PERMACULTURE AND PERENNIAL FOOD FOREST DESIGN

Cold Climate Bamboo

2012-01-29T11:03:00.000-06:00

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20sp.%20Jiuzhaigou.htm

Fargesia nitida                         (clumping) -20° F
Fargesia murielae                      (clumping) -20° F
Fargesia sp. 'Jiuzhaigou' I       (clumping) -20° F
Fargesia sp. 'Jiuzhaigou' II      (clumping) -20° F
Fargesia sp. 'Jiuzhaigou Genf' (clumping) -20° F
Fargesia sp. 'Rufa'                    (clumping) -15° F

Phyllostachys is tolerant to -10° F has 2-3” culms and are much taller than Fargesia

Advanced Homestead Design, Victoria, BC, March 23-31

2012-01-29T10:36:00.001-06:00

Student Kaitlyn O'Connor, 2011

Permaculture BC is sponsoring the the 6th offering of Advanced Homestead Design the last week of March.
http://www.permaculturebc.com/-Permaculture-Drafting-Design-2012

Established in Minneapolis, Minnesota and attended by many locals and numerous participants from around the country, this intensive design series for serious designers hits the road.

SouthWoods Homestead and Harvest Design Workshop
Your landscape is filled with possibilities. Locked in your property may be the means to sustain an abundant lifestyle for growing your food, collecting fresh rain water for drinking and reducing your dependence on purchased resources. This series will unlock the ecological capital that abounds within your yard, fields, or the neighborhood that surrounds you. It will give you the skills and foresight needed to assess, concept and design your property into a perpetual harvest garden. You will build the life long skills for ecologically balanced design.

Site Assessment Workbook, 37 pages

You will learn ecological landscape design language and technique while using the permaculture design process to create a ecologically balanced residence and abundant lifestyle. Small intensive design classes are limited. Register early. The Homestead Design series is a progressive and intensive learning format building from all sessions.

The Assessment workshop and Design Series will culminate with each participant completing a personal homestead design ready for implementation.

Schedule Classes 1- 4 are 3 hour lecture and practice sessions with extensive homework assignments (4-5 hrs)
Class 5 is a final design workshop finishing the concepts with plants, materials, and final critique.

Friday Night: Free Pre-Series Evening Event.
Ecological Design: Natures Beauty and Abundance.

March
24 Saturday - 8am – 12 pm
Homestead Design I: Base Plan and Residential Site Assessment
(UD1) Overview – Site Assessment, Tools of the Table, Paper Language, Bubble Maps, Concept, Draft, Final Draft, Final Design

Demonstration - Site Assessment and Base Mapping
Assignment – Go home and measure, take notes, find lines for Homestead Base Mapping Measurements. Download aerials, plat maps... Finish Basemap!

25 Sunday - 8am – 12 pm
Homestead Design II: Permaculture Concepts for the Urban Homestead
(UD2) Classroom Pencil Practice - Tools, Landscape Symbols, Complete Your Base Map, and using Bum Wad

Demonstration - Access and Water Works
Assignment - Finish base map and start bubble maps

27 Tuesday - 6:30-9:30 pm
Homestead Design III: The Design Progression
(UD3) Classroom Pencil Practice: Refining the concepts, allowing natures energy flow to enhance soil fertility and
- Transfer bubble concepts to draft Design.

Demonstration: Systems Thinking and Design
Assignment - Finish concept design, finish lines and functional spaces, place hardscapes and built environment

29 Thursday - 6:30-9:30 pm
Homestead Design IV: Draft Design Workshop - Spaces, Plants and Abundance
(UD4) Classroom Pencil Practice - Style Demo, Practice and Supervised Work Session.
Determining plant size and placement, polycultures, ecological functions and seasonal access.

Demonstration: Polyculture Design, Ecological Facilitation, Resource Partitioning
Assignment - Complete draft design, add plant spaces, plant width circles, groups, masses, crop types.

31 Saturday - 8am - 1pm
Urban Design V: Final Design and Supervised Work Session
(UD5) Final Steps - Plant Selection, Ground Covers, Material Calculations, Implementation, Notes and Logistics
Demonstration - Plant Database Queries and Internet Resources

Fee: $350 Canadian for the week. Five sessions with extensive homework and design lab sessions.

Materials: Design kits that include the required materials may be rented prior to or during the course for $35. Materials needed are listed below.

T-square 36”, Drafting tape, Triangles: 45-90 degree & 30-60 degree, Scissors, Compass, Drafting pencils – HB, B, 2H, 4H, 8 Scale Ruler, Large and Small circle templates, Tube for carrying drawings, 8-scale graph paper: sheet size 24” x 36” (approx. 4 sheets), 24'x36' vellum paper, - 2 sheets Bum wad paper, Glue stick or double-stick tape, Eraser, Black ink pens – minimum of 3 tips: narrow, medium, bold

Instructor Bio
Dan Halsey is a certified permaculture designer and teacher for the Permaculture Research Institute, Cold Climate. Daniel graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Temperate Climate Polyculture Design, is currently a graduate student working on his Masters degree, and a graduate researcher in Biochar. His interest in agro-ecosystems and edible forest gardens began with an introduction to polyculture design in 2003. Polyculture plant systems are patterned after forest ecology where each plant contributes to the health of the ecological niche and soil community.

Bio-Intensive Harvest Extension in Cold Climates, White Paper

2012-01-22T10:13:00.000-06:00

Bio-Intensive Harvest Extension in Cold Climates -47 pages

Picked Carrots again Friday. About time I get this information out.
So much more to explain, but thos is a good start.

Dan

Christmas Carrots

2011-12-25T15:50:00.001-06:00

Still picking carrots on December 25th in Minnesota.
Green tops and well stored sweet carrots.
Season extension on a long ride this year under plastic and straw.

Spirituality in Permaculture

2011-12-25T02:17:00.003-06:00

A few people in the permaculture progression are pushing to have some kind of spirituality component in permaculture. I don't see why the systems we promote and the principles we espouse need to be tied to any one or new religion. I need some one to define spirituality.

I have great reverence for the land, nature, ecological systems, food I grow, the Earth, the vessel that is my body, and my teachers and elders. It is a belief system and a value system. Is that spirituality or do I have to do some ritual? Eating is a sacred act as we consume the incredibly complex organisms that give us life. I reciprocate by nurturing the natural system around me. I return all that I do not use, or am done using, to the natural system that provides for me. Is that spiritual practice?

I have a spiritual life that is sometimes manifested in my permaculture practice, but it does not validate it. A new paradigm I can accept. Energy comes from the edge of adversity and a good shake up is always refreshing. Please disillusion me. Show me an insight I have not known.

Native Americans lived their "spirituality" and did not isolate it as an aspect of their lives like most of us do. Daily life was spiritual practice by our definition, but I don't think it even had a name. Many of my native hosts are very "spiritual", but would probably laugh at me if I said that.

Humanist rituals are for passage from season to season, from child to adult, transitioning to a new state and marking the time. Traditions provide a sense of stability and continuity, though we lack in the making of new traditions. This is not spirituality to me. So I still need a definition when people use the word.

I have a full spiritual life. I just do not need it to validate my permaculture practice, each is self evident and tactile.

From Linda Trujillo, Portland, Oregon Area: "As we move into the future, Permaculture is a very important tool for our toolkit, but expecting people to be "spiritual" before they can "get" permaculture, and be able to practice it, could very well put some people off. The word spiritual and spirituality has a negative connotation for some people, they see it as being a "New Age" thing, which was co-opted, and became commercialized. What if someone is very religious, do you think they won't be able to "get" permaculture? As paradigms continue to shift, and we transition form one to the other, we will be entering a New Age. But, since we need more people to start living lighter on the earth and incorporating permaculture principles, I certainly don't want to be dogmatic in my approach, but know I don't always succeed. I would hope we are able to leave dogma at the door, for the insistence on dogma from any POV whether it is religious, spiritual, economic, or dietary is trouble, since the rigidity of it alienates people and perpetuates separation and discourse. We have had enough separation and alienation from nature, each other, and our own selves for far, far too long..... So, I agree with Dan, I do not need my inner self to be validated by my permaculture practice, and vice versa".

Ecological Services Should be Enhanced by Human Habitation

2011-12-18T17:10:00.003-06:00

Just the beginning on an intentional community.

I think there is a sharp drop and then very gradual curve up as the community repairs and then enhances the ecology. Partners: Wayne Weiseman and Stan Sersen.

Base template for residential plantings around bermed home.

Land Stewardship vs Extraction

2011-12-16T12:10:00.002-06:00

Note: Sometimes you have to just put a thought out there to see what comes back. Some will understand what you are saying, some will want to debate the issue, others will go on the attack for thinking at all.This was a post on Linked-in that made for good conversation.

Co-opted Permaculture. You can see it coming... You work on a community garden, you build the plant systems, and start to make some progress, all on your own, left alone, creating natural...

...captial, building soil, making an empty lot green and then, someone notices. In the midst of your work, unfinished, someone wants you to train their community to grow food. Then a youth organizer sees you as a new resource (or distraction) and you are asked to run a weekly youth garden club. You know, the older folks need some better food choices, can you donate your food to the senior center? No organization offers to help with what you need or donate part of their grant money. Extraction is everywhere. Are you surprised? Did you think you weren't part of the community? Be aware, you will be part of their agenda at your cost.

As successful project will put you on the radar. What you have to offer is much more than a passing distraction. Keep good planning documents and integrate the community into your system. Take full advantage of every opportunity to show the ecological solutions permaculture has to offer.
Keep building natural capital and human resources for shared benefits.

Do not just give things away, not time, not produce, not seeds, unless you fully interact with the recipients and find reciprocal resources. That is stealing from the soil and it has a value that must be replaced. Its best to trade or sell your resource to sustain the system you so tirelessly worked to develop. Encourage everyone to be part of your nutrient cycle and build their natural capital too. Be responsible for how your resources are being used by others. Your ego will inflate at the cost of your ecology, so return the rewards to the soil. Focus the yield on increased natural capital and a community of sustainable systems. Its not yours to give away, it belongs to the ecological occupants. Permaculture Policy: Obtain a Yield

There is a CSA farm not far from me. The farmer has been asked many times to have people glean the unpicked or over ripe produce from his fields. For orphans and widows this is an ethically required service. What his attitude is however, is that the loss of nutrient services in the exported produce for which the land is not compensated is an ecological loss he cannot sustain. Even though he does all the right s things organically, like rotating and using only 10 acres around his 40 each year, limiting cultivation to one pass per season, and extensive cover cropping, he still has to import 10 tons er acre of composted manure onto his fields.

