Jason Bradford and I left Willits early in the morning and made our way down to Sebastopol, California to visit Julian Darley (director of Post Carbon Institute) and Celine Rich (executive director of Post Carbon Institute). The mission of the day was to design an Energy Garden at Post Carbon Institute’s new international headquarters in Sebastopol. The intent of this garden is to showcase a diversity of energy crops and to create a beautiful space for people to visit. Since a portion of the garden will be visible from the road it is sure to attract the attention of neighbors and passersby.

After arriving we noticed that a good amount of work had been done to prepare the space for planting. Rows of 4Ftx10Ft beds had been prepared and a thin layer of compost had been spread on the top. Below the compost was a very fine soil that was a majority of silt. Jason and I recommended the addition of a bit more compost since it will help the soil retain moisture and add organic matter to the soil. Another section of land near the road will be divided into three beds 4Ftx33Ft and planted with a combination of compost and energy crops. The total area of the Energy Garden is about 1,476 Sq Ft.

Celine had been busy gathering seeds for the demonstration garden and Julian had been considering ways to water the plots in the most efficient way possible. The energy crops include sugar beets, Dale (sweet) sorghum, soybeans, Peredovik sunflower, miscanthus, switch grass, corn, and Jerusalem artichokes. Flax and kenaf will round out the fiber crops and small grains of quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat will be grown for their beauty and chicken feed. We all agreed with Julian that the crops will be watered on a drip system that incorporates various emitters to suit each planting orientation.

Utilizing each space we can for energy crop research, I requested that we under-sow clover among certain stands of flax in order to get an idea of how the two crops grow together. My hypothesis is that the clover will not be over-shaded by the flax and will grow fine. Additionally, I don’t think that the clover will over-compete against the flax for soil nutrients. I am excited about this small trial because if clover can be grown among flax then we might have an energy crop/cover crop combination that can add nitrogen and organic matter to the soil while simultaneously growing a useful fiber or oilseed crop.

More pictures to come as the Energy Garden evolves through the spring and summer.

Weather Station and Future Energy Garden at Post Carbon Institute's New Headquaters

3 Switchgrass Plants Surrounded by a Layer of Mulch that Helps to Retain Soil Moisture

Energy Garden Beds to Be Planted Out in the Coming Weeks