Today we had a special guest presentation by John Valenzuela, who lives in Novato. He spoke about permaculture and gave a slide show about the various kinds of food crops that can be successfully grown in this area and/or gleaned from naturalized plants that grow in the area.
Permaculture is a food production system based on ecological principles, a "food forest," versus the "linear" model of conventional agriculture, or the biointensive bed method which is based on two dimensions. Permaculture additionally accounts for time as an important component of planning; there is a "patchy" succession of crops, as in nature, without a culminating endpoint. The permaculture "food forest" model utilizes companion planting, or "guilds" of plants and organisms that work together or help each other.
Robert Hart first set out the seven layers within the food forest, a kind of tropical archetype:
The canopy
Low tree layer (dwarf fruit trees)
Shrubs
Herbaceous
Rhizosphere (root crops)
Soil surface (cover crops)
Vertical layer (climbers, vines)
Permaculture design also incorporates human presence and habitation. John showed examples of places such as Harrington Park in San Anselmo in which aesthetic elements, human access, and human activities are included (an outdoor kitchen, for example). Hardscapes create their own microclimates in which certain crops can thrive. Grey water and rain harvesting systems, and solar pumps are methods of conserving water and energy. Robert Couric and Art Ludwig are grey water specialists - check out oasisdesigns.org. Village Homes in Davis has incorporated water infiltration into the landscape design. Water features like ponds can be an integral part of food production, the ecology (nutrient cycling), and provide entrepreneurial opportunities (aquatic crops like water lilies). Duckweed for example can be used as animal feed and compost. Check out Max Myers, of Aquaponics, for more about this. Animals can be a component of nutrient cycling and IPM - ducks will eat snails and slugs (but also trample), and add fertility, as do chickens (visit the Edible Schoolyard for a great example of how chickens can be incorporated into your food production system). Other ways to add fertility to your soil include planting legumes such as fava beans or native lupines right under fruit trees (at drip line), and planting "alley croppings" or "friend strips" along irrigation lines. Adding fungi to the mix can be done through wood innoculation. Grow flowers from the composite and carrot families to provide food for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Cruciferous crops help feed and clean the soil. Provide habitat for reptiles and amphibians by maintaining piles of rocks or wood in your hard. One benefit is that ticks feeding on lizards are "purified" of Lyme disease. Bird and bee habitat is also important to provide. Dead trees and bare ground are important habitat for native bees.
John showed many slides of crops that can do well in the area and gave us many yummy samples to try. Reach him at johnvalenzuela@hotmail.com.
We were also treated to a visit from Ben Eichorn who worked with Wendy at the Edible Schoolyard. He has started an organization called Grow Your Lunch http://www.growyourlunch.com/.
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