I need your help in editing this webpage. Firstly, there are some gramatical errors which I won't get specific about but will mention to the website editor. (eg. A period where there should be a ' - ' and that sort of thing) I'm looking to you for technical errors or omitions of information. Admittedly I wrote this quickly, and off the top of my head for the most part. I was in a hurry, as I submitted this after the application deadline.
These are the errors I've noticed so far...
Second Paragraph below the first picture:
I simply want to add the following sentence on the end; "Just about any plant will grow well in these beds."
Third Paragraph below the first picture:
The sentence reads; "If using freshly cut live wood, it is recommended to grow 'light feeder' plants or nitrogen fixers such as beans" I want to add "...in the first year." on the end of that sentence
The "Step 1 " picture down near the bottom of the page is overlapping part of the instructions, making them unreadable.
I want to add a "Step 5" which says: "The bed is now ready to plant, whether it be seeds, starts, woody plants, or root cuttings etc. Depending on bed height, the water table, and width of your paths, trees can be planted either right in the path, midway up the side of the bed, or if you have high water table, near/on top of the bed."
We probably won't be having another formal farm tour until late april at least though, so if you want to check us out this year, it'd be best to come asap. Where are you located?
Sorry to hear about that WildernessReturn. If you have facebook, feel free to look us up. We post about upcoming farm events. Not sure if its feasible for you but you're welcome to come see the place. We've still got a lot growing.
vicj...are you going to mulch that bed? I failed to mulch some of the hugelbeds I made last fall and they eroded dramatically by the time the spring melts were gone.
This July I planted seven blueberry bushes on the south side of two mature scots aka scotch pine trees located in the middle of an open lawn area which is now converted into a vegetable garden. The bushes were planted about 5-6 feet from the pine trunks, and most pine branches that were 6' high or lower were removed to let light in and so that I didn't get stabbed in the face.
Before transplanting they were pot-bound, with brown-tipped leaves, looking horrible. They quickly bounced back after transplanting, with the browning disappearing, new growth appearing, and now they have deep green/red leaves and healthy looking buds.
The short version of how I prepped and planted them is that I added dry chicken shit mixed with hay, and pine mulch from a mature pine stand into the hole.
Here's the long version:
The holes were dug 1 shovel length deep, with the bottom of the holes chopped up, and the sides of the holes stabbed all around the diameter (picture the hole as the sun, and the stabs as sunrays)
I watered the hole thoroughly, and waited for it to drain.
Then I added a shovelful worth of 'dirty' chicken pen bedding that had sat for 8 months, and had stayed dry that whole time. (It came from our winter chicken coop which is located underneath an overhanging addition on our house)
The bush was placed on top of this, and then a second shovelful of chicken bedding was added, and the original soil from the hole was mixed in.
I also added two shovelfuls of 'duff' from our mature pine stand. Duff is the top few inches of naturally occurring mulch underneath the pines. The plants ended up sitting an inch or two above the surrounding soil level, and some of the duff and chicken crap mentioned was spread around the base of the bushes as a mulch.
It remains to be seen what the yields are like but I was really impressed with how well they responded to the transplant.
As I was planting garlic today, I started thinking about scapes and how I knew of one farm who grew 10 000 head of garlic and simply tossed all the scapes aside from those kept for personal use. I thought I'd relay the few ideas that we've tried for processing scapes for market.
Selling them as is, in twist tied bunches: Kinda obscure, and hard for us to sell, even in Toronto markets. Might do better in your area though.
Pesto. There are many recipes out there, and pesto is pretty popular in general.
Pickles. My favourite type of pickle by far.
Powder. Dehydrated, then ground up and bottled. Easiest, and a good seller for us.
It may seem obvious to some but samples might make the difference for the pesto and pickles. We put our pesto samples on corn chips and it really helps sales.
Any other ideas that have worked/not worked for you?
You're on the right track with observing the elements. On windy days, walk about the different areas and notice the sheltered and exposed spots, and notice which direction it comes from. For instance...here at my farm; cold winter winds from the northwest, and storms often come from the east. I get many winds from the south but they are extremely warm and light usually. Also, go out after a rain and notice if there are wet spots, or extremely dry spots. Even on flattish land it is worth looking into. Also take note of the sunny and shady spots, at different times of the day. Use these to your advantage.
