“OLD SUN consumes His store at a furious pace, sweating photons by the job lot. Ninety-three million miles later, fingers of sunlight weave life on green looms from threads of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing, but it’s not like us to leave well enough alone, so we rearrange things to suit ourselves. When you see America from the air, you are awed by the tapestry of food beneath your wings. Overwhelming wealth; it goes on forever. On a lesser scale, I have a garden about ten feet square that takes up half my pocket-handkerchief backyard. It yields up a bouquet of flowers and a salad about once a week, lemons and onions in their season, and the summer smell of tomatoes. Roses mingle with apple trees along side of the house, and we all of us together pray for rain and bees”.

David Lance Goines - 1997

At this time of year I feel it is important to acknowledge our dependence on solar radiation. We go through a period of anticipation during these lengthening days when it seems that spring will never arrive! In our gardens we groom, chop, rake, weed and mulch in preparation for the bursting-forth of buds and blooms. Through the amazing act of photosynthesis plants not only nourish us, but they give us something to ponder; something to live and breath for.

Berkeley Hort also celebrates these longer days because of the concomitant increase in potential electricity generation. Regular visitors will know that in 2006 we installed a photovoltaic system (solar panels) that, if all goes according to plan, will supply us with most of our electric needs over the course of each year. If you stop and think about it we have a pretty big demand for electricity what with our many fountains, lights, computers and appliances for a staff of 28 workers. The 36 roof-mounted modules (panels) on our garage and shed roof are only a start. In a few years we hope to add another 20 modules, making us entirely self-sufficient.

On your next visit ask one of our staff to show you how it works. We’re looking forward to getting credit from PG&E for overproduction during the coming months.

– Paul