My point being, there are limits to what the land can provide, and by NOT limiting consumption of the land, gardening consumes organic matter, you deplete the natural capital beyond viable levels of production. The soil will be depleted in 3 seasons and yields will crash. Your first priority is the Earth. Deplete the Earth and you rob yourself, others, and the future generations of their sustenance.

Famine will be the result of over-harvesting the soils in fields and community gardens. Like the farm above, 75% of the land is left fallow each year so that 25% can be farmed. Does anyone else do that? To be honest, its a great ego booster to give away the produce, but the cost of the food from a community garden is not sustainable in the soil or economics. The Food Shelf is better off buying the food from organic growers who can produce more in less space at a lower cost to land and wallet. Better yet, the Food Shelf should have its own garden employing and teaching the recipients to grow their own food and be self sufficient. If you are giving away your produce, you are responsible for returning the fertility and OM to the land, or too few or the wrong people are gardening.

How many tons of rich soil does it take to make a ton of food, say black beans? We know that most of the structure comes from photosynthesis (ala carbon, fructose and glucose to sucrose and starch), and then micro and macro soil nutrients, and nitrogen. This is all held in place by organic material. It takes a huge amount of organic material to make soil humus. The produce on the land is the distilled and concentrated collection of all these micro resources, especially calcium and potassium. This material, in it raw form, is what keeps the soil alive. It is the decomposition of the fresh organic material in its infinitesimal volume compared to the land that supports the soil ecology. It allows for diversity of organisms from the best source of stored energy, the fruit. Whereas the green matter is cellulose and lignin, the produce is starch and protein. That is why we eat it. Removing this mineral and nutrient dense material has consequences. Besides reducing erosion and leaching, leaving it in the farm field diminishes the need to transport compost and makes more available for those who need it. Like city gardens where the people live. Land stewardship must come first for future generations. Its not life boating.

I share a great deal with my community and they with me, but my soil is fragile and I am the steward for now. I am living what I espouse to the best of my ability and through doing that have come to many conclusions which replace erroneous assumptions. I do look forward with great concern, but first look down to see where I am and assess what lies between me and the horizon. I have been disillusioned by my eight year agrarian journey, but who needs illusions, I choose reality and the actual.

My context for what I believe is from our oak savannah homestead on which we have three gardens, an orchard, 16 bee hives, three ponds, broad water catchment systems, and geothermal heating. As far as "impermeable walls", I also have a classroom with 12 drafting tables where I teach the permaculture homestead design process with a 1400 temperate climate plant database. All of the above is open to those wishing to learn and discover with me the mechanisms for a truly viable agrarian lifestyle.

Abundance comes from cooperation as opposed to extraction and we will not create abundance without an ecological paradigm shift. Thanks for the conversation.

Season Extension Totes

2011-11-30T14:45:00.001-06:00

Storage and harvest all summer and now protecting the plants like green houses cloches. Broccoli is still producing in 10 degree weather. If we had the cover on the dome it would be even warmer. Condensation on the walls in the morning waters the soil too.

The really deep ones are the best, though they will need to be staked down for the windy weather.

I am sure we could have great season extension of all the plants in the garden that do not mind the low light.

Days are short and we are getting around 40% brightness relative to the July Sun angle.

Slides from the Southwoods Landscape Design Series

2011-11-06T11:55:00.001-06:00

Production, Diversity, and Natural Capital

2011-11-06T08:01:00.001-06:00

Εισαγωγή στην Αειφόρο Καλλιέργεια 29-30 Οκτώβριος 2011

2011-10-30T18:48:00.000-05:00

Introduction to Sustainable Growing 29 to 30 October 2011
Voúla, Greece
Facebook Album

SouthWoods Design incorporated into Greece Permaculture.

Photos by

Jenny Kalasouda

Alas I was not there.

Dan

Water and the Challenges Facing U.S. and World Agriculture in the 21st Century.’

2011-10-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Organic farming leader Fred Kirschenmann to speak Nov. 10

Plant Map from SouthWoods Homestead Design Series

2011-10-21T10:50:00.003-05:00

PDF available at SouthWoodscenter.com

Colors Changing ButThe tree closeest Leaf Still Working

2011-10-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

The tree closest is on the south side and already bare. It was changing colors weeks ago and is exposed to the full sun and wind. The tree away from me is protected and shadowed. Each year the front tree has two sides, deep red and green, it is the first tree to change and a few weeks ago was doing it yearly bipolar display. To the right is a garage that keeps a lot of heat on the tree's one side. The left and south side changes first and the right garage side is last.

Last Winters Trials and the Scientific Method

2011-09-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

An experience: Having been out of town for BJ Thomas concert, we returned to a burst pipe in our basement ceiling near and exterior wall. Luckily that line had been shut off for the winter and only a small amount of water escaped. As is custom, I grabbed keyhole saw and began cutting away the sheet rock.

Reflective observation: It seemed that the builder had placed the dryer vent across a water pipe six inches from the exterior wall. The pipe froze and burst right where the venting touched the copper.

Hypothesis building: It seemed to me that the cold air of winter was being brought into the house when the other vents were running. A range hood vent was next to the dryer exhaust outside. Negative house pressure from bathroom fans, the range hood, and fireplace probably contributed to the problem.

Experimentation: The dryer vent was re-routed. Actually back into the house via a lint screen and 10 foot silt sock in the mechanical room cycling the moist air back into the house in winter. A butterfly valve was used to exhaust the air to the exterior at another position in summer. We reduced the negative pressure on the house and increased the efficiency of the winter heating and humidity by filtering and cycling the dryer air. This is an electric dryer. Not to be experimented with gas dryers.

Cauliflower Root

2011-09-15T22:42:00.002-05:00

Root Habits in Relation to Cultural Practice.--The root systems of cauliflower and cabbage have many similarities and the method of planting and growing cauliflower is very much the same as for cabbage. Climate is a more important factor than soil; the vigorous and extensive root system develops well in nearly all kinds of soil. Growth is promoted by thorough soil preparation and the liberal application of manure or other fertilizers. A constant supply of moisture for the roots should be maintained so that growth of the plants is never checked. This may be promoted by frequent tillage. Cultivation, as for cabbage, should be shallow. Because of the thorough occupancy of the surface-soil layers by the maturing root system, it would seem that, as in the case of cabbage, late cultivation might do more harm than good. All of the soil between rows spaced 2.5 to 3.5 feet apart is thoroughly occupied.

From the book:

ROOT DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE CROPS (1927)

by JOHN E. WEAVER Professor of Plant Ecology, University of Nebraska
and WILLIAM E. BRUNER Instructor in Botany, University of Nebraska

Plant Parts 2

2011-09-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

Cherry Tomato

(Helianthus tuberosus) Jerusalem Artichoke

2011-09-08T10:28:00.001-05:00

(Helianthus tuberosus) Jerusalem Artichoke

Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum

Silphium perfoliatum

Dome Trellis working well. Easy access and harvesting.

2011-09-06T07:07:00.007-05:00

Swallow Tail Caterpillar munching on Milk Weed.

Beans are climbing way up and out of reach. but full and healthy.
Much easier to inspect. The lateral trellis allows them to hang down away from the leaves opening up the spaces for light. We got some good production for the summer and the vine was easily removed off the structure in the fall. Many more types will line the circumference of the dome base next season. I will look for longer vines that can extend further up the dome.

Pumpkins and squash are hanging in there. Stems strengthen with the weight and the dome is holding. I later put a step ladder under the biggest. Having the plants trellised did not effect the pollination, hand pollination would be easier on the trellis. Getting the plants off the ground has deterred many pests and opened up more space to light. Early crops like broccoli, carrots, radish and spinach are unaffected by the later shade from the trellised plants. The partial shade that develops actually seems to cool the understory cool season plants that are just fine. The broccoli was unaffected. Peppers had good production. I would place the light heat loving plants closer to the south side.

In the fall, as the squash and pumpkins were harvested, the light to the inner garden area increased an we saw increased yields from the late season plants after the dome over-story vines were removed. Next year I will try indeterminate tomatoes and cucumber on vertical lines using the support of the dome and perhaps some cross beams (pipe).

More squash, less pumpkins next year. I will have to design the accurate placement and training of the vines. There is so much area to cover as we go vertical and spherical, I'd like to efficiently fill every space. I may add more cross pieces and sisal weaving through the dome structure to support the vines better. Otherwise they are relegated to the pipes and harder to adjust. Branch thinning and leaf pruning would help the light partitioning.

A good morning harvest. Working from home allowed me to slow roast and stew the tomatoes. It takes a lot of tomatoes to make a meal. Beans are finicky fruit. Daily morning picking is the only way to get the tender sweet beans. Pick and weed, thin and prune as you go. The keyhole beds made for quick tasks and a good morning stretch. Later last summer I went to 5 gallon buckets. Baskets are a beautiful way to harvest and and a good presentation for visitors, but a big bucket a more efficient load baring tool.

I never found out what this was. I think it was not so good for the grapes, but I need to know what it is and not just indiscriminately kill insects.

Swallow Tail caterpillars are allowed to eat freely. Beneficial perennial habitat is supplied for insects, but the Swallowtail wants my dill and tender annuals. Seen here is the consumption of Milk Weed. I would gladly share whatever they need for the beauty of their flight and pollination of the flowers. Sharing the garden goes hand in hand with expectations of a good harvest. Some of it needs to go to the long time occupants of the garden niche, still you need to recognize the good, the bad, and the just kinda ugly but beneficial insects.

Elderberry juice cooking down for the bottle. 11 quarts from three plants. A years worth of tasty flavoring and highly nutritious antioxidants.

Off the Grid in the Strib.

2011-08-30T23:14:00.001-05:00

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/128690998.html#

This is Gary Johnson in my garden design at Valley Natural Foods.

