In the year 1769, Father Junipero Serra planted the first citrus seeds while building the California missions. Little did he know that he would become part of the history of California’s booming fruit industry — an industry that now earns California over $1 billion per year. Discover the humble beginnings […]
In 2012, an eye-opening report was published by the NRDC entitled Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. Before this report was released, no one really had any idea about food waste, and discussions soon began at a federal […]
There’s nothing like the rich, earthy smell of mature compost and the sight of wriggly earthworms working their way through the mix. The results of applying compost to your soil can be equally as delightful, with better soil structure, increased water filtration, and a healthier and more nutrient-dense harvest. Discover […]
Life begins from the soil — and in many cases — the top six inches of soil that’s commonly referred to as topsoil. In this thin layer of earth, we can find an incredibly rich ecosystem of soil life and nutrients that works together to create strong, healthy plants, and […]
Compost is perfect for home gardens and small-scale market gardens, but what if you need to improve the soil over dozens of hectares of acres? Whether your specialty is annuals or fruit and nut trees, compost tea provides a cost-effective way to add soluble nutrients to your soil and foliage […]
Starting a community garden is a fantastic way to connect people from all walks of life in the production of healthy food, and to teach the next generation of children where food comes from and how it’s grown. Follow these community garden ideas to establish a successful — and sustainable — […]
Table of Contents Be Selective Think about Layers Ensure the Best Conditions for Your Plants Companion Planting, Guilds, and More Applying the Principles on a Larger Scale One of the challenges of a rapidly increasing global population is that each person and family has less space for growing food. Traditionally, […]
Sustainable farming isn’t a new idea. In fact, it’s what growers have been doing for thousands of years! What has changed is the amount that today’s farmers are required to produce and the techniques that they typically use to achieve this. Chemical fertilizers, strong pesticides, genetically-modified seeds, and heavy-duty machinery […]
At its most basic, permaculture gardening is a sustainable approach to growing that looks to nature to provide the most appropriate solutions. By sustainable, we mean a system that can continue indefinitely. In the world of economics, a sustainable approach to spending doesn’t go beyond one’s means. In the same […]
In our initial post about regenerative agriculture, we introduced the concept of restorative growing as an umbrella term for regenerative farming practices that rebuild the topsoil, restore diversity, improve the water cycle, and sequester carbon. In this post, we’ll show you how to put restorative agriculture into practice in your […]