The Energy Garden in Sebastopol is consistently moving forward in developing a system that allows us pursue our goals of:

- To familiarize the public with energy crops and demonstrate their capabilities as local sources of fuel.

- To produce the maximum yield of food, fuel, fiber, fertilizer, and feedstock for the minimum input of resources by designing a dynamically balanced garden with compensating systems for maintenance.

- To provide instruction for the transformation of a suburban/urban yard into an ecologically conscious garden without any dependence upon petroleum.

- To consistently pursue improved methods of employing ecological services and replicating natural processes.

Most recently we have terraced the front yard and added a series of raised beds. With each pocket garden we are practicing the method of square foot gardening as prescribed by Mel Bartholomew.

We are currently culturing Shitake and Sonoma Brown Oyster mushrooms. We purchased starter kits from GOURMET MUSHROOMS and MUSHROOM PRODUCTS
and with the fruit that they have produced we have innoculated corrugated cardboard with the intention of itransfering mycelial growth to burlap sacks.

We have recently purchased a 5 gallon apple press and as well as collecting fallen apples from the trees on our property to ferment and distill into ethanol, we are collecting those from neighbors.

We have recently purchased three more Rhode Island Red pullets which aside from intial problems are now integrating into the our existing flock. We have also come upon free half-wine barrels and have planted them with runner beans that we hope will trellace the chicken wire of our pen and provide the chickens with nutrients.

We have started a food scrap collection with the local cooperative housing community, Two Acre Wood. The kitchen scraps from their community meals are put into a steel trash can which we collect each week and feed to our chickens and add to our compost piles.

Aside from recent projects the garden is growing in itself. Our corn is now shoulder height, as are our sunflowers and Jerusalem Artichokes. We have tomatoes, apples, salad greens, kale, chard, peas, peppers, and strawberries that are ready for harvest, with many more plants on their way.