Star and Tribune Article
Most community gardens are a checkerboard of squares or rectangles. But the plots at Valley Natural Foods Co-op in Burnsville break the mold. Instead, they're laid out as an undulating series of keyhole-shaped beds, set within two large circles.
"They face each other, to foster conversation," said Gary Johnson, community relations developer for the co-op.
Apparently that mission is being accomplished. "I love them," gardener Debi Welch said of the garden's three dozen rounded beds. "You know how many friends I've made since I've been over there? People talk and ask questions, they honk when they drive by. It's a social network."
The distinctive keyhole-shaped design is called a mandala garden, and it's an old-school style of gardening that is making a comeback, fueled by the sustainability movement.
Horticulturist Dan Halsey of Southwoods Forest Gardens in Prior Lake has designed several mandala gardens, including the two at the co-op, during the past couple of growing seasons, and taught a class on the subject there this spring.
While mandala gardens may look new to those of us accustomed to linear beds, they're anything but, said Halsey, who saw examples at George Washington's farm in Virginia. "We're just rediscovering all this great stuff."
What makes them so great? In addition to the conversational benefits, mandala gardens are good for food production and easy on gardeners and natural resources, Halsey said.
He became fascinated with mandala gardening while studying permaculture, a philosophy of designing sustainable agricultural systems modeled on nature.
"There's nothing square in nature," Halsey noted. "Grids and squares are inefficient." They accommodate machinery and big agriculture but aren't ideal for community gardens because so much of the land gets taken up by walkways, which causes water to collect there rather than on the crops.
"By the time you're done, half the soil is in the paths," Halsey said. "With this, there's one little path."
'Human-centric'
Mandala gardens are also gardener-friendly because the design is "human-centric," Halsey said. Gardeners kneel in the center of the bed and plant in a 3-foot radius (about an arm's length) around them.
And instead of planting crops in straight, generously spaced rows, Halsey advocates crowding the beds with a mixed assortment of plants -- "like flower arranging," he said. He doesn't plant corn next to corn, and cauliflower next to cauliflower. "That attracts insects; it's like an Old Country Buffet for them."
Intensely planted beds also minimize weeding, and the plants thrive just fine, Halsey said. "In Minnesota, we have gold for soil. If we didn't have winter, we'd have a rain forest. We can plant a lot closer."
That approach works for Welch, who grows more than two dozen crops on her keyhole bed, with help from her six grandkids. "That's how I was raised," she said. "If there's an empty spot, put a plant in it."
The mandala community gardens are part of Valley Natural Foods Co-op's new vision for its suburban site, according to Johnson. For years, the co-op was surrounded by a big manicured lawn. But its shareholder members decided two years ago to convert its land into a permaculture laboratory.
Last year it installed a vegetable teaching garden and donated the produce, about 400 pounds, to local nonprofits. This year, the co-op added the mandala community gardens, not to beautify the site but to maximize its productivity.
"It's not about aesthetics; it's about functionality," Halsey said. "The aesthetics -- I think they're great, but they're not going to win awards from Bachman's."
There's no hardscape, and no hose or sprinkler system. The beds are all hand-watered, at Halsey's insistence. "When you have to carry it in cans, you're more frugal," he said. "Most community gardens are over-watered."
And there's a side benefit, Johnson said. "Carrying a bucket exercises muscles."
Water-carrying aside, the mandala community garden is user-friendly. The co-op cut the sod and supplies all compost, fencing, water and watering can for a fee of $24 per gardener for the growing season.
"There are gardeners here who have never gardened before," Johnson said. "We made it easy for them. Like furnished apartments."
Welch, for one, is hooked. "Oh, yeah, I'm coming back next year," she said. "I enjoy the heck out of it. I'm going to miss it when the snow falls."
Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784

Vertical Squash on Geodesic Dome

2011-08-12T11:51:00.000-05:00

50 Master Gardeners visit SouthWoods

2011-08-12T09:55:00.002-05:00

Two shifts of Hennepin County master gardeners visited Southwoods for a permaculture presentation and tour. We have great discussions and defined the polycultures used to enhance plant and soil health on the property. Many of the ecologically functional plants were in full growth and their associations explained.

We focused on diversity and following the natural patterns of the land to catch and store water and organic material.

We looked at Comfrey, Cup Plants, Swales, Berms, and the composting worm system.

We began in the design classroom with a power point presentation about the land an resources.

Many of the fruiting shrubs are mending from a long deep winter of vole damage. The surviving Apricot and Peach trees showed the plants' resilience.

Inter planted perennials line the contour berms. Small and easily damaged Korean Nuts Pines and American Chestnuts are hidden in thick ground cover.

Nectory islands and insect habitat is abundant and in constant bloom.

2 - 4 hour tours of SouthWoods are available most weekdays and weekends.

Old timbers, new steps

2011-08-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

The old steps were not consistent and too high so I added timbers to build a consistent rhythm. The timbers were from an old retaining wall I replaced two years ago. The pea rock was left over from a project. I left the little shrub in the steps for garnishment. As soon as people step on them they realize they need to adjust to new materials. Its like walking up a beach. I think this will help the timbers keep dry and reduce decay.

The steps are below ground level, as is good landscape design. I may replace the rock with something else later,we will see how it goes.

Are these gardens or cellular organisms?

2011-07-09T10:28:00.001-05:00

Why not both?

What are the strengths of inter-spatial design, patch dynamics, and true diversity? Strength, Scalable Benefits, Predator Stress, Partitioned Resources. Monocultures and homogeneous structures are subject to violent collapse. Resources are compromised and stress is passed like dominoes with all components subject to the same deficiencies.

True diversity has gaps that change the niche in species, ecological functions, and needs. It is dynamic and allows for components to expand, contract, and change places. The garden should be an organism in structure ans function. You will be assured of a yield as plant respond to change.

Integrated and Bio-Intensive Planting Models

2011-06-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

A few pages from a paper on bio intensive season extension using rotations and relays.

City Burns Woodchips Previously Used for Gardens and Landscape Soil.

2011-06-09T11:12:00.001-05:00

MPR Photo

What ever happened to carbon sequestration or cycling? Renewable Energy is the latest PR misnomer. Energy is fueled by materials that may or may not be renewable, either way, its gone from use in ecological systems. . Burning wood chips that should be used in community gardens and landscape to create soil, is a crime against nature. "Energy" companies are paying the tree trimmers $5 per yard for the wood chips. The tree trimmers used to pay tipping fees to dump them, then the wood was recycled into landscape mulch or products. This carbon and the nutrients belong back in the ground not in the air.

Waste is not a noun, its a verb. There is no waste material, only wasted material. We are wasting our time to correct these issues.

Mobile Green House and Comfrey

2011-05-27T17:47:00.000-05:00

This little gem is built like a tank.
Aircraft aluminum and hefty wheels. I just need to build in some shelving.

The Dome is getting planted and I hope it will be covered with vine crops, on the North side. All fences are up. Some row covers next.

A basket of comfrey for the tomato mulch.

Each garden should have at least as much space growing compost plants as food. Who needs to buy mulch, when its growing next to the garden, or in it. I think its the perfect use for hostas too.

Key hole bed getting the first layer of mulch before a rain storm.

The Underground Economy

2011-05-12T14:21:00.000-05:00

The Underground Economy

Beyond erosion control, the benefits of no-till in agro-ecosystems.

Modern agriculture is under pressure to modify its traditional techniques from ecologists, activists, and consumers. Many have turned to organic farming to reduce seasonal costs, build soil and sell a high profit product. Just a few changes are required while retaining the mechanical systems in place. The question is if you can change conventional production practices to organic practices, and spray, hybridized, and ship it 1500 miles or thousands, is it still organic? With hoop house production, is it organic when its surrounded by plastic, fed by plastic tubes and heated by propane? Even the title of our class, Organic Vegetable Production focuses all the attention on the vegetable. The result is the organic vegetable. If perhaps it were called Organic Production of Vegetables, the focus would be on the practices as being organic. But we focus on the vegetable product in the end and like many thing externalize the costs to produce the desired effect. Currently the popular methods seem to be in segregated systems that reduce field soil to an inert growing medium wholly dependent of chemical additives and fabricated materials. If we could manage the connected ecological soil resource with inclusive systems, rather than excluding the natural organisms, we might gain long-term benefits and highly productive fields. Organic production means the production methods and materials are ecologically founded, resourced and cycled. To that end the introduction and support of macro fauna and beneficial organisms on all levels enhances the fertility and organic material in soil. The exclusion of natural micro-"livestock" from our production beds causes additional energy and stress on the plants and grower. In this paper I will address the benefits of using mega fauna and fungi in growing systems as a truly organic solution to increased soil health and thus fertility. At the Moses conference, Jeff Lowenfels, Using Mycorrhizae for Crop Production, spoke of fungi and mycorrhizae. He connected the soil web beneath the ground to the plants needs and pretty much stopped at that as if the mycorrhizae needed no other services. Fungi along with most all under ground life are threatened by cultivation in fields. I thought it would be good to visit that topic and the underground economy we take for granted. Mycorrhizae cytoplasm break down the carbon chains for bacteria, bacteria create soil tilth and occupy the gut of many mega fauna organisms metabolizing pathogens. The food web is complex and redundant in a healthy soil. Mechanical and chemical disruption of the food web reduces the soil health.

Livestock in the Soil and Missing Ecological Processes

Agriculture researchers and growers alike have ignored or forgotten the underground ecology (Jackson 1995). It is an area misunderstood and moreover unstudied (Andre 1994). With the exception of Earth worms and nitrogen fixing bacteria whose life histories have been documented. Organisms in mutualistic, predatory and successive relationships do many important ecological functions in the soil.

The cultivation of soils and frequent disturbance to established soil organism communities disrupts the cycle that would naturally create fertility in the soil. The soil structure is damaged regularly in garden as rototillers seasonally “prepare” the soil for winter or spring planting. Doing so destroys the Glomalyn connections from fungi and disrupts established nutrient transfer systems needed by plant roots (Lowenfells, 2011). It also segregates the organisms in extreme variations in soil until once again it is broken into even smaller section before planting and although organic matter will decompose faster it can take sixty days for the fungi to reconnect through the fractured horizon.

Some Benefits of Organisms Inhabiting Soil

· Microflora

o Bacteria, produce polysaccharide adhesives connecting soil clumps, biocontrol agents (Ryder et al, 1990).

o Fungi, extend their hyphe long distances through soil particles creating stability. 30-70% of carbon in soil is cycled through Fungi. Break down Phosphorus (Lowenfells, 2011).

o Algae, polymer production and cohesion of soil particles (Hu C., Liu Y., Paulsen B.S., Petersen D., Klaveness D, (2003).

o Actinomycetes, important to the carbon cycle in soils, they decomposed chitin and cellulose.

