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Food Forest
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1. More than a garden, a planting method that imitates nature and the natural relations between plants to minimize labor and resource inputs while maximizing outputs.
2. An Earth Genius pillar that supports students learning science while growing healthy food, taking care of themselves and the earth all at once. |
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More Than A Garden
The Earth Genius program creates gardens that we call Food Forests. A Food Forest differs from most gardens: it intentionally combines natural and agricultural processes to create sustainable, productive ecosystems. Food Forests are great classrooms for science, and have many benefits over conventional gardens.
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Less Work
Perennial, appropriate plantings minimize labor inputs. For instance, we are using fruit trees, grape vines, tree collards, and herbs that only need to be planted once but are productive for many years. Reducing maintenance tasks improves the usefulness of the garden to teachers and students as a learning tool.
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More Food
Food Forests maximize food: yields increase as time goes on plants become more established. Native plants attract beneficial pollinators which make plants more fruitful. All this adds up to more food in the mouths of the youth who learn in and tend to the garden.
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Low Cost
Selecting climate-appropriate plants (many of our plants are drought-tolerant, Mediterranean plants suitable for our Central Coast climate) uses less water. Beneficial insects attracted by native plants eat pests. Ground covers (low, spreading plants) prevent weeds.
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Our Past Projects
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Atascadero Lake
Avila Hot Springs Bellevue- Santa Fe Charter School Baywood Elementary Bodhi Path Center Garden Cal Poly Walters Ranch Laguna Lake Golf Course Lopez Lake Odd Fellow's Hall Pennington Creek Sinsheimer Park, Disk Golf Course, and School St. Benedict's Episcopal Colleen Rosenthal Cork Stop Studios |
South Hill
Terrace Hill Unity Church Whale Rock Reservoir Virginia Peterson Elementary Walter Capps Memorial Forest Laguna Lake Jewish Community Center El Chorro Regional Park Cal Poly Rodeo Grounds Cuesta College Entrance D'Anbino Vineyard Hogue Action Pistol Range |