husband and I have grown successfully together -or not- when growing our seasonal food crops.  This time I’d like to write about the function and use of plants grown in polyculture and how each plant species has inherent characteristics that benefit an entire plant community or plant guild (polyculture is growing many different types of plants together -as compared to monoculture).

SYNERGY

Similar to companion planting when you design a plant guild or forest garden you are grouping together plants which relate synergistically –benefiting each other by warding off pests or by supporting each other in some specific way.  YET within a plant guild or forest garden we are trying to do more than compliment the plants individual relationships we are trying to compliment the arrangement as a whole ecosystem –soil biota to unique microclimate, insects to animals, plants to people.  Creating plant specific polycultures which provide food for humans as a priority and either preserve or create an ecosystem is a step beyond companion planting and toward a more diverse and secure future -for food and natural resources.

A forest garden can be many things… in our trials and experimentation it is comprised of several plant guilds grown in a spatial pattern that becomes self sustaining over time.  A plant guild is simply a polyculture of plants -generally with a central plant species- when grown together make efficient use of space and resources requiring little input from humans. 

Urban Permaculture Project -2 years in progress

My husband and I have been actively working on an urban 2/3 acre permaculture project for 2 years this month. We began the design and subsequent installation at a residence in October of 2009 and it continues in multiple phases today.  As we complete the swimming pool to aquaculture pond conversion and reflect upon our progress thus far we would like to share our experiences -the trials, corrections and successes made along the way and to basically let more people know about this Mediterranean climate permaculture project.

From grass to habitat garden... our front yard 2005-2011

Our rural 1/3 acre of land in Northern California has been our home and office as well as a continual experiment in ecological land care and permaculture for over 6 years.  Our decision to relocate to the 'city' this month has us pondering just how much we've improved this particular piece of land in the short amount of time we've been here...  so I decided to take a journey back in time. 

Rope swing 2011

Unbeknown to us in 2005 we moved into a chemical dependent neighborhood; neighbors who rely on pest control companies, Round Up and weed/feed for regular property maintenance.  Within our own property we found enamel paint had been washed out on the back lawn and evidence of recent herbicide and pesticide spraying around our new house (pest company sticker in the garage with the date of application).  Gardening ecologically for a long time we have learned a lot about how to make the transition from a chemical dependent landscape to an organic and biologically based one and how to do it with little time and effort.

Volunteer plants in a Feijoa arbor guild

I love plants that volunteer in the garden.  Some of my favorite and most cherished plants have been volunteers.  They’re almost always sturdy and very healthy having found an ideal niche to germinate and grow in.  Two volunteers I found this year are equally useful and beautiful -Borage (Borago officinalis) and English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata).  Both volunteered in our Feijoa arbor guild.

This particular guild’s central plant is the Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana).  Actually 2 Feijoas create the arbors’ archway between two of our gardens and each has a nestling of plants at the base which spread outward.  The Feijoa started out with only Lavender and Calendula for companions but this spring they have many, many more friends; loads of which were volunteers (or spreading volunteers, like apple mint).

Feijoa arbor guild plants early Spring 2011

CHARD

Beta vulgaris (many varieties)

Native to Europe’s Mediterranean climate chard is a delight for any Northern California winter garden.

Chard is a tall leafy green vegetable in the same family as beets and spinach.  Without a significant edible root like beets, chard instead has a thick, crunchy stalk which can measure almost two feet in length.  The stalk and mid ribs can be white, red or yellow with either smooth or curly green or red leaves -depending upon variety.

red chard

FROST and FREEZE Protection Tips

When temperatures drop to freezing (32˚F) the water inside plants freezes too.  When temperatures reach below freezing (< 28˚F ) it begins to cause extensive cellular damage and loss of plant life. 

Protection methods prevent desiccation and heat loss.

s       WATER -Water loses heat more slowly than air, as  moisture is released from the soil during the night, the temperature of the air around the plant slightly increases. 

s       COVER -Stake and cover potted plants and small trees with frost cloth, burlap, linen or old bed sheets.

s       POTTED PLANTS -Bring succulent plants, like Aloe vera, and other sensitive potted plants INSIDE.

s       COLLECT HEAT -Place milk jugs painted black and filled with water around your plants where they will collect heat from the sun during the day.

s       MULCH -Heavily mulch perennial plants that are sensitive to frost or those that have not yet begun dormancy in the event of an early hard freeze.

frosty forest garden

Cover crops for your new Forest Garden…

crimson clover seedlings

When you are getting started with your Forest Garden there are inevitably spaces in your guilds which are not yet filled by the plants of your choice.  While you wait to 'grow in' or purchase those special species fill the empty spaces with specific annual and perennial cover crops designed to build soil and provide habitat. Your favorite plants will be healthier for it.

FYI: Cover crops mine nutrients from the subsoil and deposit them in the topsoil increasing nutrient availability for soil life to feed on.  A large and diverse population of critters in your soil ensures organic matter and humus production and also improves overall soil structure.  Cover crops also provide erosion control, increase water infiltration from rainfall and irrigation and provide competition for ‘weeds’.  Choose seasonal varieties for best results.  For forest gardening purposes we do not recommend using cover crops as ‘green manure’ which are cover crops grown for tilling  under (the soil before flowering).

Food Forests and Pomegranates

FOOD FORESTS

A food forest is exactly what it sounds like… an abundant and self sustaining forest of edible, medicinal and other useful plants. 

There are 7 layers to a food forest:

1. CANOPY: oak, pecan, walnut, olive

2. SUBCANOPY:  almonds, cherries,  dwarf fruit trees

3. SHRUBS: currants, berries, paw paw, elderberry, bamboo

4. HERBACIOUS:  echinacea, comfrey, mugwort, parsley, cilantro

5. GROUNDCOVER: strawberries, creeping thyme, some mints

6. CLIMBERS: grape (wild, table or wine), scarlet runner bean, akebia, kiwi

7. RHIZOSPERE: daikon, radish, beets, carrots, onions

The soil layer down to 6” or so is the next layer essential for all the layers above; the microsphere.  This layer consists of the soil food web; organic matter (mulch) feeding fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes and the larger arthropods.

Let us design this type food system for your property!  Contact us today for reduced cost!

Pomegranate   Punica granatum

The pomegranate is a deciduous tree growing to 20ft in height by 15ft wide.  A native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India it has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region of Asia, Africa and Europe. Because of the many seeds found in pomegranate fruits, they were regarded as a symbol of fertility by the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

The fruits ripen 6 to 7 months after flowering.  The fruits improve in storage if not split and become juicier and more flavorful.  The juice sacs may be frozen intact or the extracted juice may be concentrated and frozen, for future use.