Apricot Orchard, Los Altos History Museum's Boletim

11/12/23

Pre Wildflower Seeds:

In preparation to plant wildflower seeds, we must create the best soil condition. Our volunteers watered the soil, making it easier to hoe the weeds. The roots of grass have extensive roots, which take all the nutrients from the soil, competing with the wildflowers. Grass was pulled up to provide our wildflower seeds with nutrient rich soil. We will plant our seeds after it rains this week!

Irrigating Trees:

While watering our Apricot trees in donut ditches, we noticed trees with different health levels (yellow and green leaves being the indicator) had different rates of soil moisture absorption. This is a question that would need more investigating, but it may be correlated to the nutrient content of the soil for the tree.

~ KK

We are curious about what might be health indicators for the trees. The results of soil analysis and leaf tissue analysis have provided clues. More about that later.

Alot has happened since our last post. The Los Altos History Museum has now taken over responsibility for this urban green space. Our new orchardist, Terence Welch, is keen on cultivating soil fertility, conserving water and inviting pollinators. We are on track to become certified organic, which will be good for restoring biodiversity. This land has been cultivated as a monoculture for over 120 years, so we are eager to watch it recover with a low-till regenerative agriculture approach.

The bluebirds and warblers are passing through this week and we have received our first rain showers!
~JP

11/19/23

Planting Wildflower Seeds

After experiencing rain all week (0.6 inches), we are finally ready to plant our wildflower seeds. First, we must loosen up the soil and hoe the weeds. This brings nutrient rich layers upwards, and loosened up soil allows for more flexible transport of water and nutrients through the roots. We then sprinkle seeds randomly across the area. We have a variety of flower seeds, including Phacelia, Gumweed, and Clarkia. After, we use boards to press the seeds into the soil. Finally, we lightly place straws over our soil patch. Straws act as a cover, and help retain moisture in the soil, while still allowing sunlight to pass through. Thank you to the California Native Plant Society for donating wildflower seeds. We are very excited to watch them grow each week!

• KK <><

Folks in the Los Altos Library watched through the windows as volunteers planted wildflower seeds on the edge of the Heritage Orchard. When it was first planted with Blenheim apricot trees in 1901, this site was surrounded by meadows with resilient native species. We keep alive the stories of the past by inviting back the natives to live alongside the travelers who have spread their seeds so widely, encouraged by agricultural practices. Our goal is to increase biodiversity in this working landscape including all natives (fungi, microbes, plants, animals). Many of the non-natives provide resources for natives.

The management theme for this section of the orchard is “Resilient natives”. We are experimenting with restoration techniques because we are uncertain what will work best for the site. Following the advice of experts, we used several of the best practices for introducing wildflowers: (1) plant after the first rains, (2) disturb the soil, (3) soak lupine seeds overnight in boiling water, (4) scatter the seeds by hand aiming for about an inch between seeds, (5) press the seeds into the soil (stomp or a “dancing board”), and (6) protect the seeds from bird predators. We spread a loose layer of rice straw for protection from birds. However, we did not anticipate how many rice seeds were added and are concerned that the straw may be too thick in places.

Another concern is the amount of shadow cast by the library building. When we decided on this project, the sun was still high prior to the autumn equinox. Now it is low to the south, approaching the winter solstice. To explore this hypothesis, two plots were added outside the sun shadow: (a) between rows c & d (poppies, clarkia, lupine), and (b) southeast corner (lupine, pollinator mix) .

Native seeds donated by Grassroots Ecology included: elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata), arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentas), lacy scorpionweed (Phacelia tanacetifolia) and hairy gumweed (Grindelia hirsutula). These seeds were collected in summer 2022 from Bol Park. Volunteers from California Native Plant Society, SCV chapter, tended these plants and added seeds collected in summer 2023: California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Hookers evening primrose (Oenothera elata), and ruby chalice clarkia (Clarkia rubicunda). Although not all strictly endemic, a seed mix beneficial to pollinators was added to patches, including annuals: borage (Borago officinalis), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), dill (Anethum graveolens), gallardia (Gaillardia pulchella), zinnia (Zinnia elegans), basil (Ocimum basilicum), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), globe gilia (Gilia capitata), lemon mint (Monarda citriodora), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Perennials included: lanceleaf coreopsis (Coriopsis lanceolata), Siberian wallflower (Eusimum x marshallii), purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), catnip (Nepeta cataria), goldenrod (Solidago rigida), lavender hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), and bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).

Stay tuned for more information from our Wildflower Watch! We plan to check sprouts weekly and document the life cycle of species that respond well to these restoration techniques at this site.