Tag: sustainable land-use

Weed Whacking

Weed Whacking

Spring has Sprung, as the saying goes! This is the time of year when we are putting the weed whackers to good use! It is a necessary activity with many benefits for the fruit, soil, and some wildlife residents. Alas, other residents do not like our clearing of weeds and tall grasses. In the spring, we carefully use machines 

The Pollinator Garden

The Pollinator Garden

GFF has been busy planting in the new Pollinator Garden to support the Monarch project—Milkweed and the Monarch Butterfly. The Pollinator Garden is a multi-year project. The first stage is to clear the area of the plant Hemlock. The plant is invasive and very difficult 

Apple Tree Planting

Apple Tree Planting

Over the past few weeks, the GreenFriends Farm team and volunteers have been preparing to plant several apple trees. Approximately a dozen Golden Delicious apple trees are to be planted. The Process: The holes are dug to allow at least 3″-4″ of room around the 

Amazing Bees and Facial Recognition

Amazing Bees and Facial Recognition

A few weeks ago, I was talking with members of the Bee Team. It was a fascinating discussion, and they mentioned bees recognize their beekeepers, and you can “pet” bees. This started me thinking about the fantastic bees on the planet. Do bees have facial 

Bee Maintenance

Bee Maintenance

There is always work to be done with the hives, and we are ever grateful to the team maintaining them. Recently, the team has been reducing the size of the large Lalita and Indrakshi hives, and increasing the size of the two smaller hives: Brahmani 

Everybody has got to eat…but

Everybody has got to eat…but

At GreenFriends Farm we recognize and accept that everything has to eat. We are happy to share, however, some of our friendly residents don’t realize the tomatoes (and cucumbers, etc.) are to be shared with humans. The insects and critters think otherwise. Some of our 

Planting 3 Ashvattha trees in the Temple Garden

Planting 3 Ashvattha trees in the Temple Garden

The ashvattha tree, Ficus religiosa, also known as the bodhi tree or peepal tree is a sacred tree in India.  This is the tree species under which Gautama Buddha attained liberation while meditating.  In the Bhagavad Gita the ashwattha tree symbolizes both the eternal Self 

Planting Joy! Event Recap.

Planting Joy! Event Recap.

This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting an organic vegetable gardening workshop at MA Center San Ramon called Planting Joy!  We had a wonderful group of attendees from around the Bay Area, all sharing one thing in common: the desire to learn how 

What is happening at Creekside?

What is happening at Creekside?

The Creekside area was planted a few years ago and has a small number of fruit trees. GreenFriends Farm has been expanding the area to prepare for more tree planting and to improve the harvest of existing trees. This process involves several steps, including tree 

Permaculture Practicum

Permaculture Practicum

GreenFriends Farm was proud to host a three-day Permaculture Practicum offered August 9-11. Participants gathered from around the country for the workshop, taught by the dynamic and engaging Darren Doherty. Doherty is internationally recognized as a leader and pioneer in permaculture and regenerative agriculture. He