At the Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm & Surrounding Region

Planning, Growing and Enjoying Year Round Abundance

Do you want to gain hands-on skills and build community around growing food? Interested in learning best practices for orchard establishment and management, food forestry, designing year round productive vegetable farms and gardens, and preserving the harvest? We are pleased to offer this advanced practicum grounded in sound horticultural practices, and spiced with the delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables our region has to offer.

Before the area around San Jose was called the Silicon Valley it was known as “the Valley of the Heart’s Delight” because of its apricot, peach and plum orchards, and the delightful abundance it produced. Join us in creating and celebrating these habitats on both home and broadacre scales.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Design and plant productive, resilient, and site/climate appropriate orchards.
• Engage in seasonal care of fruit trees and perennial vegetables, including summer and winter pruning, fertility management, and irrigation.
• Propagate fruit trees via grafting and budding.
• Identify dozens of unique varieties of new and heirloom fruits and vegetables, and assess which ones perform well in your climate.
• Preserve the harvest through a wide variety of canning, drying, pickling, and fermentation techniques.
• Create a customized vegetable crop plan for your home or farm so that you meet your production goals, whether they are to realistically produce your own food or have a economically viable farm.
• Identify organizations and events in your area so that you may plug into active learning communities, exchange free plants, and participate in annual fruit tastings.