BASICS OF PERMACULTURE

Permaculture as defined by Wikipedia, "is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimics the relationships found in natural ecologies." Simply put permaculture is the bled of permanent agriculture and permanent culture. The purpose is to create self sufficient human settlements, ones that reduce society's reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution. "Permaculture principles draw heavily on the practical application of ecological theory to analyze the characteristics and potential relationships between design elements. Each element of a design is carefully analyzed in terms of its needs, outputs, and properties."

You are designing with nature and not against it. In fact the design benefits nature and the local ecosystems in that specific area.

The three core values of permaculture are...

• Earth Care - realizing that earth is our valuable home that must be preserved.
• People Care - caring for the health and well being of ourselves and others as well as developing a better way of living.
  
• Fair Share - taking only what we need and not excess. Not depleting the resources.

If we pay attention now to how we are treating this earth and make significant beneficial changes then one might conclude that we are creating a better habitat for our children and grand children.

BACK TO NATIVES RESTORATION

If you have not heard of Back to Natives Restoration then you should. Back to Natives is a non profit 501(c)3 that is dedicated to restoring/saving the Orange County and California habitat one person at a time. Aside from restoring the habitat they also provide education workshops and various other training sessions to help educate the masses about the importance of reverting the environment back to nature.

I have had the pleasure of knowing the founder Reggie Durant and educational director Lori Whalen for years and have volunteered at a few of there native planting events. They are truly a fun pair and Reggie has lots of knowledge about California native plants. Out of sheer curiosity I asked Reggie a couple of questions.

What is your favorite California native plant?

With over 8000 plant species in the California Floristic Province, there are so many to choose from! My favorite California native plant is Sequoiadendron giganteum – there’s nothing quite like standing beside a Giant Sequoia in its natural habitat! My favorite Orange County, CA native plant is Chalk Dudleya, Dudleya pulverulenta, although I am a huge fan of ALL dudleya species! In my garden at home I only plant locally native plants adapted to the climate of Orange County – we have no hybrids or cultivars.

Have you ever met a California native plant you didn’t like?

No – every plant has its place in the ecosystem, although I try to avoid Poison Oak!

What was the best project that you worked on and why?

I love projects that involve the collaboration of multiple agencies, and result in the long term involvement of volunteers. My favorite project is our USFS Restoration Volunteer Training Class, now in its third year. I was a graduate of the class in the first year it was offered. In that year participants put in a total of 550.5 hours of volunteer time. I developed lasting friendships with my classmates while weeding Russian thistle from the Silverado Fire Station grounds, vinca from Caspers Wilderness Park, mustard and scotch broom from the Cleveland National Forest, artichoke thistle from Starr Ranch and Mason Regional Park, and tree tobacco and tamarisk at O’Neill Park. This program represents an amazing amount of cooperation between Back to Natives Restoration, the Cleveland National Forest, and OC Parks. Participants represented the aforementioned organizations as well as the El Dorado Nature Center, the Sierra Club, Silverado-Modjeska Recreation & Park District, and the Donna O'Neill Land Conservancy!

Have you ever seen the gardening/landscape shows on HGTV? Any thoughts?

No, we do not have a TV.

When you are not restoring habitats you are?

Recruiting and coordinating volunteers for the next event, fundraising, and marketing. For fun? I play the guitar, paint, and read.

If you would like to save the environment but don't have the time to volunteer then why not donate to Back to Natives Restoration.

BENEFICIAL INSECTS FOR YOUR GARDEN

Contrary to what you may have heard some insects are actually good. Beneficial to the growth and well being of your garden. These beneficial bugs will help in reducing the spread of not so beneficial ones.

Below are some that Linsay Munoz of the examiner writes are important.

• The Assassin bug:
  A viscous-looking bug that measures from ¼ inch to 1-inch long, with a cone-shaped head and curving beak. Their bite can be painful to humans and some species squeak when captured. Females lay single eggs in cracks, under rocks or in other sheltered spots in the summer and the new adults emerge the following June. Assassin bugs prey on many garden pets including flies, mosquitoes, beetles and large caterpillars. Adult and nymph Assassin bugs stab their prey with a long, pointed “beak” that is held, folded under their bodies when not feeding.
• Lady Beetle:
  Most of us prize these gentle insects with protecting our roses from Aphids however, it is their larvae, which are most valuable. A soft-bodied, alligator-shaped bug with black and orange markings. Both the larvae and the adult Lady beetle feed on other soft-bodied insects like Aphids, Mealy bugs, scale insects, Spider mites and insect eggs. A note about purchasing and releasing these beetles into your garden; they don’t often hang around for long without the right plants.
  

Click here to learn about more beneficial insects.

FARM FRESH TO YOU

I recently signed up for this service called farm fresh to you, where you get an assortment of organic fruits and or vegetables delivered right to the doorstep of your home or office.

I pay $23 bi monthly for a bi monthly (small box) assortment of fruits. What I get each time depends on what is in season but you can customize your order and delete certain fruits that you just don't like or request more of what you do like. This saves you time at the grocery store and money. I highly recommend that you try this out and if you don't like it then you can cancel or change your order at any time without any penalties.

UPWARD AND ONWARD

So I get an email from my friend Laura Dalton of Laura Dalton Landscapes telling me that she has office space that she is looking to share. The price was right and the location was awesome. So I jumped in head first...

The building is called SOLO and it is located in the SOBECA district. Literally 2 blocks away from the CAMP next door to the Plant Stand. I anticipate lots of fun adventures in my journey's ahead.