· Microfauna

o Protozoa

§ Less than .05mm long

§ Promote carbon in shoot growth and disease suppression through predation of pathogenic nematodes, bacteria, and fungi (Zwart 1977).

§ Needed for release of nitrogen from bacterial biomass (Clarholm, 1985).

§ Promote carbon in root growth

· Mesofauna

o Nematodes, arthropods, upper food chain consumer, predator

§ .2 - 10 mm long

o Enchytraeids improve infiltration,

o Springtails, consume soil borne fungal plant pathogens (Curl, 1981)

o Mites, numerous in sandy soils, prairie and grass, less in clay and root crops systems. (Benckiser,1997).

· Macrofauna

o Insects, larvae and pupa are food for soil organisms and controlled by predation or parasitism.

§ .1 - 2.5 mm long

· Megafauna

o Earthworms

§ 10 - 40 mm long

§ Aerate soils and improve structure.

It should be noted that worm species in the fungal habitat could become invasive and modify the soil ecology indefinitely (Woodrill Nature Center, 2009).

The roles of each group of organisms are varied by size and phrenology. The soil food web system contains producers, consumers and ditrivores. Many of the species are omnivores taking advantage of resources available and in that sense are redundant sources for similar plant nutrients (Neher 1999). At the same time each is vulnerable to cultivation of the soil causing some to flourish from perturbation and others to diminish, throwing off equilibrium of ecological services that may have been provided otherwise.

Promoting Plant Growth

Soil organisms have proven to increase plant growth in the same proximity.

Blue Gramma Grass has been shown to have high productivity with the addition of microbial grazers, to existing primary decomposers (Ingham et al, 1985; Neher, 1999). Blue Gramma also extracted more nitrogen with the assistance of amoebae in the soil (Zwart et al, 1994).

Plants growth increased with protozoa and nematodes in the soil (Heher, 1999; Verhoef and Brussaard, 1990; Griffiths, 1994; Alphei et al., 1996).

A more complex food web increases nutrient availability through redundant access of the plants. According to Hunt et al, 1995, woodland seedlings, birch (Betula pendula) and Scots pine (pinus sylvesttris) increased shoot production 1.5 and 1.7 times respectively. In this research the two compared soil communities contained bacterial and fungal feeding nematodes, but the second also had omnivores, springtails, and orbitad mites. The extended food chain increased nutrient availability to the plants.

The Soil Food Web

The soil food web is the habitat for the organisms. It is a complete cycle from plants adding organic matter and sugars to the soil to organisms consuming the materials, each others and releasing the organic nutrients as mineralized and available to the plant root uptake. Plant roots are the externalized gut of the plant (Janzen 1995, Neher 1999) and contributes sugars and nutrients to the soil. The exudates of the roots increase microbial activity. The microbes are consumed by mega and meso fauna, their inner gut collecting, metabolizing and mineralizing nutrients, which are cycled back to the soil.

Increased soil temperature raises the activity of the microbes and the access of plants to nutrients (Lavelle, et al, 1995). This evidence of increased mutualistic responses shows the connection between the organisms in the soil and the plant appearing above. The cascading effect of increased organic life and material in the soil would support decreased disturbances to the soil and increased resources for the soil food web. This would also increase the diversity of organisms and reduce pathogenic disease.

Benefits of No-Till

Soil acts as a growing medium, buffer to environmental changes, and storehouse of nutrients for plants. The plants and organic material of the higher soil horizons provide the spaces for organism habitat. The organisms in the soil depend on the producers to supply consumable organic material. Micro fauna occupy the soil pores while larger ones travel in the spaces and fractures around the more dense areas. As each travels and eats through the soil spaces, their by products enrich the soil and create the soil tilth that holds it from erosion while increasing the water holding capacity and reducing nutrient loss. Allowing the soil to build structure and porosity increases the ability for it to absorb and hold precipitation, slow the loss of water and reduce the leaching of nutrients to subsoil horizons. The organisms regulate the decomposition at a pace conducive to need and condition the soil food web (Beare, 1997). Increased diversity inhibits pathogenic transmission allowing the soil food web to deter invasive organisms.

Restoring the natural system of soil health

There are three access routes to nutrients in and out of the soil. By roots, bacteria, and fungi. (Moore, et al, 1988). Roots transfer to the herbivorous consumers such as fungi, bacteria and nematodes. These are also consumed concentrating and disbursing materials to broader areas. Bacterial ecology of soil dominates in agricultural land and prairie. Fungal ecology is dominant in forests ad woodlands. Buy limiting cultivation and using no-till techniques, the organism ecology in each area is allowed to establish the natural processes and develop natural storehouse of resources in the soil. Adding mineral fertilizers to the soil can eliminate omnivorous and predacious nematodes and mycorrhizae disrupting the soil food web. Cultivating stresses the larger fauna and dries the porous areas where microbes and bacteria reside.

Microfauna and mesofauna are too small to restructure soil and are greatly limited by isolating disturbances like plowing. Worms naturally shape the soil cavities and structure moving bacteria, organic material and moisture, working in concert with the smaller creatures.

Trophic diversity, at all levels is the expansion of producers and consumers of varied species. When a field is cultivated, habitat is disturbed and fitness pressure reduces the diversity to those organisms that can withstand the extreme changes, non-ecological factor. (Hendrix et al, 1986). Pockets of habitat are disbursed. Undisturbed habitat allows for natural ecosystem processes to continue and reduced stress allows organisms to increase diversity, numbers, and sequestered resources. Improved ecosystem function extends the food chain to diverse herd of soil organisms creating increased functions for fertility. Developing this broader and deeper cache of soil organisms in the growing areas enhances the five ecological functions identified by Larson and Pierce, (1995).

Improved ecological functions from a diverse soil food web.

1. Plant Growth

2. Water, retention, storage and release

3. Increased cycling of nutrients and carbohydrates through mineralization.

4. Energy transfer in the ditrius food chain

5. Buffering of environmental changes.

Trophic diversity builds longer food chains through diverse species strengthen the ecosystem.

Equalized populations of multiple species support richness and resilience.

To adapt current practices to more ecological founded benefits, growers might incorporate new techniques.

Tillage is a constant compromise in organic and conventional fields. Soil is highly sensitive to tillage and decomposition can be enhanced or inhibited. Beare, (1977) found conventional tillage to accelerate decomposition by 1.4 to 1.9 times. As noted previously, Fungi are more active in no-till with accumulating surface residue, while bacteria regulate decomposition in cultivated soil.

An abundance of fungi is undisturbed soils mimics closely to the natural fungal balance in nature. Bacteria are secondary decomposers after the fungi start the process.

According to Neher, 1999, If the goal is to better soil food web and mimic natures diversity and sustainability, certain practices might help the succession to no-till fertility:

Reduction or elimination of cultivation, heavy machinery, and general biocides.
Incorporating perennial crops and organic material.
Synchronizing nutrient release and water availability with plant demand and
Monitoring biological activity.

The entire field does not need to be transformed by huge investments of inoculants or compost. Transplants can be grown in media containing a colony of bacteria, fungi and associates consumers. These soil plugs gradually amend the soil and reduces the need for broad scale treatments (Ingham, 1998). This practice may reduce disease pressure and replaced pesticides with stronger plants in a soil facilitated eco-system.

Perennial planting systems closely resemble the natural ecosystem communities. Incorporating perennial crops into annual crops systems, allows for the growth of organic matter and a proliferation of omnivore and predacious species, each suppressing disease pathogens. However with diversity being the goal, using multiple organisms needs some investigation, fungal-feeding nematodes will consume beneficial mycorrhizae too. Thus the diversity and spatial dispersion of the elements is considerable.

Conclusion

Mobile creatures in the soil play an important role in soil health. In concert with microflora, microfauna need to be considered and included in the agro-ecosystem underground. Soil tilth is improved with massive migrations and expansions of organisms in the soil. Soil water availability and containment is improved and allowing for nutrient ingestion, processing, and dispersal to plant uptake. Disease pressure is reduced as natural deterrents, consumers, and predators regulate populations of vector organisms and metabolize pathogens. Nitrogen and other nutrients are made available up in natural processes reducing leaching to sub soils. Microfauna knit complex webs of stable soil structure. Finally, the organic matter in soil is increased each growing season building deeper and richer topsoils resistant to erosion as water is absorbed and wind blown silt is collected. The growing field becomes a stable and rich resource for crop production reducing passes by soil compacting machinery and caustic chemical treatments. With the use of natural soil organisms and beneficial plants above and below the soil surface, soil depth and health improves and plant yields are increased in a resilient and sustained agro- ecosystem.

Reference

Zwart KB, Kuikman PJ and VanVeen JA (1994) Rhizosphere protozoa: their significance in nutrient dynamics. In: Darbyshire J (ed) Soil Protozoa, pp 93–121. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK

Benckiser. (1997). Fauna in soil ecosystems. In Fauna in soil ecosystems, Marcel Dekker, NY, NY

Noe JP and Campbell CL (1985). Spatial pattern analysis of

Lavelle P, Lattaud C, Trigo D and Barois I (1995) Mutualism and biodiversity in soils. Plant and Soil 170: 23–33

Hu C., Liu Y., Paulsen B.S., Petersen D., Klaveness D. Extracellular carbohydrate polymers from five desert soil algae with different cohesion in the stabilization of fine sand grain (2003) Carbohydrate Polymers, 54 (1), pp. 33-42.

