Posted: 6/13/2013 12:27:08 AM EDT
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Is anyone doing anything particularly permaculture orientated? I've been listening to Jack Spearco on the survival podcast and he talks about it a lot. I'm looking to by a few acres in the next year and I'm looking for ideas on what to do with it at the moment. I like the idea of permaculture but im curious to know how people who arnt experts have gotten on with it.
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I have read a lot about permaculture and I use it where I can, I would like to get a food forest going but I havent made that step yet, I do have my garden beds on contour, I plan on digging the paths out as swales, I have plans to make a few more swales on the property and have them grab water and drop it into my pond as an overflow catch.
Everything I read I try to use what i think will work for my situation. |
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This is something I've been interested in since I read the book 1491, which is about the Americas before Columbus. His thesis is that the native societies essentially molded their environment to suit their needs. To oversimplify, North American indians planted, or at least tended, natural food sources that would require little or no intensive agriculture, managed prairies by burning to maintain bison and elk herds AWAY from their other food sources, but still close enough to have easy access to them as a food source, etc.
I have a bit of land that I use for shooting, hunting, fishing, and camping and have taken some steps to improve wildlife habitat, but also to improve mine. We've planted pecan trees, manage blackberry brambles, and provided a helping hand to wild plant species that we'd like to maintain in some quantity without letting them take over (some sassafras, cattails, walnuts, oaks, and others.) We've done all this by a "seat of the pants" approach. What are some good resources on theory and practice? |
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I may be wrong in my phraseology, but I try my best on permaculture.
due to my disabilitys I just can not manage gardening on the ground and have not started raised beds as yet,(next spring) I also have a limit on what I can spend in development.so. My plans are, I have X you have Y, lets swap:neighbors and maybe the Farmers Market. I have experimented in seeing what is going to be the best producers while adding shade to my yard(2 acres out of 30 on what's been cattle land for 100 years) I have installed a catfish pond, hoping they're breeders. they growing and seem to be close to the original numbers I put in there last year,,I feed them 2x a week. I have planted trees, Peach, Pears, Nectarine,, Pecan, Blackberries, Blueberries and GRAPES. Grapes and blackberries have to date reaped the best harvests, I am thinking I'm installing a 20 plant "vineyard" on one section near the house and water source. One mother grape this year will probably yield about 30lbs next month. I do have a local winery to source out the grapes and Grappa is easy to make.. Blackberries. Are LOADED this year. I will be adding 10 more plants closer to the tank, they're on their third season and are producing a very good harvest to date.. Blueberries are new this year and not doing great, need more water, seem to not be spreading out the roots as yet,, peaches and nectarines, third year, have died off every year due to fire blight. This year they've come back and seem to be doing OK the Peach tree has a few fruits on it We shall see what the Pecans do. takes 15 years to mature and don't being to max until 30 years old. Maybe my grandkids will be picking up pecans if the EPA or AG lets them NEXT on the list...2-3 apples and 2 black walnut trees. CHEF |