RIMER RANCH
Moraga, California
Putting Down Roots
Production
Persimmons
Fall harvests have been plentiful.
We have found many good uses for the fruit, and can enjoy it year around.
Apples
The new trees have begun producing. The apples challenge the slender branches that will eventually become stout limbs.
Fruit Trees
The pears we planted three years nearly all succumbed to fire blight.
The surviving trees were significantly stunted by the blight, but produced first fruit this year.
The kiwi and loquat have not yet begun to produce.
News
Chickens
Egg production is just reaching maximum for the current flock. Running the chickens through the truck garden a few months a year is proving quite beneficial. They till the ground thoroughly to a depth of about 10"/25cm, remove all insects, and do a fair bit of fertilising as they go.
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The Town of Moraga's 2016 ordinance allowing chickens within the Town's boundary could not have been better timed
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Bees
We added bees to the farm this past spring. We have much to learn before this will become a major production point. Time has told, to be sure -- lost all three hives this past fall and winter. We will try again.
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Wasps and Hornets
2018 was by far the worst year for unwanted insects. We found the nests under the eaves and in the walls of three of the Ranch buildings, and in greater numbers than ever before. Dish soap in a spray bottle of water worked well on many of the wasp nests, but the hornets in the walls were quite the challenge.
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Rats
2020 was the year for rats. Rats found their way into every outbuilding, under the house, into the attic, and into our walls. Good opportunity for plugging holes I didn't imagine we had.
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Working Dogs
We have added a terrier for pest control to the property. She fits in well with the German shepherds. However, she thinks she is a shepherd, and has no interest in rats.
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CONTACT
Inquiries
Inquiries or suggestion, please contact us at:
Employment
At this time, the Ranch is fully staffed.
As Hands head off to college in coming years, this may change.
Community Support
The Ranch has been able to help support the Moraga Pear Harvest and the Pear Festival, the Town of Moraga's Council, and Juaquin Moraga Middle School, as well as participating with local charities such as the Kiwanis Club of Moraga Valley, Friends of the Moraga Library, and the Lafayette VFW.