Taking stock of whats growing there already is another good start. I think its important to keep (and make use of) as many of the existing plants around as you can. Mallow makes a good salad green. Amaranth's young leaves are a decent addition to salads, though some consider it a bit tough. It is nice when steamed. The seeds can be popped like popcorn aparently. Walnut does have a root chemical excretion that inhibits the growth of many plants but many others are fine with it. It's good to have a concentrated protein source onsite. Not sure if it's possible in your warm zone but here in my area walnuts can be tapped for their sap when nights are just below freezing and days are slightly above.
I'd suggest getting the book 'Gaia's Garden' by Toby Hemenway. It is a very straight forward home-scale permaculture book. Edible Forest Gardens volume one and two are another source I'd recommend. It's a bit more technical and in depth than Gaia's Garden but is a wealth of information. The plant species index in the back is worth it alone I tthink. Both books are based on north america's climate. 'Perennial Vegetables' by Eric Toensmeier is a good one too but it is more of just a list of plants, and less well rounded than the other two books.
What do you mean by an 'ex-apple tree' ? A dead-standing tree, or an apple tree that doesn't bare fruit anymore?'
Pear, apple, and apricot are said to need acidic soil, according to "The New Greener Thumb" by Mark Cullen. However, I'm not sure they'd still do alright in pine soil though, due to the extra high acidity, and the pine-specific soil ecology. HEre's a link that might help you out with that answer... http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/resource/trnursry.htm
I'd suggest calling the number at the bottom of the screen at that link.
If its not too late, I'd suggest working with the high pH rather than against it. That'd be the ideal permaculture way IMO.
There are many plants that would enjoy the acidity. And I'd leave as many stumps as possible. They are habitat for insects.
Here's a list of plants that like acidic soil off the top of my head...
blueberry raspberry blackberry cranberry (I think) currants gooseberry tomato pepper
If you haven't removed the logs and branches from the cut yet, I'd suggest making hugelkultur mounds with them. Line them up either perpendicular to the slope, or on a 45-ish degree angle from the slope, and then bury them with soil from the pathways.
I just attended a lecture presentation put on by a out of New York state (which will remain nameless). They farm all year round, with everything from uncovered field carrots to massive propane heated greenhouses.
While I applaud the effort to grow all year round, I question the environmental impact of their methods, the nutrient content of their plants grown with little to no UV exposure, and wonder if their customers are doing the same.
It seemed so 'dialed in' and they spent so much time and energy fussing over the details, and their systems seemed so vulnerable to weather, fuel costs, human or machine error etc, as to not be worth it IMO. Sure they had an impressive market stand all year round, but at what cost. Their net profits must pale in comparison to their gross, and you'd pretty much have to be reliant on banks for all the overhead. Yikes!
First, I want to say that what I'm about to relay is a pinhole view of a very big picture. All PDC course are not created exactly equal, even though they are supposed to follow the same broad topics. Ask as many people as you can about their PDC experience. Don't just take one persons word for it.
I would suggest taking an intro to permaculture course first, and then spend a year or two (at least) doing some gardening and research. I think that if you're going to take a full two week PDC, it's best to have a fair amount of hands on gardening experience.
I took a two week PDC course this year, and most of my fellow students were similar to you, with little to no gardening knowledge or experience. Many of them were disappointed with the course, in that it didn't teach enough specifics about gardening. They didn't have the basic understanding of ecology and gardening needed to really understand and run with the permaculture design process.
Many of them went into the course expecting that they'd learn how to grow their own food and it just wasn't the case for this course at least.
The following will be held at our farm, with events starting at 10 am and again at 1 pm. You are free to attend one or all of the events. Each demo will run three times in a row during both the 10 am and 1 pm periods, for those who wish to attend them all.
This is a "Pay-What-You-Want" event (suggested price of $5)
Here's what we're offering:
FOREST GARDEN TOUR
Come for a guided walk around our gardens. The tour will include a look at our forest gardens, where you will learn about:
- Hugelkultur ( the practice of composting large woody material to create a raised garden bed)
-Sheet Mulching (layering of organic materials over undisturbed ground for plant cultivation)
-Shiitake and Oyster Mushroom log production
-Permaculture and Natural Farming methods (companion planting, organic pest management, chicken tractor, composting-in-place etc)
NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP DEMONSTRATION
We will showcase communication techniques derived from wild horse observation in order to build a partnership that resembles the relationships that exist between horses
Our certified F.E.E.L. instructors will demonstrate the use of horse activities to optimizes the abilities, emotional well-being, and empowerment of both the horse and the human
Odd, I never got a notice that you replied. You and Joyce are very welcome for the tour, it was my pleasure. I'm really glad you two came out, and found it worthwhile.
