Edible Gardens

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a welcome addition to nearly any garden. The Edible Garden Plots represent techniques and plants grown to support the growth of home grown fruits and vegetables.

Fruit and Nut Orchard

The fruit and nut orchard plot demonstrates techniques for growing fruit trees in small spaces with a focus on maintaining healthy trees at a height that allows for easy harvesting and maintenance. The original orchard was planted in 2010 with varieties that were readily available to area residents and appropriate for our climate.

Techniques demonstrated at the plot include space conserving methods of planting multiple trees in a common hole, tree bush pruning, and espalier training.

Cultural practices include efficient irrigation, weed abatement, water retention using tree basins, vertical mulch pits, and composting using compost that is produced on-site.

We hold annual Advice to Grow By workshops on orchard topics including winter and summer pruning of deciduous fruit trees and caring for citrus and avocado trees.

 

Dry Farming

Dry farming is an ancient technique that is derived from the Mediterranean region of Europe and involves deep rooted food crops that are trained to grow on retained subsurface water without regular supplemental irrigation. The technique requires an annual rainfall of 10-12 inches, soil with good water holding capacity, mulching, and specialized digging methods to create a soil bed depth of 12-24 inches, depending on the crop.

Dry farming is an alternative gardening method for the home gardener who is concerned about water usage. Although it results in a lower crop yield and smaller fruit size, vegetables that are sown are sweeter tasting. Vegetables that have been planted include tomato (paste or potato leaf varieties work best); watermelons (small, short season varieties); cantaloupe; winter squash (Acorn, Kabocha, Spaghetti, Butternut, Hubbard); and pumpkins (smaller to medium varieties). An added benefit is that gardens that are dry farmed require minimal weeding and maintenance.

The dry farming plot is watered once a week until June and then no further irrigation is provided.

 

Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden plot demonstrates bed shapes, materials used to create the beds, and a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

The garden makes use of raised beds that utilize smaller spaces, promote efficient  irrigation, and use quality soils in areas where the native soil is less than ideal. Raised beds allow for less bending and stooping and the ADA-compliant raised bed allows access for gardeners in wheelchairs, or those with mobility and flexibility difficulties.

The close planting of vegetables results in shading of soil which conserves moisture and suppresses weeds. Since the gardener does not walk in the raised beds, the soil is not compacted, and plants develop healthy roots. The soil in raised beds warms up quicker in the spring allowing for earlier planting activity and it retains summer warmth in cool climate areas.

Vertical Edible Garden

The vertical edibles plot demonstrates the space saving technique of growing fruit on a fence or trellis, which is a great option for home gardeners.

A key principle of growing fruits is to allow maximum exposure of limbs, branches, and canes to sunlight.  The more sunlight they get, the more fruit buds will develop, flower, and produce fruit. Since grapes are vines, they can be trained to grow on a variety of different structures. Two grapes, Thompson Seedless and Flame Seedless, are trained on the garden’s wire fence. Though the practice of training grapes on a wire fence is not optimal for commercial growers, it provides an opportunity for the home gardener to maximize fruit bearing capacity.  The three berry bushes, raspberry, olallieberry, and boysenberry, do not need to be trained on the fence, but will grow and attach themselves to the fence.