Permaculture Talk and best $1.99 E book ever!

[aggiemae]

This thread is for anyone interested in teaching what they know for those who what to learn from those who know more that we do. I have all the "usual" raised bed kitchen annual garden, berries and a few fruit trees, keep a worm farn and compost pile but what I really want to do is develop my 18f ft by 40 ft side yard using permaculture principles. Anyone here on BYC interested in teaching me or learning with me?

After reading the samples of at least 30 books, most that I found interesting but pretty much useless found an ebook that is around 3,000 pages (not a typo!) with tons of links. It's called iPREMIE by Bob Waldrop. Though many of the book I checked out were expensive this one was only $1.99. It will take me weeks to get through it but so far I really recommend it to anyone interested in permiculture.

What are your December Gardening chores? What did you do today? what do you have planned this week? Be sure to tell us what climate zone you live in.

I live in zone 7.5. December is the time to plant bare root trees and to prune woody perennials. Today I got my (no till) raised beds ready to plant a cover crop and began pulling my strawberry runners to sell on Craigslist.

 

[aggiemae]

"Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit live in all it's forms. I seeks to provide sustainable and secure places for all the living things on earth." Bill Mollison

Our property is a fairly steep hill. Today we laid out and leveled the last ~20 feet of our front yard with two small (~8") terraces that butt up against the sidewalk.

I sold 4 dozen strawberry plants and earned $30.00 toward the money we need to buy three more trees

 

[aggiemae]

Permaculture Project: 18' wide 35' deep side yard. Opened to the south but part of the back half is shaded by a 6" tall retaining wall.

My across the street neighbor, who has live in his home since it was built in 1957, tells me that up until about 10 years ago the area was used to park an RV and as access to the yard for a dune buggy, a boat, some motorcycles and other assorted motorized toys. At that point different people moved into the house and did not get along very well with the neighbors do (mystery) shrubs were planted to separate the properties.

This coming spring will be our 3 year in this house. We spent the fist summer digging out the roots of the giant diseased shrubs and pulling up assorted plastic sheets we found 2" below the surface. Apparently, at some point someone decided would be good weed control/ground cover.

The "soil' in the side year is hard packed clay. It was so hard that weeds were struggle to grow there. I would not ordinarily till land as part of site preparation but, in this case the soil was pretty much dead so I wasn't concerned about disrupting it's structure. We had it deep tilled last May. It have been a rainy spring and though the surface of the high clay soil was wet and slippery is was actually bone dry just a few inches down. .

To start recovering the soil I built two temporary garden (4'x6'X1') boxes to grow crops that replenish nitrogen, along the site were I would be planting fruit trees. I also began layering organic matter mostly leaves, mushroom compost, grass clipping and (of course) plenty of chicken poop over the tilled soil in the rest of the area. With the help of many of my neighbors dropping off there non-meat kitchen waste, grass clipping and tree leaves I have continued to do all layer after layer of chicken and guinea pig poop green and brown waste all winter, concentrating to the areas that (I thought) would plant first. I added about 120 pounds of mushroom compost mixed (free from a local grower). I also spent time over the last year observing the site and this past week I began to develop a plan to plant the area with fruit trees, shrubs, caine fruit and and under planting of low growing perennial veggies using permaculture principles.

I will start post photos on Thursday. Meanwhile I hope that everyone here on BYC has a wonder Christmas!

 

[lazy gardener]

Please share! If I can't be gardening, at least I want to hear about other's soil exploits!

 

[racinchickins]

Since it was so cheap, I've decided to get the book to read, and will follow on here also. Looking forward to learning more.

 

[boskelli1571]

There have been several good articles on permaculture in Mother Earth News recently. Sue

 

[aggiemae]

Thing slowed down a bit because Zsofie, our (tragic) puppymill rescue Puli went lame and we have to take her to a specialist who thinks she should have the leg amputated so we had to take her to the vet college for a evaluation for a hip socket repair and a knee replacement. Yet another case of greedy (and ignorant) 'breeders" perpetuating the purposeful over breeding dogs from lines know to be of poor breeding quality. She came from one of the "4 worst puppymills" in Missouri, The mills owner? Jason Smith (R, MO) When we purchase Zofie and two other Puli's at a dog auction Jason Smith was a State Senator where he sat on the agriculture committee, he was elected to the US congress last year. Sad that this animal abusing pig was ELECTED to public office.

I'll get back to gardening next week, mean while the book is great and has useful information for anyone, even non gardeners, who is interested in doing right for themselves and respecting the earth and ALL it's inhabitants. The first 3 chapters are FREE but if you buy the book, a steal for $1.99 you get access to lots of extras on the authors website.

 

[aggiemae]

I'm back! It's been crazy but we did get the garden going using the money we made selling organic strawberry plants and bare roots.

So far be bought and planted two dwarf apple trees,, two espaliered pair trees and a semi dwarf cherry tree with five types of cherries grafted to it. For the trees we dug only what was need to get the other trees in the ground an then layered about 10" of compose over and underlayment of large sheets of compost. We will cut holes in the cardboard as we continue to plant.

We dug a 12' long 18" wide trench to plant berries to level the area since in pitched. The trench is only a few inches deep at one enfd its about 14" deep at the other ned. We filled it with decomposing hay from the chicken run and the compost/soil mix that we used in large pots last summer. It's been raining all we. It's sunny now so I will probably plant some later today.

Self sufficiency is a tenant of Permaculture philosophy so I am hopefully we will sell the rest of the plants which would mean that we earned all the money for the new garden using what we grew ourselves.

I'll post photos as soon as I figure out how to get the off my phone!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...berries-price-includes-shipping#post_13165856

 

[boskelli1571]

Sounds like you've been busy!! Over here in NY state, we have finally got rid of most of the snow.......traded it in for mud and flood!!

Can't wait to get into the dirt - checked over the raised beds today with the chickens, frozen beyond the first inch of dirt - patience! patience! I will be starting seeds this week now that I can get to the greenhouse. Got chicks 3 weeks ago so I have to build a 'tweenie' house for them, they are growing very fast. Almost too big for the brooder now, but too small for the big girls yet.
Lost both my bee hives this winter, so will start again in May - ordered 1 box of bees - hoping for a milder winter. Don't know about Oregon, but NY had 45-50% loss of honey bees d/t winter cold

Ever hopeful that spring is finally here!!

 

[aggiemae]

My parents lived in Ithaca for many years so I know what you mean about the cold springs. Bummer about your bees. I was going to get a hive for my birthday but the family nixed it so I am milking my disappointment for all it's worth. I have a long list....So far I have gotten a 350 gal water tank I plan to use to raise trout. If it works out I plan to convert our swimming pool into a trout pond. For now the pool keeps my kids (and their friends) close to home, my youngest is in 8th grade but after he goes off to college.