We're having another set of tours this saturday the 29th if you know of anyone else who'd be interested.
We've got a fairly large rooster but he's severely lacking in any offensive or defensive skills. The girls hen peck the crap out of him and he usually just takes it.
I get white pots from garden centers. Those hanging basket types are good.
I get buckets from restaurants. Mostly from fish n chip places or chicken shacks. They often get their cooking oil in big white buckets. Bakeries or home wine making places might be another place to check out
Also, save up your yogurt and large margarine containers cuz those work well too.
I've used cardboard boxes a few times and they worked as well but I wonder if they might absorb too much moisture in really hot weather.
This came up in another thread but I thought it deserved one of its own.
It's a pretty simple idea and I've seen it work really well for transplanting potted plants into the ground, and works especially well when moving plants from one part of a garden to another (eg. thinning plants growing too close in rows). I've seen some pretty good transplant rates from thinnings of squash, kohlrabi, strawberries and cucumbers.
Basically all you do is cover the transplant for a few days (usually 2-3) and then remove it. It may require more time in warmer climates than mine. Once you see the plant either start to lean to one side, produce new growth, or turn yellow, its time to take the cover off. Its probably best to do so in the early morning, late evening, or during a cloudy/rainy day.
Make sure to use a light coloured cover. Something that will reflect sun rather than absorb it. Black and dark green, even light green coloured pots either fried my plants, or at least did much more poorly than buckets and plant pots white or beige. I've tried using clear pop bottles but that just fried my transplants.
I've also found it best to use something that is big enough so that plant leaves aren't touching the cover. In my experience, the ones that are touching there covers don't do as well.
It may be beneficial to 'ween' them off the pot so-to-speak, so that instead of removing it for good, you take it off for only a few hours one day, and increase a few hours every day until you've reached a full sun cycle. I'm too lazy/busy to be that technical about it but I do monitor my transplants for a few days after I remove its cover if the weather is warm and sunny, as it can make them wilt severely, and sometimes die. In these cases I put the cover on during the peak sunny times in the middle of the day and take it off in the early evening.
Peas- I almost never water my peas and we sometimes go 2-3 weeks without rain. They don't tend to grow flowers/pods very well during droughts but you can still eat the new leaf/shoot growth. I mulch heavily with hay which may make the difference
John Polk wrote: Yikes! A clear bucket? That would allow all of the light, and heat IN, with no escape.
In a cool climate, you might want a dark bucket to capture/retain heat. In warm weather, a white bucket will retain less heat (and if it is hot/humid, you may need to "vent" it every few hours).
Clear buckets are to be avoided in my experience. I've used 2 litre pop bottles with the bottom cut out and no cap, and my plants fried.
I would consider my area as a cool climate, and dark buckets made it too hot for the transplants. I haven't tried this during the early cold spring, or late fall though. Only the warm parts of the year.
You presume correctly Pavlovafowl. On top of the various wild animals that might snatch our hens, we have two pet cats who regularily kill squirrels, rabbits, and birds. I'm willing to risk letting the hens roam free throughout the daytime and keeping them in the tractor at night but most of the other farm partners don't feel the same way.
Ah, I should have mentioned that the colour of the bucket/pot makes a difference. Maybe I should redo the video...
If you use something that is light coloured like white or tan, enough sunlight is reflected off so that it doesn't get too hot for the plants inside. I've used black and dark green covers and have fried plants.
Charles: Thats funny I never thought of it in those terms but it does fit. I'm pretty addicted to this stuff too.
Casey: Putting buckets/pots on transplants helps them tremendously, both in the ways that you mention, as well as keeping wind and sun from dehydrating the plant. Just be sure to take the covers off after 2-3 days or they may start to turn yellow.
I'm thinking of leaving a filled feeder in the tractor, rather than having two separate feedings per day as some of you have suggested. I was worried that the chickens would eat too much if given the supply but I'll just have to monitor that.
stebi wrote: Maybe he needs to set the alarm clock earlier and across the room. My great aunt and uncle and quite a few other relations were farmers in Pa. The idea of not starting work until mid morning in their opinion was working bankers hours. Move the tractor more often also. Barren land a day or two before moving is not good land use and do you really want to wait a day or two for your next meal.
I've started moving the tractor more frequently. As for the alarm clock, she doesn't set one at all at the moment. We'll be addressing this situation at the next farm partners meeting.
