Organic Orchards & Organic Edible Gardens
Upon arrival in March 2008, Vincent and Claudia were determined to grow as much of their own organic food as possible. Hence, Vincent selected the most suitable locations – both near the houseand just outside the Sky Islands Discovery Center – to plant a variety of nutritious and delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs within our Organic Gardens and Organic Orchards. From day one, Vincent and Claudia have been growing local varieties of food using their own organic compost, naturally improving soil quality while promoting food biodiversity. All told, they have been able to gian much energy and health from producing their own organic food and herbs.
Growing your own food organically is the one single action that will have the greatest impact on both human and planetary health. Start small if you don’t have space and/or you haven’t grown food before. Once you experience the multiple benefits of producing some of your own food, you’ll be participating in the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil – seed – flower – fruit – food – decay – compost and around again. You will be fully responsible for the rewarding process of growing food for yourself! In the end you’ll wind up spending more time outside, exercising more, eating healthier food., as well as saving money.
In March 2008, Vincent designed our organic gardens and orchards to benefit from passive and active water harvesting techniques. Practicing efficient, deep watering with recycled rain water allows us to lessen our environmental impact by eating local, home-grown organic foods. Further, we have artfully incorporated our food-growing spaces into the natural landscapes at Raven’s Nest. Thus, native Mesquite trees serve as shade and produce mulch each year for the gardens they grow in and fruit trees they rub elbows with. The Mesquites also produce deliciously sweet edible pods that were and are staples of some southwestern native nations. Similarly, we encourage many native wildflowers to grow and bloom within our gardens, helping to support the native pollinators essential to producing quality organic food. Thus, for us there is a literally fruitful melding of wild areas into our gardens and orchards.
Greatly helping to support our food and herb production at Raven’s Nest is our rich, home-grown compost. All our food scraps along with other organic matter, including small branches, dry grass clippings, and leaves combine to produce a soil brimming with life Best of all, we simply bury the scraps in an enclosed/protected area dedicated to composting. Rains and rare snows water the would-be compost, which is efficiently mixed by the digging actions of various underground insects and other soil fauna. Organic compost is the basis for growing the healthiest, most nutritious, disease-resistant, and environmentally safe foods. When added to the soil it helps retain water, adds valuable nutrients, and neutralizes the alkalinity of our Sky Islands soils.
As a testament to the productivity of our food-growing system, the Organic Orchards and Edible Gardens near the house started on dense, clay soils, while those by the Sky Islands Discovery Center began on austere and nutrient-poor sandy soils. Years of persistent composting has altered those reticent soils into productive ones. One of our biggest success stories has been our organic Pomegranates – both red and white Kino Heritage varieties. They are a mainstay of fruit in our diet, having numerous health benefits on top of their utterly delicious taste. Along with other surplus food, we freeze the excess to be enjoyed at a later time.
Over the years the heirloom Kino Heritage Fruit Trees in our Organic Orchards have produced a wide range of foods, including:
- Apricots
- Pomegranates
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Quinces
- Plums
Meanwhile our Organic Edible Gardens furnished us with:
- Tomatoes – a wide variety of types
- Peppers – both sweet and hot
- Eggplants
- Watermelons
- Canteloupes
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Lettuces
- Green Onions
- Corn
- Various Herbs, including Basil, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Peppermint, & other mints
One huge benefit of growing organic food is the palpable benefit to native pollinators. It is a common witness various butterflies and native bees alighting on Apricot blossoms or to watch as hummingbirds pollinate pomegranate flowers. Helping to support local Sky Islands biodiversity has always been one of our key goals in producing our own organic food.
