A low-tech method for small scale production of biochar, a valuable soil additive.
I used douglas fir cones that I raked up from around the trees, packed in the central canister and 'baked' with a fire of coal and wood scraps from the workshop.http://www.holon.se/folke/carbon/simple...
September 25, 2010BiocharGardening
Details It has been really drying out and we have been busy moving hoses to water as many trees and veges as possible. We have a well with a pump that delivers 25mm of water at high pressure. While I was trying to come up with a way to apply this water gently to the garden I came up with this simple circular terminus mister(click for photo). It effectively produces a 4 meter high column of mist. Wonderful on a scorching afternoon. Date December 05, 2010Tags summerwatergardensprinkler
We discovered we need more garden area if we wish to grow sufficient volumes of potatoes to see us through the year. As a result I have spent a number of evenings out in the paddock with a shovel, turning over earth and laying compost and mulch. I have tried a variety of soil amendments including growing lupins, sheep manure from the neighbors shed and cleanings from the chook house.June 03, 2010Garden
I first heard about the Stirrup hoe from Nelson Lebo during his interview on Two Beers with Steve. As it sounded like a must have tool I set about finding one.
It turns out this hoe is known by many different names, including:
This project has been on my wish list for quite some time. With winter fast approaching and aided by our willing workers the new glasshouse is finally complete.April 28, 2013glasshouseplastic housegardenwintergrowing
A group of us gathered to help install a new vegetable garden for Heidi and Nuk out at Gore Bay. Many hands made things progress quite quickly and we were able to create and plant an area directly beside the house for easy access as well as a new contour garden mound in what was lawn.August 14, 2016gardencommunity
Our garden is bigger and better this year with more planning, improved soil and larger variety of plants in the ground. We are just starting to reap the rewards. December 09, 2010gardensummer
Visual presentation and lecture covering the main concepts of forest gardening followed by a tour of our established organic forest garden. You will learn more about:
Mixed and companion planted polycultures
Edible foodscapes including food forest, forest gardening and guilds
I provide some basic guidance and marked out a short length of swale for Deschia and Daniel. This will infiltrate excess water from their yurt roof into the nearby garden.May 10, 2013yurtswalegardenteach
I still got the swale itch and couldn't stop myself creating a new excavation along the top edge of the garden as a second stage catchment for roof run off. This version has a layer of cardboard that spent a week on the floor under the chook perches.May 07, 2013Swalegarden
Reconfiguring the garden after some inspiration from Geoff Lawton permaculture DVD. By laying out the garden beds along the contour we get easy access with improved water infiltration and retention. The width allows for easy reaching to the centre from either side. In the rare instances when we want to irrigate it is simply a matter of flooding the path for a while.July 31, 2015swalegarden20122015
I have been developing a process that directs the energy (and manure) of the chicken into a specific piece of soil. Rather than unleash the chickens in the garden I decided to take the garden (at least bits of it) to them.January 31, 2010chookschickensgardeningweedingmanure
When wandering around the forest garden I often notice something that needs to be trimmed or weeded or a space where I could plant something. But what if the tools are back in the shed....?
Using a cheap tool belt I have assembled a collection of useful tools and accessories that frequently come in handy.
From left to right:
nested plastic plant pots hold larger seeds such as beans and lupins
Details A nice assortment of root veges foraged from the forest garden while weeding. Includes parsnip, carrot, radish and potato. These make a great roast.Date July 17, 2017Tags foodvegesforest gardenjuly
