Schoustra doesn\u2019t just hear new ideas about pruning or learn something about soil microbiology and then continue farming as he always has. Schoustra puts his elbow grease and his own money into testing and applying any technique that might make his trees and the surrounding ecology healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week on Wednesday, November 6, during the Santa Ana winds that roared through Southern California, I heard that a fire had started in Ventura County so I checked the Cal Fire incident map and found that it showed the \u201cMountain Fire\u201d<\/a> burning part of Schoustra\u2019s property. Oh no<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I texted John to see if he and his wife and their house were okay. Being down in San Diego County, I couldn\u2019t think of any way to help except by letting him know that my best thoughts and prayers were being sent his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve only known John for a couple years, but in that time he has been very generous with his time and teaching. He has given me two lengthy tours of his grove, lots of phone conversations and email and text discussions. And John really has no time to spare on entertaining my curiosities about his avocado growing practices, for he also has a fulltime job at another farm, larger than his own, growing many other species of fruit trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John is the orchard manager at Apricot Lane Farms<\/a>. There he oversees the planting, pruning, pests, etc. of peaches, figs, olives, citrus, feijoa, cherimoya, apples, and much more. Apricot Lane covers more than 200 acres in Moorpark, only about two miles from John\u2019s home farm (called Greenwood Daylily Gardens<\/a>, as John also breeds and sells daylillies).<\/p>\n\n\n\n But John, this March, even made time to give me a tour of the fruit trees he cares for at Apricot Lane. And I met the folks who grow the vegetables there and do their composting and organize farming classes. They were all as nice and seemed as competent as John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I almost cried, but I wasn\u2019t so surprised, when John called and told me a story today. While his farm had been burning and Apricot Lane remained barely spared, just beyond the flames, John got a call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your address?\u201d he was asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John gave his address, wondering why he\u2019d been asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, we\u2019re at the right place!\u201d was the reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Apricot Lane folks (John\u2019s employers, coworkers, neighbors) had shown up unsolicited with their own fire truck to help save John\u2019s farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/John-Schoustra-between-trees-on-Hass-Hill-in-October-2023-1024x768.jpg\")
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