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

5th Annual Spring Seed Swap

ALWAYS A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT

Sunday, March 16th from 2-6pm

Chico Grange Hall, 2775 Nord Ave, Chico, CA

WHAT IS PROVIDED

• Over 8 tables of seed to exchange ‘Potluck’ Style
• Speaker Presentations
• Seed Saving Education
• Seeds & Plants for Sale
• Community Non-Profits
• Food & Drinks for sale by Chico Natural Foods
• Activities for all ages

SPEAKER PRESENTATION SCHEDULE  
2:15pm
Seed Saving 101: a focus on drought tolerant crops -with Kalan Redwood of Redwood Seeds: www.redwoodseeds.net  
3:30pm
Water Panel: rainwater harvesting earthworks, rain barrels and greywater systems -with Stephanie & Brian Ladwig-Cooper, Nani Teves and Stephanie & Tim Elliott  
4:45pm
Seed Stories: open forum on the beauty and importance of seed -lead by Joan Bosque

WHAT TO BRING ~ you do not need seeds to attend, please label your seed and plants ~

• Seeds, bulbs, plants, cuttings and more to exchange
• Used envelopes/containers and pens/pencils

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Sherri Scott (GRUB Education Program) 342-3376 sherri@grubchico.org
• Stephanie Ladwig-Cooper (Chico Permaculture Guild) 828-6390 modcpg@gmail.com

More information can be found on the Chico Permaculture Guild website here. You can also join the Facebook event here.

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.

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. 

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. 

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

Books -a reliable resource

We recently had a friend ask us for a list of good, easy to read permaculture books.  It got us thinking about the fact we've never cataloged our "library" of books.  They are such a wonderful resource and don't succumb to electricity outages...

Part of our "library"

While the "library" as it stands is comprised of several bookshelves, some tabletops and a lot of wandering to find the one you're looking for, we are in the process of relocating our family and business so it seems fitting to take inventory.  

We've listed 35 permaculture, gardening, sustainable living type books below; some we own and have read, some we don't own and have read, some we've read only bits and pieces from and some we've never read at all but have been advised to read.   We also put them on the side bar to check out as you read other blog entries.

Red Valerian

Centranthus ruber

Taking a break from our Fungus Friends this month we wanted to share a plant some folks may not know about.

Red Valerian is a common flower seen this time of year but the leaves of Red Valerian are pretty special.  They can be eaten like lettuce or spinach in a salad and taste even SWEETER when picked small!  The larger leaves can be steamed and eaten plain or even stir-fried with a little kale.

We feel it's important for people to understand just how much FOOD grows in their garden.  Contact us for a consultation and we'll tell you what's what in your gardens! 

[FYI: Red Valerian is not the same as Valeriana officinalis, a medicinal herb.]

FEATURED FUNGUS FRIEND

Cyathus stercoreus

(Bird’s Nest Fungi)

Bird's nest fungi are saprophytes and thus decomposers of organic material.   They are found most often on decaying wood and animal dung.  They don't harm living plants/trees.

The "nest" of this fungi is cup shaped and fuzzy outside/smooth inside.  The black “eggs” are small capsules known as peridioles which contain the fungal spores.  Rainwater or water drips into the splash cup and when the water hits the bottom of the cup it splashes out with enough force to eject the peridioles up to a yard away!

If the nest is on herbivore dung after dispersal they may germinate, form new mycelium and grow new fruiting bodies.  Or they might be eaten by another herbivore where after 'deposit' they may germinate and grow!  Spores of bird's nest fungi can travel through the digestive tract of herbivores unharmed. 

Nature's resilience...   Pretty amazing!

FEATURED FUNGUS FRIEND

Trametes versicolor

(aka Turkey Tail, Kawaratake or Yun-Zhi)

This bracket fungi shows off their beautiful bands of tan, brown, cream and rust colors radiating out from a central 'foot' -holding onto wood.

A very common saprobe, meaning it decomposes (feeds on) wood and other organic matter, this bracket fungi has medicinal value.   According to Fungi Perfecti's Paul Stamets and other mycologists this particular bracket fungi has immune boosting properties as well as antitumor benefits.

Resources for Fungi information:

We must pay homage to the various mushroom websites for their spectacular imagery and vast knowledge base!  As a start we recommend Mushroom Experts, Tom Volk's Fungi, MykoWeb (Fungi of California), and of course Fungi Perfecti.

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.