Pruning By Doing

On Sunday, February 7th 2021 we pruned fruit trees at Our Global Family Farm. What was so resourceful about that? Well, everyone learned how to prune by pruning a tree. We had 8 new people all who have never pruned trees before try it out for the first time.

Here is the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQtMtCJ2G28

The way empower people is to give them tools. So each person was given a pruner and/or a lopper and we also shared a couple of files to sharpen the tools. Instead of lecturing on how to prune a tree and how to decide which branch to prune just two simple rules and a little guidance was given.

The two rules were: Prune to give the fruit room to grow and take out 50% of the branches. So we Vase Pruned to give air, sunlight and room for fruit to grow and took out every other branch. We also pruned the center of the tree so there were no crisscrossing branches.

The other resourcefulness that occurred was that young people from a new organization showed up to help. They are called People's Revolutionary Garden Network. Our Global Family Farm is becoming part of their network to provide food for those in need. Check out the article in this newsletter to find out more about them. They are very resourceful.

San Luis Obispo Permaculture Guild - Bringing Regenerative Change to Our Community
 

As part of a regional initiative to regenerate thriving social, environmental and economic systems in San Luis Obispo County, the SLO Permaculture Guild is dedicated to holding space for community members to share knowledge, build support and co-create the solutions for an abundant tomorrow. 

Local Permaculture Business Directory

The SLO Permaculture Guild website is being updated to include a directory of local permaculture businesses. Let's grow our local permaculture movement. Several landowners have recently been designing permaculture projects and in the future we hope to showcase some of these. See article below about former SLO Council Member, Aaron Gomez setting up a permaculture farm.

Tend the Land on Sunday Mornings - 9am to 12noon

Come tend the land at our local permaculture project on Sunday mornings, 9am until 12noon to create Our Global Family Village project together.  Come join in the permaculture fun and meet other permaculture people. We are located at City Farm SLO, 1221 Calle Joaquin Road. We can host up to ten volunteers at a time. We wear face masks and maintain our social distance. Please email me, Teresa Tree Lees treelees@charter.net to let me know when you come and be part of Our Global Family!

 People's Revolutionary Garden Network

The People’s Revolutionary Garden Network is an ecosystem of people using gardening as a tool to fight oppressive systems. We are reclaiming our food systems and connecting to the land by growing food ourselves. Our goal is to build community and connections with our surrounding environment and with one other by sharing resources, knowledge, and spirit. You can follow them on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/peoplesgardenscentralcoast/

Our Principles 
We give what we can, take what we need 
We always acknowledge that we are on Chumash/Salinan Land and actively  work to rematriate land. 
We believe in abolition of the capitalist food structures and white male supremacy
We challenge the roots of the problem and focus on systematic change.
We uplift our communities’ knowledge and create a culture of learning.
We care for ourselves and each other. 
We fill our movement and gardens with joy.
We believe in the power of people.
We use food as a form of resiliency and to heal ourselves. 
 

Once you sign up we’ll contact you about setting you up with containers, tools, seeds, soil and other resources to start your garden sight along with a gardening 101 tutorial. Their email is: peoplesgardenscentralcoast@gmail.com

California Alliance of Family Farmers

LEGACY FARMER

Will Scott, Scott Family Farms

NEW FARMER

Verónica Mazariegos-Anastassiou, Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou & Cristóbal Cruz Hernández, Brisa de Año Ranch

FARM ADVOCATE

Caiti Hachmyer, Red H Farm & The Women’s Symposium

FOOD BUSINESS

Susie Sutphin, Tahoe Food Hub

ECOLOGICAL FARMER

Kristyn Leach, Namu Farm

FARMERS MARKET CHAMPION

Carle Brinkman, Ecology Center

Pete Price POLICY CHAMPION

Don Aguillard, Central Valley Neighborhood Harvest

You can learn more about the honorees here

Permaculture Masterclass: A Four-Part Series :: Video 1

with Geoff Lawton

Green is the New Silver (Lining):
Crisis, Hope and Permaculture

Quail Springs offering online Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) Course

We are thrilled to officially announce that pre-registration is open for our online Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC)! 

10-WEEK ONLINE COURSE
APRIL 12 - JUNE 4, 2021
Quail Springs has taught in-person PDCs for over a decade, and more than 1,000 students have earned their Permaculture Design Certificates with us. We weren't able to host students at our demonstration site this year, and we've been mourning that loss. However, 2020 also gave us the opportunity to reflect on our curriculum and the way we deliver it, and dream up new ways to serve a changing world.