Question 1: I've struggled with this one myself. What about running the beds on a diagonal instead of straight east-west, or north-south? Just a thought
Question 2: This method works well for cold climates. I'm in central ontario canada which is zone 5, and our hugelkultur beds perform well.
This may seem pretty basic to some of you but I thought I'd post this because I think its one thing to read about something, and quite another to see it.
Wouldn't they just get out of bed and eat it then and there? When I walk by them at night they often start running around thinking I have food for them.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions John. I've tried to tell my farm partner in charge of feeding that it's important to feed as early in the morning as possible but still the late feedings persist. I will mention the poisonous plant angle and maybe that'll push them to feed them earlier.
As for moving the tractor. The reason I leave it until the soil is bare is because I use the space to plant gardens the following year. I figured they trampled or scratched up the poisonous plants, not ate them. This changes things.
Charles Kelm wrote: Regarding CEDAR in hugelkultur - cedar is alelopathic (spelling?), meaning it contains chemicals which retard the growth of other plants. Not a good choice for hugelkulture. I don't believe any conifer is a good hugelkulture candidate. I will delete this post if someone knowledgeable tells me I am wrong.
Can't speak to cedar but I made a hugelbed using100% scotts (scotch) pine. The average diameter size of the wood was 2-4 inches, with many 'twigs' mixed on top too. It's gone through two growing seasons, with carrots, head lettuce, miners lettuce, and radish. Everything grew quite well.
Welcome to the forums Northern. Sorry for such a late reply but I hope this is a case of better late than never. I'm finally getting more time to put towards these forums now that the season is slowing down, and I just saw your posting
I'm part of a farm in central ontario, and I want to make it known that we are open to visits for tours, volunteering (short and long term), networking, and investment/partnership opportunities etc.
If you want to contact us, either send me a PM through permies.com, call at 705-879-4207, or email at greenshireecofarms@gmail.com
We are hosting farm tours on October 15th. I've created a thread in this section of the forums with all the important information
I wanted to let people know that I'm holding garden tours and horse demonstrations on October 15th. I posted another thread about it in this section of the forums if you're interested in the details. Hope to see you there!
The following will be held at our farm, with events starting at 10 am and again at 1 pm. You are free to attend one or all of the events. Each demo will run three times in a row during both the 10 am and 1 pm periods, for those who wish to attend them all.
This is a "Pay-What-You-Want" event (suggested price of $5)
Here's what we're offering:
FOREST GARDEN TOUR
Come for a guided walk around our gardens. The tour will include a look at our forest gardens, where you will learn about:
- Hugelkultur ( the practice of composting large woody material to create a raised garden bed)
-Sheet Mulching (layering of organic materials over undisturbed ground for plant cultivation)
-Shiitake and Oyster Mushroom log production
-Permaculture and Natural Farming methods (companion planting, organic pest management, chicken tractor, composting-in-place etc)
NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP DEMONSTRATION
We will showcase communication techniques derived from wild horse observation in order to build a partnership that resembles the relationships that exist between horses
Our certified F.E.E.L. instructors will demonstrate the use of horse activities to optimizes the abilities, emotional well-being, and empowerment of both the horse and the human.
Well, my thinking at the time of my reply was that the nutrients from urine will leach through the soil (becoming unavailable to plants) in a relatively short time due to precipitation. So if your plants were gonna die any day now, it may be a wasted effort to do the urine thing at this stage.
But now I'm thinking that even if your plants had a day or two to live and draw the nutrients from the urine, they would accumulate it in their tissue and hold it in the system as part of the green manure process once they died off.
I used a 4 foot carpenters level to survey two swales. In my haste to get it staked and dug (we had a short time with a machine rental) I didn't get the bubble exactly in the middle, so the swale is not dead level, and noticeably slopes.
I see this as a happy accident though because we have a high water table with many of our fields staying 'spongey' even into late may, so it might be good to be slightly channelling water away from the garden. There's also a risk of flooding if the local waterway lock systems ever failed, as we are 2 kms from a lake that used to shore up very close to our property before civil engineering had its way with the local water systems. Maybe I'm fooling myself though and its just a big screw up.
The person who's in charge of feeding our farms chickens is not an early riser, and usually doesn't get to feeding them until 10 am -12 pm on average. The chickens are in a mobile tractor which gets moved about once per week but for at least 2-3 days out of that period they have little to no vegetation to munch on. Is waiting that late in the day detrimental to their health? They're usually up at the crack of dawn.
He was free so I can't complain. 
I never thought of it in those terms but it does fit. I'm pretty addicted to this stuff too.