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Orchardist, agronomist and horticulturist Cristina Prevarin enjoys working with all kinds of plants and landscaping elements, but she has a special love for fruit trees and all they have to offer.
“They give flowers, they produce for you; it’s a partnership,” she said. “They bloom, they smell good, they go through the seasons with us.”
Now, she’s overseeing the care of the apricot trees at the Los Altos Heritage Orchard as its new orchardist, a job she’s in some ways been preparing for practically her whole life.
A lifelong connection to agriculture
Prevarin grew up in the Italian countryside, where her family had a small farm.
“I learned from my father and my grandfather,” she said. She went on to earn her degree in agricultural science and qualify as an agronomist (an expert in soil quality and crop production). After moving to the United States 20 years ago, she joined Gachina Landscape Management, a longtime family-owned company based in Menlo Park, where she currently serves as estates division manager.
Overseeing the Los Altos Heritage Orchard
The Los Altos History Museum hired Gachina, with Prevarin as orchardist, to take over care of its heritage orchard early this year. The orchard, located near the town civic center, is the oldest city-owned orchard left in the area and dates back over a century, according to previous reporting by this publication. A rehabilitation effort has been underway for some years,according to a blog post from the museum.
“My role is to take care of the apricot trees – both the trees and the soil and everything that moves around the trees,” Prevarin said. For the first year, there will be a lot of observation and getting the lay of the land, monitoring the space throughout the various seasons.
“We are learning about what’s happening in the orchard; every orchard is different,” she said. One of the team’s first actions was to test the soil, and Prevarin was awaiting the results at the time of this interview. She’ll make fertilization decisions based on what the test shows, determining what’s needed.
“What we use is all organic. We want to maintain the soil as healthy as possible,” she said, noting that nonorganic fertilizers tend to be heavy in salts and artificial nitrogen, which may impact the good bacteria needed for healthy soil.
Weed abatement has recently taken place and in a few weeks, the team will release ladybugs and lacewings. Those species are “two very gracious predators” of aphids, mealybugs and other garden pests, she said. “We’re being proactive” (the team will also be combatting rodent infestation).
Pruning will happen in July, when the dry weather helps prevent moisture and thus limit the risk of bacteria infecting any vulnerable fresh cuts in the trees.
“Apricots are very prone to disease,” she said. “It’s always better to prune when it’s hot.”
Some of the trees in the orchard are already fairly old, she said, and her plan is to use gentle, sustainable and natural methods to help all the trees thrive.
“Not using chemicals, not using traditional fertilizers, seeding the area with clover, which is a natural nitrogen fixer – all strategies that will allow the trees to last longer and be healthier as they produce,” she said.
The orchard can fit around 400 trees, and she aims to plant new ones only when the conditions are right.
“My preference is to install the trees in fall or early spring. If it’s too hot, a young tree can suffer a lot,” she said, although each tree in the orchard has its own drip irrigation access.
Lessons for home gardeners
Her practices for the orchard are similar to what she’d recommend for anyone hoping for flourishing fruit trees at home as well (she has many fruit trees in her own yard, she said), including pruning during the summer, testing the soil for fertility, welcoming beneficial wildlife, plus paying attention to mulch levels.
“I would make sure once we have the trees planted and established, don’t apply too much soil and mulch on the tree root collar” (the area where the trunk meets the roots), she said. “People really ignore this really essential part of the tree. The tree needs to be exposed to the air to be healthy. Keep the root collar open and exposed.”
Nurseries often have ladybugs, lacewings, praying mantises and other helpful critters for sale to bring into home gardens, and Prevarin likes working with and watching them.
“It’s fun to release beneficial insects. They’re all cool,” she said. “It’s fun to have them and, as long as you don’t apply insecticides, they come back.”
When fertilizing, opt for organic compost and fertilizer with ingredients such as bloodmeal, bonemeal, kelp, and alfalfa, she said.
“These are all natural elements that are all easily accessible to the tree so when you eat the fruit you don’t eat chemicals,” she noted.
Prevarin is a fan of apricots in particular and loves the versatility of the fruit, which she said lends itself well to jam, syrups and all kinds of formats.
When taking on her new role as the heritage orchard’s caretaker, she’s aware of and honored by its importance to local history.
“You feel more responsible because it’s a landmark for the town of Los Altos,” she said. People have described to her how, years ago, the region was covered in blossoming orchards.
“Having a remnant of the town’s history is beautiful,” she said. “I’m pretty excited we’re going to have a chance to be a part of it and keeping it up.”
Los Altos Heritage Orchard, 1 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos; losaltoshistory.org/exhibit/outdoor-agricultural-exhibit/. Instagram: @losaltoshistorymuseum. More information on Gachina Landscape Management is available at gachina.com.
