- Author: Betty Homer
There is a gem called the Occidental Ecology and Arts Center located in Occidental, California (OAEC). I have been to OAEC several times and most recently, August of this year, during which time, OAEC held one of its seasonal plant sales and tours (note that OAEC is not open to the general public except on days where there are workshops or special events). OAEC is a gem for many reasons--it is an educational hub offering permaculture certification by experts in the field and courses which to teach people to live in community and to acquire skills related to self-sufficiency. However, for purposes of this blog, I will focus on the nursery and the grounds of OAEC, which includes its demonstration gardens.
OAEC boasts the oldest certified organic nursery in California. The stock at the nursery changes according to the season. I come here to find and acquire rare, edible, medicinal and/or otherwise, useful (permaculture) plants that are not available anywhere near Solano County within reason. For those not knowing what to do with these rare plants, OAEC also carries more recognizable annuals. All the plants sold at OAEC are grown on site from OAEC's own extensive seed bank.
The two gardens featured on the OAEC tour are the North Garden and South Garden, which consist of a mixture of edibles interplanted with plants which attract beneficial insects. The vegetables grown here help feed the staff of OAEC who live on-site. I love the fact that OAEC's aesthetic is to allow gardens to grow a bit wild, as it is more natural in appearance and teems with wildlife (see pictures).
OAEC has cleverly employed some of their plants so as to extract multiple uses from them. For instance, the gardeners at OAEC planted a kiwi vine, which is deciduous (meaning the vine sheds its leaves, usually in the autumn or over winter), over the building which faces the South Garden (see picture). The rapid and dense growth of the kiwi vine, cools the building in the summer, and allows heat to enter the building in the winter after the leaves of the vine have withered and fallen off. In addition, the kiwi vine provides a source of food (fruit) to the OAEC community.
There is also livestock (sheep, chickens, etc.) which contribute to the fertility of the OAEC gardens.
Pests which plague OAEC include the gopher (very common in the North Bay and beyond). Interesting trivia--I learned from our guide that 1 acre of land can support 50 gophers and 1 gopher can move 2.5 tons of soil per year.
Also on site, is an outside brick oven which serves the OAEC community and guests of OAEC. The tour guide explained that the oven can attain a temperature of 600 degrees. Because the oven gets cooler each day, the OAEC staff gets creative and figures out what to bake in the oven with each passing day, as the heat dissipates.
There is also an open-air theater on campus which entertains both OAEC staff and visiting guests. OAEC also recently either added or renovated housing units on site for people intending to stay at OAEC for retreat or workshop.
OAEC is definitely worth a trip to see. For more information, please see http://oaec.org/events/