Bold, Harold C., (1970), Some Aspects of The Taxonomy of Soil Algae, Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences V.175 Is.1,Blackwell Publishing Ltd

From Neher, D.A., (1999) Soil Community Composition and Ecosystem Processes, Agroforestry Systems, 45:159-158 Klewer Acedemic Publishers, The Netherlands

Alphei J, Bonkowski M and Scheu S (1996) Protozoa, Nematoda and Lumbricidae in therhizosphere of Hordelymus europaeus (Poaceae): faunal interactions, response of microorganisms and effects on plant growth. Oecologia 106: 111-126

Andre HM, Noti MI and Lebrun P (1994) The soil fauna: the other last biotic frontier. Biodiversity and Conservation 3: 45–56

Beare MH (1997) Fungal and bacterial pathways of organic matter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in arable soil. In: Brussaard L and Ferrera-Cerrato R (eds) Soil Ecology in Sustainable Agricultural Systems, pp 37–70. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, LA

Clarholm M (1985) Interactions of bacteria, protozoa and plants leading to mineralization of soil nitrogen. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 17: 181–187

Griffiths BS (1994) Soil nutrient flow. In: Darbyshire J (ed) Soil Protozoa, pp 65–91. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK

Hendrix PF, Parmelee RW, Crossley DA Jr., Coleman DC, Odum EP and Groffman PM (1986) Detritus food webs in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. BioScience 36: 374–380

Jackson W (1985) New Roots for Agriculture. University of Nebraska Press, Nebraska, 150 pp

Jentschke G, Bonkowski M, Godbold DL and Scheu S (1995) Soil protozoa and forest tree growth: non-nutritional effects and interactions with mycorrhizae. Biology and Fertility of Soils 20: 263–269

Larson WE and Pierce FJ (1991) Conservation and enhancement of soil quality. In: IBSRAM Proceedings 12 (2). Evaluation for Sustainable Land Management in the Development World. Volume 2. Bangkok, Thailand. International Board for Soil Research and Management

Lavelle P, Lattaud C, Trigo D and Barois I (1995) Mutualism and biodiversity in soils. Plant and Soil 170: 23–33

Neher D and Duniway JM (1992) Dispersal of Phytophthora parasitica in tomato fields by furrow irrigation. Plant Disease 76: 582–586

Neher DA and Campbell CL (1994) Nematode communities and microbial biomass in soils with annual and perennial crops. Applied Soil Ecology 1: 17–28

Neher DA and Campbell CL (1996) Sampling for regional monitoring of nematode communities in agricultural soils. Journal of Nematology 28: 196–208

Neher DA and Barbercheck ME (1998) Diversity and role of soil mesofauna. In: Collins W (ed) Importance of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems, Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan (in press)

Neher DA, Peck SL, Rawlings JO and Campbell CL (1995) Measures of nematode community structure for an agroecosystem monitoring program and sources of variability among and within agricultural fields. Plant and Soil 170: 167–181

Ryder MH, Brisbane PG and Rovira AD (1990) Mechanisms in the biological control of takeall of wheat by rhizosphere bacteria. In: Hornby D (ed) Biological Control of Soil-Borne Plant Pathogens, pp 123–130. CAB International, Wallingford, UK

Verhoef HA and Brussard L (1990) Decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in natural and agro-ecosystems: The contribution of soil animals. Biogeochemistry 11: 175–211

Agro-Ecosystem Design for Illinois Farm. On-site Restaurant for On-Site Produce

2011-05-11T13:03:00.003-05:00

Mandala Community Garden Comes to Life

2011-04-20T07:39:00.001-05:00

Tom, Dan, and Chancy bring in the compost and mulch. Gary is behind the camera.
Between the Spring snows we have been able do raise one of two gardens to planting readiness.

In this half, field crop plots are on the right and center keyhole beds on the left.

Removing the sod with a gas cutter is very nice for the back and takes only minutes.

50/50 compost from RRT, 60 yards

Gary rolls sod from the center garden area in the bigger 64 foot diameter garden

A question about swale design. How big and far apart.

2011-04-13T09:49:00.001-05:00

Like any great collegiate answer from professors to designers..."It depends".

How big is the catchment area?
What are you planting in the berms? Trees would be bigger berms further apart. Shrubs smaller berms and closer.
Do you want to use the swale for acces? Tractor or wheelbarrow? Will you mow the area?
What soil type do you have?
We have clay so the water infiltrates for hours if not days and we can direct the water to many points. With sandy soil the swales are fewer and bigger to collect more water in the planting zones, then again it depends on your slope.

Overall, start with access, this will dictate the swale minimum. Then what plants the land will support, this will dictate the berm minimum.

Seasonal rainfall and event average is more important than yearly average. If all the rain comes in a three events, you want BIG swales. Like Jeff Lawton's Jordan project. If you get many 1/4 inch rains usually but 3-5 inches in the extreme, design for the extreme.

We have a 150 by 50 foot hill with three swales for an orchard. It drops about ten feet in 50. The bottom swale never gets over flow from above swales, but we have a large catchment area directed into the swales via drain tile form the roofs and driveway.

All things being site specific, our swales are 15 feet apart, 3 feet wide, about 2 feet deep ( 1 foot dug and bermed) and water enters a spillway at 8 inches.

Not only the rain is caught but also spring melt. Our swales were filled recently because the ground was frozen and all the snow melted. This is a great time to charge the soil with moisture for a unpredictable Spring and Summer. Spring is a great time to move water, even on sandy soils.

I have found that the hill is made even steeper if the swales are close. Since the new berm raises the elevation at each berm point. Draw a side view of the hill and play with shapes and slope. This is mostly art and to complex for a formula, although an ag formula exists probably.

Thanks for asking, I hope this helps.

Dan Halsey

Two Concepts for Food Production on School Grounds

2011-03-28T09:47:00.002-05:00

Circle gets the square. Burnsville Endorses new Community Garden Design

2011-03-25T17:27:00.001-05:00

30 Foot Garden with Fruiting Perennial Hedge

26 Foot Backyard Garden with Center Bean Towers and Trellises

This April the next generation of community gardening begins. A new design that creates more growing space ad uses less energy and materials.

SouthWoods Permaculture Design continues to install nature based community gardens with integrated pest management, perennial habitat, and a companion orchard.

99 garden plots where all the gardeners need to bring is the seed (and a few garden tools).

Each section is surrounded by a seven foot vegetated trellis fence, numerous bird houses, beneficial insect habitat.

Here are some smaller residential designs too.

48 Foot Circle Garden with Center Picnic Table and Arbor Entrance


64 Foot Community Garden with Vegetated Trellis Fence, 17 Keyhole Beds and 16 Field Crop Beds

48 Foot Circle Garden with Trellis Dome Green House and Exterior Field Crops

Front loaded complexity takes the stress off the participants.

2011-03-25T11:53:00.001-05:00

The more we use complex systems that are fully utilized and supported via resource partitioning and integrated ecological services, the less the participants be they plant, animal, or human, have to compensate with their own. Can a system be self managed? Integrated Diversity allows for each component to reduce stress on the others.

Like plants that are rooted, people needed to be assigned or accept a place to work/live that suits them. They also need to be surrounded by the efforts of others for moral and physical support. This increases fitness, the ability to cope with change, and builds shared resources. Proximity is key to all this, relative to the landscape. How many other competing systems do you have to cross to connect with your group? How much energy is used keeping the connections viable? Cooperating locally within a small area for physical needs reduces physical and environmental stress, while expanding intellectual resources beyond physical boundaries insures diverse and broader sources of intelligent information.

A plant's resources are localized except for new information which may come from afar in the form of pollen (keeping in mind some plants are self-fertile and rarely accept new information). Unlike plants we are instantly effected by the pollination of new information. It does not have to wait for the next generation seed to develop the traits and increased or decreased fitness. Our mind and bodies can instantly react to the acceptance of new information and improve our environment, nutrition, health, and fitness.

New information can change beliefs and create a physical response, but only for the receptive that can respond.

This April we will be installing 4 Mandala gardens. 132 opportunities to redefine gardening. This is totally new information to most all of them, but as you can see the human-centric design that incorporates beneficial habitat and partitioned resources will also create a new gardener and integrated garden community.

Ground Cherries

2011-03-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

Installing the Mandala Garden

2011-03-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

Remembering Last Fall and Pears

2011-03-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

This year, start your Permaculture Designer Certification, design your homestead, and implement your permaculture lifestyle

2011-03-10T19:24:00.096-06:00

SouthWoods Urban Homestead

and Harvest Design Series

The urban landscape is filled with possibilities. Locked in your lot may be the means to sustain an abundant lifestyle for growing your food, collecting fresh rain water for drinking and reducing your dependence on purchased resources. This series will unlock the ecological capital that abounds within your yard or the neighborhood that surrounds you. It will give you the skills and foresight needed to assess, concept and design your property into a perpetual harvest garden. Learn ecological landscape design language and technique while using the permaculture design process to create a ecologically balanced residence and abundant lifestyle.

Small intensive design classes are limited to 12 tables. Register early. Five on-line national webinar seats are available for each session. Most classes will be held at the Great River School in St. Paul, MN, others at SouthWoods in Prior Lake, MN, or On-line as a webinar. See details below.

Any class can be taken individually, however the Urban Design series is a progressive learning format building from all sessions. The Assessment workshop and Urban Design Series will culminate with each participant completing a personal homestead design, ready for implementation.

Instructor: Daniel Halsey, designer and teacher of

SouthWoods Center for Permaculture Design

Biography:

4 / 18 and 25 /11 6:30-9 PM    Introduction to Permaculture 1&2 (PI2) GRS Monday
5/2/11 6:30-9:30 PM          Urban Design I: Base Plan and Residential Site Assessment (UD1) GRS Monday
5/7/11 1:00-4 PM              Computer Aided Site Assessment and Permaculture Design with Internet Resources (PE1) WEB Sat
5/9/11 6:30-9:30 PM           Human-Centric Design and Site Assessment Workshop (PE2) GRS Monday
5/16/11 6:30-9:30 PM       Urban Design II: Permaculture Concepts for the Urban Homestead (UD2) GRS Monday
5/21/11 9:00-12 PM            Soil Health, Fertility, and the Underground Economy (PE3) SW Saturday
5/21/11 1:00-4 PM              Water Collection, Storage, Distribution and Cycling (PE4) SW Saturday
5/23/11 6:30-9:30 PM     Urban Design III: The Design Progression (UD3) GRS Monday
5/28/11 9.00-5 PM              Building a Home Orchard and Forest Ecology, Polycultures, and Plant Guilds (PE5) SW Saturday
5/30/11 6:30-9:30 PM       Urban Design IV: Draft Design Workshop - Spaces, Plants and Abundance (UD4) GRS Monday
6/2/11 6:30-9:30 PM          Building Plant Polycultures and Guilds using a Plant Database (PE6) WEB Thursday
6/4/11 1:00-4 PM+             Urban Design V: Final Design and Supervised Work Session (UD5) SW Saturday
TBD                                   Computer Aided Permaculture Design: ProLandscape Software Training (PE7) SW

In Chronological Order

Introduction to Permaculture I & II (PI1), (PI2)
This is where we start. The principles, ethics, and paradigm that makes permaculture the solution to many of our ecological and economic issues. We will study the reasons, the options, and working with natures mechanisms to develop a more abundant and healthy lifestyle.

