Blog
November 6, 2024 To say “deciduous plant” implies seasonal leaf senescence (leaf shedding), a process that helps the plant optimize photosynthesis and nutrient efficiency. Senescence is a good survival strategy for plants in that the abundant nutrients within the leaves are not lost, they are transferred to shoots and roots, readying the plant to spring […]
What’s in the Air is Fair
January 12, 2019 Is it risky to eat food grown next to the Freeway? Orchard visitors sometimes ask this question. It is an especially interesting question to me, an Environmental Protection Agency retiree and air quality specialist. The two principle ways food can become contaminated from environmental pollutants are through soil and air. In urban […]
Fall Fruit Tree Follow-up
November 30, 2018 Fall is a fine time to do investigative work in the orchard and plan for winter or spring pest management. Confirming that our Harrow Delight pear problem was Pear Trellis Rust (Gymnosporangium sabinae) was an excellent warm-up exercise, since the blemishes on the leaves are so clearly identifiable. I made a leaf […]
It’s A Game Of Mistakes
October 20, 2018 Why didn’t soccer coaches ever have anything positive to say at halftime? Because they had just watched 45 minutes of errors. Even the pros only complete 57% of their passes in the final third of the field. I often feel this way about gardening; it’s a game of mistakes. First was my […]
Guarding the Grapes
September 23, 2018 The predictable announcement was, “Yum!” from anyone who tasted our Interlaken table grapes. One taster cocked her head and let her eyes drift upward, savoring the sweet with a little tart sensation. We were thankful to have a few grapes this year! Last year was a bust due to powdery mildew. In […]
Tulle – A Cool Tool
September 3, 2018 Stretching the parameters of our climate is part of gardening. We add row covers or netting to keep out a pest or alter sunlight transmission. But it’s not that simple is it? These tools can affect soil and air temperature, humidity, wind, light penetration, pollination, and productivity. Did you know red shade […]
In Praise of the Power of Pollinators
August 5, 2018 Gardening is hard work. It is rewarding, but the task is never over. That’s why we should always remember to give thanks to all the help we get at the orchard. Our wonderful volunteers help keep us going. But our hardest workers are some of our smallest. Without our pollinators, we wouldn’t […]
Water Conservation in 2018 – Is It Working?
August 2, 2018 Please visit us this Saturday, 10-noon, for a tour of our new watering system. We will have signage throughout the orchard and we will be anxious to get your ideas about how we can manage water even more efficiently. Our system begins with our three cisterns, which catch 4,000 gallons during winter […]
Water Conservation – Ideas are still percolating in …
June 21, 2018 Yesterday I set out to water the fruit and nut trees for the first time this year. I thought it would be a lot of work because 1) it has been hot and, 2) because May precipitation was a record low .3 inches and June is just average at 1.29 inches so […]
Soil Camp
May 27, 2018 Last week I attended a five-day soil science class with research scientist Dr. Elaine Ingham, just outside of Oroville, CA, where they say Ahmonds when referring to Almonds. Seven of us hovered over microscopes much of the time, counting nematodes, protozoa, and bacteria. Near the end of each day, it was hard […]
Let ‘er Drip
April 17, 2018 Last summer, as most of you know, we carried water around in buckets to water the plants. A few times each summer, we got help from a dozen 5-8 year olds. One hot August day, we gave each of the kids a yogurt container, showed them where the drip line was and […]