Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting System Installation Workshop

Part of our Fair Share is our volunteer time organizing the Chico Permaculture Guild. We facilitate monthly gatherings and seasonal workshops as well as participate in local events and other outreach efforts to help our community learn more about permaculture.

A timely workshop that Brian and I are teaching is coming up this month and it's focus is all about rooftop rainwater harvesting. We'll be teaching this workshop at our own property as part of our forest garden development. This workshop is FREE for the community to attend.

All the details are here:

6th Annual Spring Seed Swap

Sunday, March 1st from 2-6pm 

Chico Grange Hall, 2775 Nord Ave, Chico, CA

ALWAYS  A  FREE  COMMUNITY  EVENT

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

Due Diligence: Four O’clock Plants

Four O'clock flowers

Our family lives in a historic neighborhood of Chico, California called the Barber Neighborhood. Our neighborhood was named after O. C. Barber, the founder of the Diamond Match Company, who had a factory built nearby to process lumber for matches at the turn of the twentieth century. Our home was built in approximately 1909. Because of the age of this neighborhood we have found in around our property an abundance of old trees and shrubs of what many this day would consider cottage garden or great-grandma plants. One of which is the Four O’clock growing prolifically near our garage and Mandarin tree. Not many people go out of their way to buy and grow this plant in their gardens anymore. Why? I couldn’t say as I’ve found it is a really interesting and beautiful plant with a long history of cultivation.

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. 

3rd Annual Seed Swap

Seed Swap Flyer 2012

The 3rd Annual Seed Swap is happening this coming Sunday February 26th, 2012 at GRUB Cooperative. Sherri Scott of GRUB and myself, via the Chico Permaculture Guild, spearheaded this annual event back in 2010 for many reasons. First to promote local seed growing and acclimation but also to celebrate the genetic diversity of seeds, to inform the local community about the potential danger of genetically modified seed and to get more people in touch with the life cycle of seeds in general.

Companion Planting Information and Chart

Companion planting at it's best -corn, climbing beans and squash form the ancient Three Sisters Guild

We recently received an e-mail from a gentleman in China looking for...

"what plants you may have in your garden that you can transplant next to your Rose or your Apple tree to see how they nurture each other over time"

I thought I would post our own updated list of companion plants for him and anyone else interested. While I would love to say this plant or that plant are "best" I feel I must remind folks to keep in mind your climate, soil and many, many other factors that determine how well these plants cooperate together.  Trial and error is the best choice to begin companion planting but the chart below should lead you in the right direction...

THINK GLOBAL - SHOP LOCAL Give the Gift of a Garden

How many times have your family and friends said to you,

“If only I had more time to spend in the garden!” or

“I wish I knew more about growing fruit trees.” or even

“It would be great to have an expert over to consult with me about my gardens.”?

If your answer was "A LOT!" then give the gift of a garden or garden advice to your friends and family. Simply contact us today at 530-828-6390 and we’ll set you up with a beautiful gift certificate that can either be directly mailed to the garden loving people in your life or we can meet in person to discuss details.  You’ll be supporting an 11 year old Chico business while caring for the planet at the same time! 

Gift Certificate Example

Permaculture Student Intern turned Assistant and Upcoming PDC with Robyn Francis and Cathe’ Fish

Poster I created for the PDC

I've been marketing an upcoming Permaculture Design Course (PDC) for my own PDC instructor and mentor Cathe' Fish.  Cathe' and world renown permaculture educator, Robyn Francis of Australia, will be co-teaching a 13 day PDC intensive this October. (Seriously, someone pinch me!)

Cathe' and I have been utilizing an internship/work-trade system since we met 2008 and it's been an incredible experience learning from someone as dynamic and experienced as Cathe'.  I highly recommend permaculture students find a way to study under an accomplished permaculture designer for a few years after taking their PDC; the knowledge, hands on experience and self-confidence one gains from working with an experienced permaculturist is priceless.

An Elderberry Volunteers -Applying Permaculture Principle Number One in Our Backyard

Work With Nature Rather Than Against It: We can assist rather than impede natural elements, forces, pressures, processes, agencies, and evolutions.

Observe and Interact: By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.

Elderberry volunteer 4-25-08

This beautiful California native shrub (photo above) is a volunteer plant.  He sprouted up a few years ago, probably from the seed of a passing bird, and staked his claim on what our family had planned to be a sunny Zone 2 herb garden… and we let him take over.  Once we did our due diligence of his habits and functions, that is.  What we found are shrubs like the native Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) are insectary plants and provide pollen, nectar, shelter, as well as undisturbed habitat, for beneficial insect predators and parasites. 

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.

Spring Mulch on Site aka Chop and Drop Mulching

It’s important to consider our unique Mediterranean climate this particular time of year. Getting a basic understanding of how our seasons, the hydrologic cycle and your gardens all interact is not only fascinating but essential for healthy plants and soil life.

chop and drop wheat and other grasses for green mulch

 

Precipitation exceeds evaporation in the Spring*.  Air and soil temperatures gradually rise with increasing daylight hours, critters become more active, plants begin to grow again and everyone thrives with the moisture and additional warmth of early Spring.  How we can utilize this seasonal activity to our benefit and ultimately the health of the whole landscape? 

