Winter is almost over, and with it the time for
introspection also draws to a close. The heavy rains and shorter days have given
us time to create a sign system that illustrates our priorities in the garden. In
the coming year some focuses like crop selection and soil building will stay
the same, and this season they will be enhanced by a winter of planning that we
did not have last year.

Education is also a key priority as we enter the 2008
growing season, and one of the primary tools that we developed this winter is
our garden didactic system. This collection consists of 23 concept signs and 30
profile crop signs. They will be scattered throughout the garden to greatly
enhance its accessibility.

This project was beneficial to the Energy Garden initiative
because in the process compiling the content, we were able to summarize our
work to date. In addition, the signs helped us to identify the focal points of
the garden and the methods that influence its development.

The concept signs consist of:

·
Goals of the Sebastopol Energy Garden

·
Community Compost Collection

·
The Sebastopol Energy Garden Growth Collage

·
Square Foot Gardening Method

·
Natural Farming – The “Do Nothing” Method

· Cover Crops

·
The Water Catchment System

·
Drip Irrigation

·
Culinary Herb Spiral

·
Mandala Garden: The Sheet Mulch Technique

·
Methods of Season Extension: Towards a “Four
Season Harvest”

·
Appropriate Technologies

·
Processing and Harvesting Techniques

·
Tree Guilds: Edible Forest Gardening

·
Garden Cycle Tracking

·
Ethanol Production

·
The Fractional Still

·
Recycling and Compost: Designing “From Cradle to
Cradle”

·
Chickens

·
Biointensive Concepts

·
Permaculture Principles

Each sign corresponds to something that is happening in the
garden or that has influenced its progression. There are also 30 profile crops
that we have chosen because of their ability to help us adapt to Peak Oil.
Instead of a lawn, we are selecting a great range of crops to benefit humans
and the environment. Please see http://www.energyfarms.net/node/1495 for a list
of these crops.

These signs will enable people with a wide range of
understanding of sustainability to experience a transformed suburban lawn. When
people visit this year, during our second growing season, they will be
introduced to a diversity of crops with a large variety of functions. In
addition, they will be exposed to techniques and technologies that are easy to
learn and have the potential to make a big difference in their lives.

The rains will soon stop, and spring will bring a time of
action. We will sow seeds of diversity in the garden and hopefully, inspiration
in the community. The Energy Garden is always open to visitors and we look
forward to helping more people experience the resilience of the Earth.