The new Energy Garden located at Post Carbon Institute’s new international headquarters in Sebastopol, California is ready to begin planting out warm season annuals. It was great to see that a large amount of work had been completed since Jason and I visited the site in early April. The site is ready with a drip irrigation system that will allow full control of watering. Essentially each individual bed can be turned on or off. In addition to these efficient watering measures, more compost has been incorporated into the fine textured seedbeds and woodbark has been added in the pathways in order to suppress weeds. Perennial and biannual energy crops have been planted out and include Switch Grass, Miscanthus, and Jerusalem Artichokes. This combination of crops is useful because the as biomass can be compressed into briquettes and burned in a smokeless micro gasifier, used as a soil amendment while providing the carbon component for aerobic compost , converted to paper as fiber feedstock, and even the tubers of the Jerusalem artichokes can be converted into ethanol.

A good number of Post Carbon Institute’s strategic team was in town and had the opportunity to visit the Energy Garden. In the picture below, Julian Darley and Jason Bradford led a tour of the garden while Bart Anderson, the Founder of energybulletin.net, Daniel Lerch, Program Manager of the Post Carbon Cities initiative, and Post Carbon’s Technology Manager Mack Hardy looked on and discussed future site plans.

More pictures to come as the project continues into the summer months.

Touring and Discussing Energy Garden in Sebastopol, CA

Three Large Beds Visible From the Street

Backyard Plots with Compost, Woodbark Paths, and Drip Irrigation System

There has been a cover crop at the Rogue River Energy Farm test site since late September. Since then it has shot up considerably and has produced excellent biomass and beautiful flowers for the bee hives located at the site. The soil has been slowly drying out during April as the temperatures have reached highs into the low 80’s. Since most of the soil seemed dry enough to work, it was a good time to turn the cover crop under in order to add the biomass to the soil. Turing the cover crop under will allow the biomass to decompose before the ¼ acre test site is planted in Peredovik Sunflowers later this May or in early June.

This Cover Crop Provides Excellent Bee Forage

The Cover Crop Has Grown Over 3.5 Feet Tall and Should Add Biomass To the 1/4 Acre

Using the 35 HP Diesel New Holland (Running on B-20) To Incorperate The Cover Crop

Cover Crop Mixed With the Soil

I am excited to announce that we will be adding a new Energy Farm site to the network. This site, located on private land in Rogue River, Oregon, is dedicating ¼ acre to the cultivation of Peredovik sunflowers. After harvest we will use a hydraulic press to extract the oil from the seeds. At present, the project is intended to test the Peredovik sunflower in southern Oregon and to produce a bit of oil for cooking. However, a group of high school students have expressed interest in making biodiesel and perhaps the oil generated might be enough for a small batch. As to be expected, the spent sunflower stalks will be shredded and used on-site in compost that is intended to return to the ¼ acre.

This land has been newly reclaimed from the property and had a cover crop of vetch, clover, field peas, rye, and oats planted on it in late September. The soil is clay and in the winter time is saturated with water. In the summer the soil is hard and dry. There is available irrigation for the sunflowers, however, as yet, no perimeter fence. Once the area is adequately drained and fenced, the ¼ acre will be used for the cultivation of vegetables, potatoes, and oats. For this year, the sunflowers will be followed with another cover crop in order to build more organic matter in the soil.

1/4 Acre In Light Cover Crop in January

Irrigation Potential From Two Standpipes and Four Sprinklers

Weather Station at New Rogue River Site

Facing West (Pond in Background)

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

The
motto of Post Carbon Institute is “Reduce Consumption: Produce Locally”. We are
demonstrating that motto at the Willits Energy Farm located at Brookside
Elementary in a number of ways. For example, a mini-farm is being established
that can operate with intermediate
tools that do not consume petroleum. As a Community Supported Agriculture
project, the food is intended for local distribution within the community. Additionally,
rotations of compost
crops are being grown to cycle nutrients back to the soil in the form of aerobic
compost. Through this practice, we generate a form of fertilizer that is used
on-site (local production) and is capable of maintaining the long term
viability of the farm by securing healthy soil (reduced consumption).

The
plan for this summer is to grow a small area of biofuel crops at Brookside. The fuel can be used to cover our on-farm use.
However, since we do not rely heavily on petrol, we can potentially distribute
the ethanol to another local farm that intends to grow food for the town hospital.
I will speak more about the ethanol project as we near the time to plant the Dale Sorghum in
mid May. If you are interested in learning about how sorghum can be used for
ethanol and food check out the following links:

A Sweet Idea
Converting Sweet Sorghum into Ethanol

Sweet Sorghum
Culture and Syrup Production

On Thursday I received my 50 lb order of Peredovik sunflower seeds. Peredovik sunflowers are a Russian cultivar known for their black seeds and high oil content. In 1964, the Government of Canada licensed the Russian cultivar because the seed produced high yields and high oil content. Below is a chart from the website Journey to Forever. It details oil yields from different energy crops and gives a general idea of the oil yield from various plants.

Vegetable oil yields

Biodiesel yield = oil yield x 0.8 approx.