Mulch-on-Site 
aka Chop and Drop mulching

Random photos of Springtime in Northern California

for your enjoyment...

Akebia quniata

Ladybug eggs next to aphids

Chard and mint

Turkey tail mushrooms

EARN YOUR PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE!

Earth Care - People Care - Fair Share

PERMACULTURE OFFERS POSITIVE SOLUTIONS TO A PLANET IN CRISIS

PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE

with Cathe’ Fish & Neil Bertrando

March 12- March 20, 2011

BLUEBIRD FARM – SUSTAINABLE FARM IN NEVADA CITY, CA

Learn how to design for stability, resilience, and abundance at a farm that is dedicated to sustainability and community health. Gain hands-on skills in sustainable systems design and application.

Permaculture provides a framework for consciously designed landscapes that mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature. These systems yield an abundance of shelter, water, energy, and food for the provision of local needs that provide diversity, stability, and resilience for local populations.

DISCOVER SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR FARM, RURAL LAND OR SUBURBAN BACKYARD 

Planting for Seed Saving

ADAPT YOUR PLANTS, INCREASE DIVERSITY

Calendula seed

Here are a few tips for planting success:

•       If your intentions are to save seed from certain plants -grow more plants than you think you need.  This allows room for error and the unexpected and also ensures there will be enough plants from which to harvest all your seed.

•       Saving seed requires you grow plants to maturity.  This means they get a lot bigger when not harvested or deadheaded, so leave more room around them.  The plants you let go to seed will most likely be growing in random places so be fairly flexible in your overall garden design and subsequent plantings.

•       Think about isolation.  This means in space (location) or in time (month of seed harvest) or both.  By doing so you maximize the chance of maintaining the specific variety you're after. Look up recommended isolation distances or choose early and late varieties that flower at different times. Remember to try and check with your neighbors -they might be growing something that will cross!  If they are, you will need to isolate yours with physical barriers to prevent pollen transfer.  If it’s a GMO, ask them to buy open pollinated seed instead!

Chive seedhead

EAT YOUR GREENS!

Shown below are several types of edible leafy green vegetables you can grow easily (and over winter!) in your gardens...

bok choy, borage, broccoli, cabbage,  hollyhocks, cilantro, dandelions, kohlrabi, red mustard, spinach

bok choy -a bit more tender than other winter greens.  we like it as a lettuce substitute in sandwiches.

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).

Forest Gardening Tips AUTUMN

look closely, can you see the mantid egg sac?

Avoid dead heading all your flowers and shrubs.  There are many insects who have made use of your plants for their next generation... see photo above of praying mantid egg sac.

DO NOT BURN YOUR LEAVES!  Don't burn healthy wood debris either; shred it or leave it out for solitary bees and other beneficial insects.

Plant woody plants (trees, shrubs, groundcovers) after dormancy yet before the ground is too wet.

Ensure irrigation is functioning on an as needed basis. *Contact us to install a Rain Sensor.

you can see the egg sac pretty well here

Apply heavy mulches before your first Fall frost date (here); especially to marginally hardy plants.   Avoid crown rot with too much mulch on sensitive plants.

Build mulch stockpiles after you've spread out all you can.  Allow it to compost or use the extra mulch sporadically. 

Late Autumn Bloomers

A beneficial insects' dream...

Salvia greggii

Insects are busy now ensuring their eggs have been laid and their burrows and hide away's are secure and fully stocked.  They are out in the last rays of warm sunshine gathering the nectar and pollen from flowers that bloom into November's darkening days.

We too are feeling the slow down of summer's many harvests and one look to the pantry shows our storage efforts have paid off.  Yet there is more to think about in the garden...

We can aid the health of our gardens and next year's bounty by encouraging beneficial insects to stay around.  Providing them food during the winter by planting late blooming flowers will help the insects that don't hibernate or have yet to.  

In our region it gets cold but it doesn't truly feel like Winter until late January.  Plants like Salvia greggii (pictured above) will bloom well past Christmas with no major frost. 

Costmary

 Tanacetum balsamita

Costmary is a native of the Orient, but has now become naturalized in many parts of the world.  While not as popular today as it was historically it has a particular charm in the garden; if given room to spread out.   The scent of the leaves is the quality of Costmary people find soothing; it has a balsam smell with a slight mint aroma.   

Below are a few of the uses of Costmary:

Costmary is a lovely garnish for lemonades, iced teas and other beverages. When the leaves are young it can be added to fruit salads, cold soups and green salads.

Use the leaves for a bookmark.  Dry leaves between layers of clean paper, under a heavy weight; this will ensure that pages of the book don’t warp or become discolored with use.

The fresh leaves can also be used much like geranium leaves by laying them in the baking pan before pouring in the batter for a cake or other baked dessert.

Rinse water: use in rinse water after wash cycle

• 2 tablespoons dried costmary
• 2 cups boiling water
• Glass bowl
• Infuse for 1-2 hours
• Strain
• Use in rinse water