September 01, 2018

How Do Purple Flags Fight Climate Change?

September 01, 2018/ Hilary Gordon

What we are learning now is that the presence of green growing plants is even more important to building a living soil than the presence of decomposing organic matter. By planting a mixed perennial meadow under our fruit trees instead of constantly disturbing the soil with weeding, we are adding much more carbon to our soil over time than we could by simply mulching. While getting rid of the oxalis weeds is great, getting rid of the carbon dioxide that is driving climate change is much more important.

Why the Purple Flags?

August 01, 2018/ Hilary Gordon

If you had walked through GFE in March five years ago and looked uphill into the orchard, you would have seen a solid sea of yellow flowers foaming around the trunks of our fruit trees. What’s a restorative garden team to do? Of course, as an organic garden where no pesticides have been used for over twenty five years, we didn’t consider spraying roundup on the oxalis. We made a long term plan to change the conditions in the orchard so that they no longer favored the oxalis.

Yikes! Oxalis!

January 01, 2017/ Hilary Gordon

At GFE, our south orchard is full of Oxalis pes-caprae, otherwise known as sour grass. This horrible weed originated in South Africa in a climate so similar to ours that it has gone crazy in California, invading everywhere. It’s bright yellow flower and clover-like leaves can be found on roadsides, in restored or disturbed natural areas, parks and gardens. It is relentless and it never sleeps. Many a gardener has spent hours weeding this pest, only to come back a week later and find it fully re-established. So what can we do?

Garden Tips