Urban Design 1: Base Plan and Residential Site Assessment (UD1)
Overview- Paper Language, Bubble Maps, Concept, Draft, Final Draft, Final Design
Assignment - Homestead Base Mapping Measurements
Demonstration: Site Assessment and Base Mapping

Webinar: Computer Aided Site Assessment and Permaculture Design with Internet Resources (PE1)
Paper and pencil is the tool of choice for outdoor base-maps and site assessments, but a great amount of information about our properties is on the Internet. Aerial Photos and surveys are just a small portion of what you have available. Plugging in all that information to a computer does not have to be tedious. Designing a well thought out plan is fun and easy to adjust with inexpensive software. This workshop will open the data mines of the web to serious Permaculture and Polyculture designers. Basic site assessment, plant databases, aerial imagery, and standard graphic design tools will help you break into the next level of Permaculture design.

Human-Centric Design and Site Assessment Workshop (PE2)

Discovery session using the Permaculture Site Assessment Workbook (to be completed for use in the UD series). Site Assessment, Self Assessment, Niche Analysis, Goals, Human Needs, and Vision.

Urban Design 2: Permaculture Concepts for the Urban Homestead (UD2)

Classroom Pencil Practice: Tools, Landscape Symbols, Complete Your Base Map, and using Bum Wad. Assignment - Finish base map and start bubble maps. Demonstration: Access and Water Works

Soil Biology, Fertility, and the Underground Economy (PE3)

Everything comes from the soil. We need healthy soils and we can build nutrient cycling into our properties to ensure soil health and good harvests. The urban landscape supplies all the nutrients and minerals we need.

Water Collection, Storage, Distribution and Cycling (PE4)

From sky and well, spring and pond, water is our most precious resource that supports all the others. Reusing, purifying, and distributing water allows all its benefits. Used wisely designers can use the same water for multiple functions.

Urban Design 3: The Design Progression - Hardscapes, Uses, Access, Plant Patches (UD3)
Classroom Pencil Practice: Tools, Landscape Symbols, Drawing a Base Map, and using Bum Wad.
Assignment - Finish base map and start bubble maps. Demonstration: Access and Water Works

Building a Home Orchard with Forest Ecology, Polycultures, and Plant Guilds (PE5)
Every home should have a personal orchard, with fruiting trees, shrubs, and vines. The smallest back yard can have a bountiful harvest for fresh summer food and winter stores. Using forest ecology participants will gain the knowledge to design and plant their own forest garden in an urban lot. Plant lists, sources and consulting included. Full Day On-Site at SouthWoods

Urban Design 4: Draft Design Workshop Spaces, Plants and Abundance (UD4)

Style Demo, Practice and Supervised Work Session. Transfer of Bum Wad concepts to Draft Design. Plant Size and Placement.
Assignment - Complete draft design
Demonstration: Hardscapes: Retaining Walls, Terracing, Rock, Decks and Pavers

Webinar: Building Plant Polycultures and Guilds using a Plant Database (PE6)
The key to regenerative ecology and truly sustainable design, is working with the natures and allowing plants to work with each other. Polycultures and plant guilds are groups of plants that support each other,supplying all the needed nutrients and services that nature can provide. Like a forest, established polycultures need nothing from us except moderate harvesting.Seasonal access to the Temperate Climate Plant Database is included.

Urban Design 5: Final Design Process and Supervised Work Session (UD5)

The final steps to a sustainable design: Plant Selection, Ground Covers, Material Calculations, Implementation Notes and Logistics
Demonstration: Plant Database Queries and Internet Resources

Urban Design student materials list is provided below; some items will need to be purchased at a specialty art or office supply store. Design kits may be rented during the course. See below.
Materials List
T-square 36”
Drafting tape
Triangles: 45-90 degree & 30-60 degree
Scissors
Compass

Drafting pencils – HB, B, 2H, 4H
8 Scale Ruler
Small and Large French curve
Small and Small circle templates
Tube for carrying drawings
8-scale graph paper; sheet size 24” x 36” (approx. 4 sheets)
24'x36' vellum paper -2 sheets
Bum wad paper
Glue stick or double-stick tape
Eraser
Black ink pens – minimum of 3 tips: narrow, medium, bold

When: Monday evenings between 6:30-9:30pm Starting April 18th
Saturday Mornings, Afternoons, and Thursday Nights

Venues:    Great River School, Energy Park Dr., St. Paul, MN
                 SouthWoods Forest Gardens, 17766 Langford Blvd, Prior Lake, MN 55372
   Webinar Webcasts, high speed internet suggested

How to Register: Go to Southwoodscenter.com education page
            (Checks Preferred)    Limited tables so design classes are limited to 12 people.

Call SouthWoods with questions. 612-720-5001   Space is limited, non-refundable payment reserves seat in sessions.)

Littlel Earth Commnity Garden Farm

2011-03-10T13:38:00.002-06:00

Critter Trouble advice from Golden Harvest Organics

2011-02-20T13:49:00.002-06:00

Hi, This is good information. Note that there are no cited sources for most of the data, but the principals are evident. Also, some plants used as deterrents are also toxic or noxious to humans, some are invasive, and others are food as a grazer alternative from the main crops. In permaculture design, we want to use ecological function of plants to help our anchor plants thrive. Passive deterrents are preferred such as aromatic pest confusers. Multiple deterrents in moderation will add diversity and aggregate benefit. I do not recommend any chemical sprays or poisons, nor do I guarantee any of these tactics listed below will work in your situation. These are good anecdotes to start with as you develop your own resource management system. Dan Halsey

Cats and Dogs

Grind up grapefruit or lemon rind. Spread over the soil.
Use any thorny plant clippings like rose or raspberry canes to spread on the soil.
Plant some catnip or catmint in an out of the way area to keep cats away from other garden spaces.
There is a repellent sold at PetSmart called "Reppers" that quite a few people have said is very effective against cats.
Make a tea from rue and spray the boundary. Cats hate rue. Try planting rue here and there to repel them and to have some to make your own sprays. Rue is a pretty perennial herb with blue, green leaves and yellow flowers. It can cause contact dermatitis in some people. Also try planting a thick groundcover like sedum acres, hardy iceplant etc.
Maybe: Here's an interesting trick. Place mouse traps with the trap side down on the soil. When they are disturbed they will pop into the air and scare the intruder. The trap is already sprung when it jumps so it won't hurt the cats.
Dogs and cats: Some folks have had success by sprinkling bloodmeal on the soil.
If you can get seeds from a sweet gum tree try using them as a barrier.
Spread pinecones around.
Try spraying full strength lemon juice where they get in the garden.
Plant calendula (pot marigold) which repels dogs.
Use chicken wire or plastic mesh disguised under some mulch in garden beds. Cats can't dig so they won't (hopefully) poop.

Deer Controls

There is no real sure cure for repelling deer other than tall fences. Some of the methods that follow may work better for certain types of deer than others. When food is scarce deer can and will eat just about everything. Experiment to see what make work for your deer problem.

Here is the definitive answer on deer fencing methods from Jan Reeves in West Virginia.
Our thanks to Jan for sharing this!

We have some very aggressive deer here in West Virginia. This is the only deterrent that has worked when the bush beans are in full flower. We've had this barrier broached once. During hunting season a spooked buck tore through the upper wires but he was running so hard he never noticed the garden. All the other deer have been content to trim our hedge and munch on marigolds.

Erect the usual 4 foot 12 gauge fence around the area. Place posts 6 vice 8 feet apart so deer can't lean on the fence and bend it.
Every 18 feet or so clamp 10-12 foot poles to the fence posts. String cheap electric fence wire between poles at about 2 foot vertical intervals. Tape Christmas tree icicles to wires at about 3 ft. intervals. This confuses the deer as to the height and density of the "extended" fencing.
To be absolutely effective, erect a single wire barrier 27 inches up and 30 inches beyond the fence row. Deer get between the wire and the fence but can't gather themselves for the jump.

Egg spray: mix 5-6 raw eggs in 1 gallon of water and spray. This will cover approximately 17,00 sq. feet. The smell of decomposing eggs keep the deer away while being too faint a dilution for humans to detect. The U.S. Forest service has used this for years. Also including some antitranspirant in this mix will extend the benefits. An alternative is to use wettable sulfur which gives off that rotten egg smell. Mix according to directions and spray as a barrier.

More Homemade Deer Repellent Sprays:

2 raw eggs 1 cup skim milk 1 cup water 3 garlic cloves 1 Tbs. sticker/spreader (available at nursery) or dish soap. Application: Blend together, add to a gallon sprayer and fill to line with water. Spray oo plants as needed.
Homemade Deer Repellent with Eggs In a blender, mix two eggs to one cup of water. Blend well then add one cup of skim milk and any type of sticker such as soap. Put this mixture into a sprayer and spray a light mist over the plant. There will be very little odor but deer will not find it appetizing. This recipe is over one hundred years old and is suppose to be very effective.

6. Hot sauce spray: Mix 1-2 tsp. of Tabasco sauce and 2 tsp. of antitranspirant in 1 gallon of water. Spray. Must be reapplied after rain.

7. Plant some specific plants at the outermost perimeter of your yard for the deer to graze on. These plants can generally take the "natural pruning" done by the deer and flourish. Deer will eat just about anything when feeding conditions are poor.

Choices: Gambel Oak, Fourwing Saltbush, Rocky Mountain Smooth Sumac,
Saskatoon Serviceberry, Wood's Rose.

8. Inside the feeding ground barrier a buffer of possibly deer resistant plants is wise. The following table has a selection of plants that are considered more deer-proof. When hungry deer will eat just about anything so nothing is infallible. For a great listing of deer resistant plants visit Rutgers University Deer Plant Page.

