Sunset Western Garden Book climate zones
In 1970, Paul and I were part of hopeful conversations with friends and other young hippyish folks whose mantra was “go north” from LA county. Some were going to Oregon and buying land. We didn’t have the money and held the dominant attitude by young people at the time that we wanted to change how things were, but we were outsiders. We set our sights on finding somewhere we could start a U-pick-em fruit tree farm. Using the Sunset Western Garden Book climate zones and The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge as guides, we targeted zones 14 – 16 as desirable. We got a reality check on our first scouting foray – most of that land just off the coast was owned by large ranches. This reinforced our boomers’ sense of “outsider” and that our dream might be unattainable.
The second scouting trip I took alone. While checking out the local health food store in San Luis Obispo for possible jobs, I found a card on a bulletin board (this is the way things were done before social media) for a small house to rent in the coastal hills. I met with our future housemate and found exactly what we were looking for! Paul and I made the move to share a house on 5 acres with an established organic vegetable garden, room for our beehive, 8 hens, 10 fruit trees in pots, our 1950 Ford pickup truck, and roaming room for our big German Shepherd. Yes, cart before the horse. We were young.
We had been together for 8 years; the Torro Creek mailboxes were situated at a split in the road; we took the right fork. 6 months later Paul fell in love with a woman down the left fork, and I took up with the eventual father of my daughter. Go figure! Paul took the fruit trees, beehive, truck, newly pregnant girlfriend and dog to New Mexico. I sold the beehive and moved in down the road to what was known as the Big House where Steve lived with 6 other folks who worked the organic garden and established fruit trees, a free running creek outside our door with a swimming pond in the summer. We formed a loose family, and I still feel bonded to those people 40 years later.
Today, I see similar youthful optimism with visions of organic cooperative farming, and say to myself, “been there, done that.” While I wouldn’t dissuade the current crop of youth to pursue their visions, I just wish they’d seek some advice from the elders who have been there.
