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.

August 01, 2018

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.

January 01, 2017

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?

January 01, 2015

Never Give Up (On Oxalis)

January 01, 2015/ Hilary Gordon

At GFE we are out of control of the oxalis in our steep orchards. That’s the bad news and the good news. The oxalis in the borders and pathways and street tree basins is much reduced, and it is gone in the veggie beds. We’ve achieved this partial control by repeated weeding with a special technique.

February 01, 2009

A New Gardening Year

February 01, 2009/ Hilary Gordon

In the final days of January, the buds were swelling on the purple plum trees that grace San Francisco streets. The tiny new moon heralded the Chinese New Year, marking the beginning of another growing season. By the time this newsletter reaches its readers, the plum trees will be in full bloom, as clouds of pink blossoms assert Mother Nature’s confidence, despite a dry winter in the watershed and in the economy.

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