Below the canopy of our orchard, there's an ecosystem that plays an important role in the work we do growing almonds. There's a progression of cover crops we've planted as well as native plants and other volunteers that feed insects, pollinators, earthworms, and our soil. This photo shows a whole lot of stinging nettle, a native plant in our area. It's a plant to be reckoned with once its natural defense system forms but we love it for nurturing beneficial insects like lacewings, ladybugs, and native pollinators.
A customer asked us recently if we use organic sprays and the answer is a solid no. Never have. Never will. We rely on natural systems we've developed in our orchard during our 40 plus years of farming. While almonds are our cash crop, there's a whole lot more to our story than just growing nuts.