Garden and Orchard
Our recently expanded one-acre garden consists mainly of vegetables and fruits that are grown for the Woolman Semester kitchen and for a variety of educational purposes. Seasonal cooking makes up a large part of our program; students participate in all parts of the farm-to-table process, from the harvesting to the eating. We did not have to order produce from off-campus sources because of the bounty of our harvest from August until December. We have an experiential farm to table class for semester students that focuses on the current food movement and philosophies of farming and cooking. We host multiple elementary school groups every week, giving them the opportunity to experience where food comes from and get their hands dirty digging for potatoes. Here is the link to a recent newspaper article about those programs: Stinky compost, bug hunts and dirt diggin' fun. In addition to these younger audiences, recent college graduates come to participate in our yearlong intern program during which they experience a whole year of growing food, from planting to harvesting to cooking. This summer we started a 6 share CSA that we hope to expand next season.
Our one-acre orchard was planted during the 1970's .We have almost 50 fruit trees producing dozens of varieties of apples, and pears, and the occasional plum. Our late spring frosts tend to destroy almond and peach blossoms before the trees can set fruit. Many of the trees are getting old and are ready to be replaced.
In addition to fruit trees, we are planting nut trees in both the garden and the orchard.
We have broken ground on a new 9000 sq. ft. permaculture food forest of fruits, nuts, berries and herbaceous perenials.
Our garden and orchard grow at an elevation of 2000 ft in the Sierra foothills. We are looking for donations that are cold hardy to USDA zone 7 and late blooming.
Any donation would be greatly appreciated and would be an invaluable step towards achieving our goals.
We are very greatful to the following organizations and nurseries who have donated plants and seeds: