Land Caretakers: Reflections and Renewal

Jul 24, 2016

By Kathleen Huffman, LCT Graduate

When I was asked to write a short piece about the “Land Caretakers” program, at first I was at a loss as to what to write about. So much has happened in the course of my time with the program that to try and get it all into one article is difficult at best.  What an amazing adventure these classes have been. Some classes are hands on, and we get to install urban food forests in various places around the city. Some sessions are “off campus” and are wonderful field trips to visit various people and places. And then some days are opportunities to learn to run a profitable business.

David Mudge Consulting

First we spent weekends learning so much about the fascinating world of sustainable gardens and bio-swales with the delightful David Mudge , who’s easy demeanor and delightful personality, made a day behind a shovel and pick ax just about the best day ever! David is always eager to answer any questions about sustainable gardening and has wonderful stories to tell as well!

We then went to UC Davis where we spent 2 days learning about how to select, house and care for chickens. While there we visited with experts in all areas of poultry science…from pedigree to pests, from the eggs formation to its final inspection by the “egg police”. Even for someone who grew up taking care of the family chickens was so much more I was able to learn.

We also spent several weekends learning about “wise water” and how to “slow it, sink it and spread it”. We all watched as we adjusted water flow out of gutters and into swales. We crawled under houses to learn about laundry to landscape applications and running pipe in some very small places, my claustrophobia not withstanding…..

We also attended a week long  gray water installers course lead by the amazing Laura Allen, author of “The Wise Water Home”, where we were not only taught the history, policy and processes of gray water installation, but we made lots of wonderful new friends as well.

Laura Allen of Gray Water Action teaching gray water installation

We were able to visit with several owners of existing urban food gardens with chickens and help then make additions to their landscape. There were also “makers” nights where we got together and built a chicken coop for one of these gardens.

These are just some of the opportunities I would never have been given had it not been for the Benicia Land Caretakers program. And the best part was that I was able to immediately apply what I had learned and by the end of the weekend a new skill was aquired, more importantly the program provided me with the fruit of possibility.

Leveling a swale

As one of the first graduates of the Land Caretakers Program, I know how much I learned from all the wonderful instructors and classes the program offers. Going through the program presented me with an enormous amount of information in various areas of organic farming and wise water usage. As the months went by I grew with each weekend class and blossomed with each completed garden installation.

As each new garden was installed, not only my knowledge grow but so did my love for what I was doing. Every weekend I saw how much these families were impacted by the gardens we were installing. When I was able to visit one of our first gardens after a year of growth I was blown away and it became apparent I needed to be even more involved with the Benicia land caretakers program.

Me doing some planting

So when this new group of caretakers begins this fall I am excited to say that I have been lucky enough to pick up some additional responsibilities and will be working more with the garden installations. I am looking forward to spending time speaking with others about an amazing array of water savings programs and the potential of the urban food garden.

Because my garden roots started on a small family farm in Oklahoma I understand the value of the garden to a family. We raised organic vegetables for additional food and income for the family and sold them from the back of our pickup truck. I spent many of my before and after school hours working the gardens with my father, dutifully picking bugs from the tomatoes and potatoes and learning a keen sense of appreciation for all that grows. Little did I know that these early years on the farm would help guide my career choices later in life….

More recently, my background in landscaping has been in a more traditional role. As a supervisor at a typical “mow, blow and go” landscaper, I saw firsthand the lack of bio –sensitive business practices in the industry.  We tore out yard after yard and replaced it with rocks, caring little for how we left the earth. Surprisingly, even with the potential catastrophic effects to the industry from the looming drought, many in the industry are slow to change traditional practices.  I believe that a big part of caring for the land is education. If I can help someone better understand what is happening in the soil in their garden, then they will have a better appreciation of the ground beneath them and not just see it as “dirt”.

Since graduating from the land caretaker’s course, I have started my own sustainable/edible landscaping business and have helped many people start a garden of their own. Whether it’s because of space or budget, most people start small, with just a few plants or a single fruit tree. As the garden grows, so does the excitement of future fresh fruits and vegetables, with each ripe tomato it seems a dream blossoms into reality.

So you can see why I am so excited to start the new semester of the Land Caretakers program. I have been so lucky to take this class that I want to pass this opportunity on to others. Right now we are still finishing up the details of the program, but from what I see, the next class is going to be even more amazing than the first. The classes are the perfect mix of class room presentations and hands on training. The emphasis is on understanding the overall premise of water conservation and urban farming. The implementation of the strategy and processes for laying out the landscaping are taught in real life situations, not just from a textbook. The people and gardens work together to educate the caretakers and provide food for the families involved.

So that’s just a bit of the information about the program, hope this sparks a fire within you to come and learn in a spirit of not just sharing but doing. We all dream of a world where water wasting lawns are replaced with plants and trees that are providing for the family, but until we are breaking ground with a shovel it is just a dream. Come join us to be part of the team that is doing something to change the world….one lawn at a time!