At Skipstone Ranch we are dedicated to generating and stewarding a sustainable and organic ecosystem. This includes our culinary gardens, where we are guided by the principles of permaculture in our approach to the care of our flora. While the teachings of permaculture extend well beyond the scope of garden management, the goals of permaculture are rooted in the care of the earth. By paying careful attention to the intricacies of our small ecosystem, we are continuously transforming our gardens, creating a balanced, regenerative, and self- supporting ecosystem. We are very proud to partner with The Ceres Community Project, an organization that receives organic produce donations and then teaches young people how to cook gourmet food that is then donated to cancer patients and their families as they go through treatment.

Water
Of critical importance in the establishment of a sustainable ecosystem is a careful eye toward water conservation. Skipstone's new gardens were planted on a precisely designed berm and swale system that catches and redirects rainfall and irrigation water throughout the entire system, building a “water lens” - water stored under the soil, thereby maximizing water availability to the plants. We rely greatly on drip irrigation, mulch heavily, plant ground cover crops to reduce evaporation, and use water meters to monitor our usage.

Soil
We are very proactive in ensuring the health of our soil, and are generously rewarded with each harvest. Raised beds that make up the new berm and swale system are amended with compost produced from on site waste, and our plants are fed with worm tea made from castings from our worm bins. Cover crops are planted in the fall to boost soil fertility, and we practice crop rotation and companion planting to maintain the health of the soil and plants.

Pests-what Pests?
In permaculture theory, there are truly no pests or weeds, every creature or plant is just another part of the ecosystem as a whole. To minimize the impact of insect damage, we practice biointensive planting - closely spaced, bed plantings - that greatly increases overall yield, while simultaneously inhibiting unwanted weed growth. The entire gardens are heavily inter-planted with insectaries: plant species that attract both beneficial predator insects to feed on pests, and honeybees and native pollinators to increase pollination rates in our crops. Birdhouses also attract desirable species of birds to keep unwanted insect and rodent populations under control.