Trees	Blue Spruce	Bristlecone Pine	Hawthorn	Holly Tree	Norway Maple	Oaks
Trees	Oregon Myrtle	Redwood	Smoke Tree	Sweet Gum	Tanbark Oak	Walnut
Shrubs	Boxwood	Butterfly Bush	Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany	Japanese Barberry	Junipers	Natal Plum
Shrubs	Potentilla	Redtwig Dogwood	Rhododendron	Scotch Broom	Star Jasmine	Wild Lilac
Groundcover	Aarons Beard	Ajuga	Irish Moss	Lily of Valley	Manzanita	Myrtle
Groundcover	Dianthus	Peppermint	Scotch Moss	Siberian Catmint	Spearmint	St. Johns Wort
Vines	Algerian Ivy	American Bittersweet	CA Fuschia	Clematis	English Ivy	Virginia Creeper
Perennial	Anemone	Artemisias	Asclepias	Babys Breath	Bee Balm	Chrysanthemum
Perennial	Daffodil	Daylily	Dianthus	Coreopsis	Echinacea	Dusty Miller
Perennial	Foxglove	Hellebore	Iris	Lady Fern	Lambs Ear	Oregano
Perennial	Oriental Poppy	Pampas Grass	Sword Fern	Wood Fern	Yarrow
Succulent	Hen & Chick	Sedums	Spiny Cacti	Yuccas

9. Try putting pallets flat on the ground around your garden. Deer usually will not walk on or jump over these. Usually your local newspaper is a good source for free pallets.
10. Hang fabric softener sheets in and around areas to be protected. Replace after several rains.
11. Mix a gallon bucket of clay soil and water with cayenne or any hot pepper and garlic. Paint this on trunks of trees and stems of shrubs. This will not harm the plants.
12.Hang deodorant type soap every 4 feet or so from your trees' branches. Keep them at a height of 30". One warning: ground hogs like the soap.
13. Coyote urine which is available commercially has been reported to be effective as a deer repellant. We have had quite a few people write in to the contrary that predators urine scents don't seem to work at all.
14. From the Bartlett Tree Experts' Research Laboratory in North Carolina is this interesting deer control technique. They have installed a post and rail fence strung with solar powered electric wires. Sure the deer might figure out how to get past it without getting jolted so Bartlett has come up with this behavior modifier. They put blobs of peanut butter on the fence which deer find irresistible. They come to get the goodies and the shock is such an unpleasant surprise that they remember the experience and don't bother coming back to try and jump the fence!
15. We have been told that deer will avoid Russian Sage like the plague. Russian sage is certainly a beautiful perennial and worth a try! Bees love it.
16. To keep deer from bulb plants- soak them in Alum water before planting.

Moles, Voles and Groundhog
1. Castor beans or mole plants (Euphorbia lathyris) can be planted around or in a garden. The bean seeds can also be dropped in tunnels. However, both plants are very poisonous and should not be used where small children may come in contact with them.
2. Spray a solution of 1 tbsp. of castor oil and 1 tbsp. of liquid dish soap per gallon of warm water on soil and plants.
3. Place elderberry cuttings in the tunnels.
4. Sprinkle chile powder and powdered garlic into tunnels weekly.
5. Scatter ground red pepper into the runs.
6. Plant ornamental blooming scilla (squill) bulbs as a garden border or around susceptible plants to repel moles. Also known as "Wood Hyacinth." Scilla comes in shades of white lavender, blue, and pink with nodding bell-like flowers. Over the years they will multiply and fill in. Easy to grow and an attractive spring flower.
7. Last resort: Place rolled up pieces of Juicy fruit gum in mole tunnels. Wear gloves to mask your scent when you unwrap the gum. Moles love it, but it clogs their innards, fatally. Or use Ex-Lax which has the opposite effect.
8 Find the entrances then put sulfur into the holes and seal all of them with soil.. Another option is to place small ammonia soaked sponges into each hole and seal.
9. Some people have had success at keeping moles at bay using hot peppers. Use jalapenos, habaneros, the hotter the better! Keep a bag full in the freezer to have on hand when you need them...ready to use against moles and for your bug sprays. What you want to do is tightly pack the peppers into the openings of the runs using as many as you need. Do this everywhere you find an entrance and at intervals along the tunnels if you can find them. Dig an opening then stuff with peppers. For every spot you pack with peppers be sure to fill it in with dirt and tamp down firmly.
10. Try placing dog or cat hair in the entrance holes and runs.

Rabbits
1. Tree guards: In fall wrap the lower portions of the trunks with commercial tree wrap, burlap, foil, or metal window screen. The wrapping should be 2' above the height of the deepest snow expected, rabbits can walk on top of the snow. Remove wrappings from the trunks in spring.
2. Sprinkle or hang cheesecloth bags of bloodmeal around plants. If sprinkled it must be redone after rain.
3. Vinegar: Soak corn cobs (cut in half) left over from a meal in vinegar for 5 minutes, then scatter throughout the flower or vegetable garden. Two weeks later soak them again in the same vinegar. You can keep reusing this same vinegar again and again.
4. Spray a tea made from cow manure and water as a repellent.
5. Soybean plants will repel rabbits or some say they attract them.
6. Onions will repel them. So will bonemeal.
7. Use red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, paprika etc. as a dust to repel. Rabbits are always sniffing so they snort this up and it sends them packing.
8. Mix 1 well beaten egg, 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, and 1 gal. of water. Paint this on the tree trunks to prevent munching. This will not harm the trees.
9. Plant "Mexican Marigolds" (Tagetes Minuta) and garlic in the garden to repel them.
10. Set old leather shoes (from the thrift shop) around the garden to give it that "humans are here" smell.
11. Garlic Oil Spray may help to repel rabbits.

To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours or longer. Strain. Next mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this. Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container this mixture will stay viable for several months. To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1 pint of water and spray.

12. Try planting some crops that rabbits will eat instead with, we hope, the intention of deterring them from your other garden crops. Try annual crimson red clover, planted as a strip border around the garden. Now even if it is not successful as a distraction the clover will up the nitrogen content of your soil. Soybeans are said to be good munchies for bunnies but some say they act as a repellant.
13. Pepper and Glue Spray: Mix together 2 tablespoons of ground red pepper or Tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon of Elmer's white glue and a quart of water. Spray as needed but not right before you are ready to harvest as the solution may be difficult to wash off your produce.
14. A good rabbit repellent is a mixture of 85% raw linseed oil, 5% household detergent and 10% water. This can be applied with either a paintbrush or small sprayer. Use as a barrier spray but not directly on plant foliage.

Raccoons and Skunks
NOTE: Skunks have been known to go after sweet corn just like raccoons! To add to that not much will stop raccoons.
Raccoons usually have litters of between two to seven babies. They travel what we call "runs" and will use the same runs generation after generation for decades. They can easily scale high wooden fences. They are nocturnal and do their scavenging at night.
Skunks are also nocturnal or nighttime marauders and can claim up to 10 acres in their territory! Skunks habitually use old borrows left from other creatures or like to make a home in hollows underneath buildings and porches. They will, on occasion, dig their own burrows.
1. Plant anything with prickly foliage to deter them such as squash plants, oriental poppies, globe thistle, pumpkins, Kentucky Wonder pole beans etc. Raccoons have incredibly sensitive toes.
2. To keep them from corn plants: put 2-3 drops of Tabasco sauce near the tip of the ear at least one week before picking.
3. To trap raccoons: use baits like sardines, marshmallows, or honey soaked bread.
4. Surround the area with a horizontal border that coons and skunks don't like to walk over-crumpled up black plastic, newspaper, or aluminum foil. Hold these in place with some rocks, landscape pins, or soil.
5. Use mesh fencing or chicken wire as a horizontal barrier. Raise these slightly above the ground with some bricks to make it even more of a hassle to cross.
6. Spread naphthalene flakes or balls around, raccoons hate the taste of this in their paws and they are said to also aid in repelling skunks.
7. Put paper bags over ears of corn and fasten shut with a rubberband.
8. When the ears are getting close to harvest time tape them to the stalks with masking tape!
9. Use any kind of old netting: fish netting, tennis net, whatever as a barrier. Stake loosely to hold in place.
10. Use rose bush trimmings as a barrier, or anything with stickers.
11. Plant cucumbers with your corn. Both raccoons and skunks hate cucumbers for some reason.
12. Sprinkle a barrier of lime around the perimeter to be protected.
13. To keep raccoons from getting the fruit in your trees: wrap a barrier of aluminum or sheet metal 2 feet in height around the trunk of the tree. Be sure not to make it tight you want to let your tree trunk breathe.
14. Soak old corn cobs in vinegar. Place them around the plant to be protected. Supposedly once they chew on these they will not come back. We found that last season this worked on both skunks and raccoons for about 2 months. Apparently after that they got wise and were up to their old tricks.
15. Skunk Spray: Make a spray out of 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 teaspoon dish soap. Spray this around areas where you would like skunks to stear clear of such as garbage cans. Don't get this on foliage.
16. Sprinkle flour around suspected nesting or sleeping areas.

Rat and Mice Control
1. For trapping mice: Use pumpkin seeds; you'll find that mice can't resist them! They sure are great roasted and salted, the pumpkin seeds, that is!
2. Scatter fresh or dried mint or holly leaves as a repellent. The mint works like a charm! We use it everywhere mice are a problem and they will not go near it. Smells nice too. We have had a good deal of email from folks that wrote us to say mint works great for them too!
3. Protect the bases of trees by wrapping loosely with 1/4" hardware cloth or foil. Be sure to keep any mulch pulled away from the trunks.
There is always cats as an option!
4. Don't mulch any perennials until after a few frosts. The rodents will have found a home by then and not in your mulch!
5. Encourage snakes and owls to stay near the garden to provide natural control.
6. Trap baits: nut meats, dried fruits, or bacon.
7. Plant "barriers" of perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) which will repel mice. You will enjoy the beauty of these plants for many years to come too.
8. Spray Ropel on the plants that are being bothered by mice.
9. Keep the soil around plants bare, as mice do not like to come out in the open.
10. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.), wood hyacinth (Scilla or squill) and grape hyacinth (Muscari) are said to repel rodents. Plant a pretty spring blooming border of them to help protect your other plants year round.
11. Planting herbs with a powerful scent will repel mice. Best choices are alliums, camphor plant, dwarf elder, elderberry, euphorbias, any mints and wormwood.
12. If you are allergic to or cannot tolerate cats then there are certain dogs which will take care of mice for you. Certain terriers are well known as "ratters" and so are Italian greyhounds.