Note: These are conservative estimates -- crop yields can vary widely.

According to this chart sunflowers produce more oil than soybeans and a little less oil than canola. The plant does not grow very tall (about 4 feet); nevertheless it can be used for a carbonaceous compost/biomass crop.

Since the plant takes 12 weeks to reach maturity, we will be looking to get the sunflowers in the ground by mid May. Typically the seeds are grown at 12 inch “in-row” spacing and 24 inches apart between rows. The Grow Biointensive model suggests that seeds can be planted as close at 9 inch “in-row” spacing (depending on the variety selected). Since these plants are not as tall, perhaps we will work for a tighter spacing.

Keeping two feet between rows will allow us to make three passes with an 8 inch wheel hoe in order to knock back the weeds. Cultivating or hoeing the sunflowers when weeds first begin growing should work fine. It is recommended that the second cultivation should occur before plants reach 12" in height. At 12" or more, root damage could result. If it is possible to cultivate more than twice, by all means do so.

Whether the Peredovik sunflowers are used as food, compost crop, or biofuel oil it is a great plant to test for this area (Willits to Oregon). When considering the cultivation of biofuel crops it is important that they provide stacked functions. If the need is for food then crop will be eaten, however, if it serves us to make biofuel with the crop then we can certainly do that. Without a doubt, we will always seek to compost plant wastes as this is crucial to maintaining the health of the land. An understanding of flexible crops will prove useful for those who are seeking to work with the soil to provide both food and fuel for their communities.

Peredovik Sunflower Seeds

In 2005, the Local Energy Farm Demonstration Project, located at the University of British Columbia, experimented with the production of flax. The stalk of the flax plant can be used to create fine fibers for textile or it can be shredded and combined with recycled paper pulp or hemp to provide an alternative to wood-based paper products. Flax is also grown for its oil rich seed (linseed). The seed can be used for feeding livestock (35% crude protein) and for industrial use as a drying agent in ink, paint, and lacquer.

In brief research related to companion planting, and variety of web resources and books report that the growth of carrots, onions, and potatos are enhanced when they are planted next to stands of flax. Flax deters the potato bug, a nusicence of certain tuber crops. I am eager to test this later in the spring.

Other sources report that clover grows well with flax because it is not overly shaded by the thin flax plants. Sowing flax with clover could prove to be an effective way to grow a useful energy crop and improve the land at the same time. Once the flax is harvested you would then be able to incorporate the nitrogen rich clover into the surrounding soil and add organic matter at the same time. To get two crops out of one area, and potentially improve the land is an example of companion planting and good use of cover crops.

The purpose of this style of blog is to bring to light potentially under-used or under researched energy and biofuel crops. I will write a brief introduction about the particular crop and then provide additional web resources pertaining to the plant. The plant to spotlight in this blog is: Meadowfoam.

Meadowfoam is an annual crop sown in winter or spring. It is native to the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver, British Columbia to Northern California. This plant creates oilseeds that are 20% to 30% oil. Research has shown that meadowfoam oil is over 90% C₂₀ to C₂₂ fatty acids. This means that it is more stable at higher temperatures and is therefore a good choice as a lubricant. Meadowfoam oil can be chemically transformed into a liquid wax ester that is a substitute for sperm whale oil and jojoba oil. Meadowfoam oil can also be converted to a light colored premium grade solid wax, which is potentially valuable to the rubber industry, or used as a lubricant, detergent or plasticizer. Researchers at Oregon State University have suggested that grass seed farmers could plant meadowfoam in the fall, just like grass or winter grains, using the same equipment. They could harvest it in June, swathing it in rows, and let it dry on the ground and come pick it up, just like grass or grain. And a year's rotation from grass seed to another kind of crop reduced the risk of disease buildup and grassy weeds

The time of year to sow meadowfoam is in the winter or early spring. It is important to utilize the cooler soil temperature in order to prevent secondary dormancy in the seed. Meadowfoam can tolerate all types of soils. It is a crop particularly suited for soils with poor drainage as it can remain submerged underwater for months provided a sufficient number of leaves can extend above the water surface. Although the plant can survive in deep water, growth will suffer if there is not ample solar exposure.

Meadowfoam is easily water stressed, and a drought during growth will cause a severe or total yield loss. During the month of July meadowfoam needs to remain warm and dry to allow insect pollination. Once pollinated, flowering is onset by spring/summer drought and temperature. The plant suffers from poor pollination if conditions are cool and damp at flowering (June/July) since insects do not fly in such conditions.

Effective harvest of meadowfoam is reported to occur one week before maturity (at the end of summer). When meadowfoam is swathed it is best to do it in the morning in order to prevent the seed from shattering. About 7-10 days later the swathed meadowfoam run through a combine. Test plots in Oregon reported recorded seed production 800-1300 lbs/acre.

To read more about meadowfoam check-out the following links:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/meadowfoam.html

http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc/commodity/grainsoilseeds/meadowfoam/

http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/cses/1998-03/1998-03-02.html

http://www.meadowfoam.com/background.htm