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permaculture - [permaculture] olive guild

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  • From: Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] olive guild
  • Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:26:27 -0800 (PST)

I am also in a fire-prone, Mediterranean climate, in northern California, and
have a few olives. I recommend coming up with a guild of low-growing plants
that can grow with olives. There are a few species that are fire-resistant
and even fire-retardant that shouldn't compete too much with olives (maybe
some Salvia species?). The improvement in the soil should more than
compensate for any competition with the olives. A moist legume would be a
good part of the mix. Fava beans growing in the Winter wouldn't even require
irrigation and would be a great help to the soil and olives. Comfrey is a
permaculture mainstay for planting at the base of trees. It is very moist,
creates a lot of quickly degrading organic matter, and brings up nutrients
from deep down. I have used it in swales as a fire barrier.

I would also keep a flattened mulch of grass (if available) around the
trees. Grass burns quick, but not too hot, and if the mulch is kept low and
the trees pruned up a little, there shouldn't be much of a chance for trees
to catch on fire. You could even put clay tiles or some other kind of fire
barrier around the base of the trunks. Another safety option would be to
install very low micro-sprayers for irrigation to keep the mulch around the
trees wet in case a fire comes near. These sprayers could be the regular way
of irrigating, or they could be enabled only in emergencies (they are less
efficient).

Please keep in touch and let us know what you come up with. Many of us are
dealing with similar issues.

Rain


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