Practical Tips for Conserving Water in the Landscape

Reducing outdoor water use on a residential scale is absolutely necessary during times of drought but is really something that we need to do consistently in the Mediterranean climate we live in here in California. Here are a few more tips to add to the article 'Save our water! Tips for conserving water outdoors' in the Chico News and Review January 30, 2014 issue:

1. Reduce/remove your lawn by sheet mulching
2. Plant perennials instead of annuals
3. Boost the soil food web living in your soil
4. Install a clothes washer greywater system
5. Harvest rainwater

Calendula officinalis

Calendula, sometimes called Pot Marigold, is an easy and carefree addition to any garden.  Its origin is practically unknown but history shows it was readily used in ancient Greek, Roman, Arabic and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.   This versatile plant has too many functions and benefits to list here but a few of them to include are:

• Medicine –used to treat skin problems and inflammation
• Companion plant –attracts beneficial predatory insects to gardens
• Human Food –leaves and flowers are good in salads and sandwiches
• Nutrient accumulator –stores nutrients vital to soil health/compost activator
• Self sustaining –self sows and maintains itself in the garden
• Yellow dye –food coloring or cloth  
• Cosmetics –salves, creams and hair coloring

 

 

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.

HARVEST RAINWATER & KUMQUAT

The Melianthus major pictured above is an example of Nature's own gutter system for plants efficiently bringing rainwater to where the plant needs it most; its root zone.

We humans can do it too!  By designing rainwater harvesting systems for the roofs of our homes, barns, outbuildings and more we can effectively conserve water while recharging local water tables.

Contact us for more information!

KUMQUAT  Fortunella spp.

The Kumquat is a delicious garden addition.  They are superb eaten raw; the outer layer slightly spicy while the inner layer sweet as in the variety.

Kumquats, or comquats, are called 'gold orange' in China from where they originated.  They thrive in our valley climate and are said to produce sweeter fruits in our warmer winters.

Slowly growing to 10 feet or more they require seasonal food and water once established.  All the while producing food for snacking or preserving.