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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step Three – Ollas and Perforated Pipe
March 19, 2018
Our efforts this year center on water conservation and we are attempting three different methods to deliver water to plants: gravity fed drip irrigation (coming soon), ollas, and deep perforated pipe. All of these methods will…
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step Two – Treadle Pump
February 7, 2018
For three summers we have filled and lifted 5 gallon buckets to water the plants. That's fine if you have a strong back and a lot of time. Currently, we are working on a setup to move the water from the cisterns around the…
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step One
January 21, 2018
Our newest cistern is in place, poised to capture 1,000 gallons of water every winter. A volunteer found it used on Craig's List and donated it to FECO.
On the last day of 2017, nine volunteers worked 2.5 hours to set…
Good Soil Biology – The Perfect Recipe For Plants
December 19, 2017
It's time to honor our important volunteers who live in the soil - the nematodes, protozoa, microarthropods, fungi and bacteria. All these fellows work tirelessly underground, decomposing organic matter and pooping out the…