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Business & Tech

Business of the Week: O'Donnell's Fairfax Nursery

They champion the cause of earth stewardship with California native plants, organic solutions, and a sense of community.

O'Donnell's Nursery

1700 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax

(415) 453-0372

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What do they offer? 

O’Donnell's Nursery, a prominent leader in the native plant movement, specializes in California plants indigenous to Marin County. The nursery carries items you are not likely to see elsewhere such as madrone trees, huckleberry plants, native ferns and native cherry trees. And they sell a full line of all-organic amendments, fertilizers and composting devices. Their newest coup is genetically integral locally-harvested seed stock. 

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Home consultations are a large part of their business. They also offer a licensed tree service, California native plant restoration, irrigation system installations, and rain water harvesting systems. In addition, they will harvest seed and grow organically for their customers. 

You will find a large variety of organically-grown vegetables and herbs, fruit trees, berry bushes, seeds and vines as well as starts. Their organic garden is an inspiration. Currently, it’s a “winter” garden with chard, celery, lettuces, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and onions.  n the next week, it will have newly planted vegetables. No matter what is being grown in the vegetable garden, one of the stipulations by owner Paul O’Donnell is that no other fertilizer is used besides worm juice. 

That is because O’Donnell’s Vermicomposting System just achieved patent pending status. His “From the Ground Up” worm bins reduce your landfill footprint, increase your self-reliance, maximize your harvest, and control the source of your fertilizer.    

The bins are already in some local schools, but it is O’Donnell’s ambition to have them in every school room. “They are a great teaching device, very user-friendly and elementary kids love them,” he says. “It’s a great study because everything happens fast, as they watch. After they toss in green waste – say, lettuce – from their lunch menu, within 24 - 48 hours they can see it disappear. The bins can be used indoors and outdoors. They are odorless, cost efficient and they're fun!”  

Who are they? 

Owner Paul O’Donnell calls himself an earth warrior. He is a licensed general contractor, a licensed tree servicer, and a licensed landscape contractor. Because of his continual awe of nature, he has great respect for the land and our native habitat.     

O’Donnell, who resides in the hills of West Marin with his companion and son, did not study horticulture in school. He learned hands on. After graduating from college he moved to California and worked at what was then Sherwood’s Nursery in Fairfax. It was a traditional nursery of its era, and O’Donnell learned a lot there, going on to own a landscape business and tree service for seven years.    

How long have they been here? 

In 1990, when he found that Sherwood’s was for sale, Paul bought the nursery and changed the name to O’Donnells. He altered the direction of the business toward more drought-resistant materials with the goal of everything being 100 percent organic. He's never advocated or sold synthetic fertilizers or amendments.

Why are they business of the week? 

O’Donnell's is a winner of the prestigious Golden Acorn Award from the Environmental Forum of Marin. Manager Michele Deranleau says, “We want to  help  the backyard gardener create sustainable landscapes that are in harmony with nature.” 

They have been advocating California native plants in the home garden for over twenty years and are most interested in providing a wildlife habitat in residential locations. O’Donnell says about his habitat restoration team that performs home consultations, “Our approach is to analyze existing conditions and imagine ways to create sustainable and wildly beautiful gardens employing the principles of permaculture and organic horticulture. Through engendering the return of the natural biodynamics to your garden, the subsequent need for pest eradication, unnecessary watering and fertilization is eliminated.” 

O'Donnells helps customers create a native habitat in their own yards with drought tolerant flowers and greens in sync with native fauna. He doesn’t believe in hummingbird feeders, for example, because the device keeps birds in your garden longer than the cycle of nature does.   

With their interest in habitat restoration, sustainability, earth stewardship and great customer service, many feel that O’Donnells Nursery is the perfect match for Fairfax. “We fit the town and the town fits us,”says O’Donnell proudly.

 

 

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