A message from the founder
Where we can't see is where the potential is...
BY BENJAMIN FRITON
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Spring is a profound time for me. A deep awe returns each year when I see the breaking of dormancy and the speed at which life returns.
I've asked a simple question I learned from one of my early mentors, Dr. Elaine Ingham, to people around the world: "Picture your favorite plant... okay... how many of you pictured the roots of that plant?" I have done this exercise for more than a decade, and there have been hardly more than a dozen hands raised among the many thousands of participants from all walks of life. Of those few people, all but one chose a root vegetable as their favorite plant.
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So much of how we as humans see the world is determined by what our senses readily detect. Science allows us to see beyond those senses but that, too, is limited. Given that we have yet to scientifically establish how a tree is able to pump water to a leaf that can extend 200 feet above the Earth or that a fig tree in South Africa can grow roots nearly 400 feet into the Earth, there is so much more for us to learn. What we have learned in the past 30 years is nothing short of mind-boggling, yet it is only representative of the tiniest fraction of what makes thriving ecosystems, well, thrive... indefinitely.
From what we have learned, I thought I'd share a few very simple tips that will not only improve the health of your ecosystem, but actually make growing and tending your garden easier.
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April 8-10
WELCOME TO SPRING WEEKEND
Planting more than 1000 trees, classes, camping & companionship
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April 22-24
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION & CONCERT
Planting more than 5000 trees, classes, camping & CONCERT
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Starting April 24th
YOGA ON THE MOUNTAIN
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June 4th
COMING HOME:
A Reflective Retreat
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Starting August 26th
Permaculture Design Course
(over 6 weekends)
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From: Nature To: YOU (and your spot of Earth)
Three tips for prepping your gardens this spring
BY BENJAMIN FRITON
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TIP #1
Composting
Thriving ecosystems do not produce waste. Everything that lives in an ecosystem produces FOOD for that ecosystem. Urine, feces, fruits, nuts, leaves, branches, and bodies that fall to the earth become resources to increase the fertility and resilience of the ecosystem and its ability to support life.
This does take some know-how and practice, but it just might be the most important thing we can do as a species to restore this planet. Here's a hint that should be helpful: if your compost smells bad, you aren't doing it right. Stay tuned, we'll be teaching composting in person and streaming later this year
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Tip #2
Cover your ground:
Thriving ecosystems are abundant and self-perpetuating. Imagine what your neighborhood would look like if it were left without any landscaping for 5 years... how about ten years.. Nature tries to cover every spec of earth, immediately making soil more efficient. Not only does it retain more moisture, protecting it from the sun, but it slows the rainfall from pounding, compacting, and eroding the soil, allowing that rain to infiltrate easier for plants and soil life to use as long term storage, all while creating a blanket during the coldest seasons allowing those same soil organisms to continue to build your soil by decomposing that same blanket all year around.
Mulch your gardens using organic seedless materials like straw and burlap. Mulch trees with aged brown materials like wood chips and leaves. If you're one of the few that can, please stop raking leaves wherever possible. That practice alone removes billions of tons of vital food from our ecosystems.
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Tip #3
Companion planting:
In nature no plants grow in isolation. While many cultivated food species do need some space from one another in order to avoid crowding and fighting for nutrients, wild plants in their habitat DO NOT live separated, nor segregated lives. This is why I companion-plant. There are many charts online that can help you choose the plants that grow well together. As an added bonus you can reduce the need for irrigation, increase yields, improve flavor, and reduce diseases and pests.
My favorite garden beds are my brassica plots. In the same space as my kale, collards, cabbages I’ll use Mulching 2.0, living mulches such as white clover that fertilizes the soil with nitrogen, mixed with wood sorrel and strawberries that help reduce weed pressure (and taste great together) and topped off with perennial onions. That is a maximized veggie bed
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