As published in Ventana
magazine, September 2014
The Edible Eden
A West Ventura twosome shows how to grow one
bountiful garden.
Photo by T Christian Gapen.
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Permaculture is a really
big word for a remarkably simple concept. Ever since college, edible landscaper
Eric Werbalowsky has been spreading the gospel of permaculture to anyone who
will listen. A self-described compost evangelist, Werbalowsky has been both a
consultant and an activist when it comes to creating landscapes that nourish
both body and soul.
Last month, he once again gave his time, energy, and design expertise at the Ventura County Fair, with his floriculture exhibit showcasing Ventura Growing Circles—a burgeoning organization that promotes neighborhood food growing and sharing—and he took home a few blue ribbons, too. When he is not busy with his day job consulting, he volunteers for Ventura County Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens initiative, which promotes eco-friendly landscapes, and he spends time at the Bell Arts Factory mentoring young would-be gardeners through the Kids Garden Brigade.
Last month, he once again gave his time, energy, and design expertise at the Ventura County Fair, with his floriculture exhibit showcasing Ventura Growing Circles—a burgeoning organization that promotes neighborhood food growing and sharing—and he took home a few blue ribbons, too. When he is not busy with his day job consulting, he volunteers for Ventura County Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens initiative, which promotes eco-friendly landscapes, and he spends time at the Bell Arts Factory mentoring young would-be gardeners through the Kids Garden Brigade.
So, what exactly is permaculture?
Permaculture is about being in relationship with our environment,
our community, our natural landscape, and our human-created landscape, and
asks, “How do we use these systems with minimum input and run them as much as
possible with sustainable resources?” You can design how you live so that it
creates abundance instead of a burden.
What prompted you to go into this field?
When I was going to UCSB in the early ’80s, I took a course in
food and ecosystems. I experienced this intense sense of “Oh, my God. What can
I do?’ That’s when I began understanding what composting was. I learned to make
humus. I learned to grow food. It was so simple and so basic, and it was part
of a solution. It really felt positive.
We’re in a drought. How does permaculture
address that?
Everybody is sticking their straw in the ground and taking,
taking, taking. Permaculture addresses that and says putting running water down
the drain isn’t where it’s at. With increased drought awareness and rising
water rates, customers are asking for water-wise landscape
renovations—replacing turf with mulches, installing laundry-to-landscape
greywater systems and adding interesting motifs like dry creek beds with
climate appropriate plants, especially California natives. Taking care of
existing fruit trees, adding new ones, and making compact food beds are often
an integral part of this work, too. As an edible landscaper, it's a little
embarrassing to admit, but my new favorite garden features are well-placed
rocks. I especially like the way they provide rhythm and strong texture to any
landscape. We usually complement rockery with accent plants to take advantage
of the microclimate benefits they can provide.
Would you say permaculture takes a lot of work
and money, or is it good for those of us who tend to be lazy and frugal?
Permaculture design takes more thought than work or money. In
fact, the basics of permaculture involve placing design elements so that as
they grow and become more established, less work and inputs, including water,
are required. It may seem esoteric at first, but when we can create a design
that uses a site's natural energies of wind, sun, rain, animals, and plants, we
can mimic the way natural systems become richer, more complex, and more
productive over time, like a forest.
What’s unique about our area as it pertains to
permaculture?
We have a number of climate zones in Ventura County. I can grow
lettuce year-round, but a couple miles inland, no way, unless that climate is
moderated in some way. Because we are in a Mediterranean climate, which is mild
year-round, we can grow most things. If you like food, this is an amazing place
to be.
How can a first-time gardener get started at
home using permaculture without being intimidated?
Start really, really small and really close. There is an axiom
that says you will eat whatever is closest to your kitchen door. Put a small
garden right there in the ground or in a box. I have a small grow battery and
I’ve been eating salads out of a little box on my patio. When we’re eating
dinner late, I don’t have to put on a headlamp and go out back. It’s so easy to
start small because it won’t be overwhelming. It’s also a great way to avoid
some of the common pitfalls of gardening. What makes permaculture such a
valuable tool is that it is always a product of specific local observation,
followed by a design to create a result or “yield.” Permaculture design always
employs a strategy—even the simple idea of placing garden beds or planters
close to areas that get a lot of attention, like along our walkways and near
the kitchen door. Despite the relative luxury of home garden space on our
hillside, I often harvest herbs and greens from my grow batteries just like a
condo balcony gardener because they are visible from my kitchen window, and so
easy to access when making meals.
What vegetables are you most excited about
harvesting from your garden this fall, and what is your favorite way to prepare
them?
My partner, Kiki, has been working more traditional crops into our
gardens, like beans for drying and corn for making masa. It does simplify
harvesting to not have to guess at ripeness because we let these crops fully
dry on the vine or stalk before harvest. I haven't really been into dry bean
cuisine before, but I really appreciate the noticeable flavor complexities and
sweetness of our Cherokee and Black Turtle beans. We will ferment the corn in
preparation for creating the masa meal. It is a lot more work than eating fresh
corn, but it is a delicious upgrade on most commercial masa and tortillas.
Do you have any seasonal tips for at-home
gardeners this fall?
Yes, make your beds! After a long spring/summer season it is easy
to cut and run—to just leave/ignore faded mulches and crop stalks. It doesn't
take a lot of extra effort to lay on a thick mulch of rough compost, dried
grasses, or wood fines. It will protect the organic matter in your topsoil from
both the sun and rain. Ideally, all dirt, even in pathways, will be covered
under a mulch blanket of at least six inches. By using finer materials that
break down more quickly than larger wood chips, it will also add nutrients
while the garden bed awaits its next use, whether that’s food, flowers, a cover
crop, or left fallow.