“California graywater liberation day”

Art Ludwig says this of historic Tuesday, August 4th in California.

Yesterday, California Regulators issued an emergency decision that will allow residents to create simple water-reuse systems without a construction permit. Such as the Laundry to Landscape system that Art Ludwig has modeled for years, in addition to the thousands of other Californians. This emergency ruling is based on CA governors drought condition report of 2007 and last year.

While the single use system is legal without a permit other more complicated systems will require one to go though the permitting process.

http://hcd.ca.gov/codes/shl/graywater_emergency.html

One positive step in the right direction... now let's stop using flush toilets!!

Equisetum hyemale L.

Common name: scouring rush horsetail   -from Latin equus (horse) and saeta (bristle)

Families of vascular plants, horsetails reproduce by spores rather than seeds.  For over one hundred million years the equisetum family dominated the sub canopy of late Paleozoic forests.  They are known as living fossils.

Horsetails are a valuable dynamic accumulator plant very rich in silica but also in magnesium, calcium and iron. As it decomposes these nutrients become available to soil organisms and ultimately our plants.

They are wonderful for bog gardens and for covering a wet low spot where nothing else will grow; always taking care not to let it become invasive to native populations.

Uses:

The leaves are used as a dye and give a soft green color; its extract is often used to provide silica for supplementation.  It’s also used as a fungicide, liquid feed; musical instrument; paper; parasiticide; polish; sandpaper; scourer.

 

 

THREE SISTERS GUILD

This ancient system of growing corn, beans and squash illustrates how companion planting has been practiced with much success over the ages. Native American peoples planted them in different patterns depending on what region they lived in but overall the inspiration is based on Mother Nature. The method draws upon nature’s cycle of nutrients and flow of energy to create growing conditions that favor all three plants throughout their life cycle.

The corn provides vertical support the pole beans require to climb as well as a little shade for the squash. The squash shades the ground for the corn allowing moisture to remain in the soil longer. The pole beans provide nitrogen fertilizer by absorbing nitrogen from the air and converting to soluble nitrate in the soil. Microscopic nitrogen fixing bacteria live in small, often visible, nodules on the roots of legume plants (like beans and peas) enhancing the plants ability to absorb nitrogen.

How Native American peoples knew this I don’t know but they seemed to know a lot more about living sustainably than we do today. For more information about this planting Guild contact us today!

GARDEN DIVERSITY!

Over 300 different species of plants thrive on this 1/3 acre property in N. California. 4 humans, 2 dogs, insects, birds, lizards, even moles co-exist in harmony within these gardens. Next animal needed: CHICKENS!
Expected food crop yield this season is approximately 1000 lbs!


Plants Shown in Picture

• 10-30 year old fruit trees/vines: apple, fig, pomegranates, almond, grape, pepper, pecan
• 3 Sisters Spiral + clover: Sweet corn, 7 types squash (spaghetti, 3 types pumpkin, yellow crookneck, scallop bush, zucchini) and 2 types pole beans
• Elderberry with grape vine
• Potatoes interplanted with Yin Yang and Blue Lake bush beans and Nasturtiums: 6 varieties potatoes planted vertically: purple, red, Yucon gold, yellow finn, banana fingerling and russet
• Scarlet Runner bean Phaseolus coccineus
• Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum
• Costmary Tanacetum balsamita
• Garden Sage Salvia offincinalis
• Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
• English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia
  

**Not shown but growing lower down are chives, calendula, wooly and creeping thyme, oregano, feverfew and nasturtiums

Pretty fulfilling to grow your own food; it goes hand in hand with happiness.