Snake Control
Snakes may seek refuge beneath buildings. If there is a gap or opening, they will enter and inhabit a building, just as house mice do. Sealing all cracks and other openings greater than 1/4 inch can prevent them from entering. Gaps beneath garage doors are often large enough to permit snakes to enter, especially young ones. In summer, snakes may be attracted to cool and/or damp places, such as beneath buildings and in basements. Access doors on crawl spaces should be inspected carefully for breaks or gaps. Use caution if you must crawl under a house or other building. Hot tub or swimming pool pump enclosures may provide cover if they are not well sealed. The dampness associated with ornamental water fountains, pools, and fishponds may also make the surrounding area attractive to snakes.
1. Burn the leaves of Comfrey, Rue, and Bay. Scatter where snakes are.
2. A barrier of "Flowers of sulfur" may repel snakes. This should be available at local drugstore or pharmacy and is also known as elemental sulfur. We have heard of this being used successfully where copperheads are a problem.
3. Wormwood: this herb when dried and scattered around may repel snakes. Planting a barrier of wormwood plants is another method. A perimeter spraying of wormwood tea may help.
4. Spray ammonia around the snakes hole to repel, then later fill them in with dirt.

Squirrel Control
1. Bulbs: soak them in Ropel before planting and squirrels will leave them alone. You can also dust them with medicated baby powder.
2. Put sheet metal collars on trees to keep them from climbing the trunks. Prune back any access limbs also.
3. To keep squirrels from the bird feeders in winter try growing witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana. It can be grown in the East and Midwest. They grow underneath trees and can continue blooming into December. The flowers form a seed pod that will eventually shoot out the seeds on the ground which supplies squirrels with some winter forage. 4. Sprinkle pepper or paprika around squirrel prone areas.
5. Using any type of "sticky barrier" can be effective as the squirrels' hate the sticky feeling on their paws.
6. For pole type bird feeders: grease the pole with petroleum jelly. They will get the message pretty quick and go elsewhere for goodies.
7. Learn to get along with them. We have squirrels who do get into the bird feeders but in general cause no trouble at all! In 15 years they have dug up some bulbs one time and that is it!
8. Plant Fritillaria imperialis bulbs in the area of plants that you want to protect. Supposedly they have a particular smell that squirrels and chipmunks find repulsive. They are certainly beautiful plants and a great addition to your garden!
9. Beware that water features will attract squirrels and chipmunks too!
10. To keep squirrels and chipmunks from bulb plants- soak them in Alum water before planting.

Keyhole Planting Exercise at Little Earth.

2011-02-16T14:32:00.001-06:00

Fun with life size garden planting. Placement and sizing the plants helps make decisions and build seed lists early. Still many spaces to fill.

Permaculture Design Class at SouthWoods

2011-02-10T15:02:00.002-06:00

Twelve designers filled the papers with well planned perennial designs. We met each Thursday for four weeks of classroom instruction and assignments. The little cabin classroom helps us focus on pour designs and the process of building a ecologically supported landscape.

We had designers working on plans for properties in California, Vancouver Island, B.C. as well as large holdings in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. Residential lots were well represented and developed solutions for tight spaces.

2010 Appley Valley Partnership Garden

2011-02-08T15:56:00.000-06:00

Sorry the sound is so bad. Hope you like the garden. This was number two of four we did that month.
Many more to do this summer. Let me know if you would like a perpetual harvest community garden.

Dan

Seminar: An Introduction to Permaculture

2011-02-07T17:39:00.000-06:00

Minnesota and the Midwest is at a crucial stage in climate change, economics, energy descent and transitioning to self reliant homesteads.

Permaculture has principles and ethics to help individuals, communities and families develop their resources into stable and continuously viable homes and property.

Permaculture principles guide participants in observing patterns of energy use and collection and storage of diminishing resources.

This workshop will introduce Permaculture to participants and assist them in entering new patterns of existence that secure an environmentally supported lifestyle.

When: Saturday Feb 12, 2011 9AM - 5PM
Where: Great River School, 1326 Energy Park Dr. St Paul, MN
Recommended Materials: Intro to Permaculture by Bill Mollison
Materials:
Participants will be given supporting materials based on the days presentations.
Participants should bring lunch. Snacks and refreshments will be provided at breaks.
Cost:
$75 Members,
$85 Non-Members,
$150 Workshop Kit (Workshop, Mollison Permaculture Intro Book & PRI Membership) Save $30
Please register online, click Add to Order below.
Space is limited, Register ASAP.
Questions? Contact: Dan Halsey

Drip Irrigation, Fertigation and the Mineralization of Soils

2011-02-02T20:38:00.003-06:00

Photo by Christian Thill, Univ. of Minnesota

Drip Irrigation, Fertigation and the Mineralization of Soils
Questions: Direct watering of plants under soil or from emitters above concentrate the moisture and reduce water use. What are the consequences of limiting the broad precipitation on soils and on resulting root growth and plant health?
Foliar Rinse
The benefit of rain and sprinklers is the cleaning of the plant itself with the removal of grit, dust and pollutants. This also raises the humidity around the plant. A benefit for woody plants, but managed for annual plants relative to fungal and bacterial disease.
Soil Mineralization.
Assuming the correct water based fertigation is followed, over time soil salinity rises to harmful levels stressing and killing plants. When evaporation exceeeds precipitation minerals and salts collect at the soil surface. The increased salts require plants to use more energy to extract water from the soil. Evaporation exceeds precipitation causing the salts to collect close to the surface rather than leaching into the soil. In many cases the soil must be flushed at a rate of ten inches of water per 12 inches of soil. This will flush out approximately 70% of the salts. [i] Balancing the use of drip irrigation with periodic “rain fall” mitigates the mineralization effect and leeches the minerals through the soil. This can be done mechanically or with mobilizing hoop houses to expose the soil to rain and snow. In Arid climates where the rainfall is insufficient, sprinklers are needed to rinse the soil while watering crops; in combination with drain tile in some cases. Some growers remove the mineralized soil and replace it with fresh soil.
Root Growth
Early use of drip irrigation called for one emitter per plants. This has changed some as root development was stunted to the spatially limited available water in the soil. Multiple emitters are required to help the plant expand its root systems and available nutrients throughout the planting bed.[ii]
Root Distribution
The distance of an emitter from the stem or trunk of a woody plant also affects the size and distance the roots extend. [iii] This affects plant stability and its ability to withstand wind, erosion, and rain. Nutrient contact is also limited with dry soils in proximity to the plant and fewer roots to intercept and absorb nutrients.

[i] Upton, S, Use 2005, These Tips to Manage Hoop House Soil Salinity, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Okla.

[ii] Kourik, Robert, 2010, TerraInforma

[iii] Nazzi, Abdullah, Jahaj, and Ghulam, The Effects of Drip Irrigation on Root System of Date Palm. King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia Second Symposium on Date Palm

Seed Starting Schedule

2011-01-21T12:33:00.001-06:00

Starting Dates for 2011 MN Veg Crops				Using April 30 as Last Frost Day
Crop	Weeks to start seeds	Start inside			Setting-out date
Crop	Weeks to start seeds	From	To	Safe time to set out plants	From	To
Artichoke	8	5-Mar		on frost-free date	30-Apr
Basil	6	26-Mar		1 week after	7-May
Beets*	4 to 6	5-Mar	19-Mar	2 weeks before	16-Apr
Broccoli	4 to 6	5-Mar	19-Mar	2 weeks before	16-Apr
Cabbage	4 to 6	19-Mar	5-Mar	4 weeks before	30-Apr	2-Apr
Cauliflower	4 to 6	19-Mar	19-Mar	2 weeks before	30-Apr	16-Apr
Celery & celeriac	10 to 12	12-Feb	26-Feb	1 week after	7-May
Collards	4 to 6	19-Feb	5-Mar	4 weeks before	2-Apr
Corn salad/mache	4 to 6	5-Feb	12-Mar	3 to 6 weeks before	19-Mar	9-Apr
Corn*	2 to 4	2-Apr	30-Apr	0 to 2 weeks after	30-Apr	14-May
Cucumber	3 to 4	9-Apr	23-Apr	1 to 2 weeks after	7-May	14-May
Eggplant	8 to 10	5-Mar	26-Mar	2 to 3 weeks after	14-May	21-May
Kale	4 to 6	19-Feb	5-Mar	4 weeks before	2-Apr
Kohlrabi*	4 to 6	19-Feb	5-Mar	4 weeks before	2-Apr
Leeks	8 to 10	5-Feb	19-Feb	2 weeks before	16-Apr
Lettuce	4 to 5	26-Feb	12-Mar	3 to 4 weeks before	2-Apr	9-Apr
Melons	3 to 4	16-Apr	23-Apr	2 weeks after	14-May
Mustard*	4 to 6	19-Feb	5-Mar	4 weeks before	2-Apr
Okra*	4 to 6	2-Apr	30-Apr	2 to 4 weeks after	14-May	28-May
Onions	8 to 10	22-Jan	5-Feb	4 weeks before	2-Apr
Parsley	9 to 10	29-Jan	12-Feb	2 to 3 weeks before	9-Apr	16-Apr
Peas*	3 to 4	5-Feb	26-Feb	6 to 8 weeks before	5-Mar	19-Mar
Peppers	8	19-Mar		2 weeks after	14-May
Pumpkins	3 to 4	16-Apr	23-Apr	2 weeks after	14-May
Spinach	4 to 6	5-Feb	12-Mar	3 to 6 weeks before	19-Mar	9-Apr
Squash	3 to 4	16-Apr	23-Apr	2 weeks after	14-May
Swiss chard	4 to 6	5-Mar	19-Mar	2 weeks before	16-Apr
Tomatoes	6 to 8	12-Mar	2-Apr	1 to 2 weeks after	7-May	14-May
Watermelon	3 to 4	16-Apr	23-Apr	2 weeks after	14-May

Ageratum	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Agrostemma (Corn Cockle)*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Amaranthus	4 to 6	26-Mar	9-Apr	1 week after	7-May
Ammi (False Queen Anne's Lace)*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Artemisia (Sweet Annie) ***	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)	10 to 12	5-Feb	19-Feb	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Aster, China	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Bells of Ireland**	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Calendula*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Cardoon	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Carthamus (Safflower)*	4 to 6	19-Mar	2-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Castor Bean	6 to 8	12-Mar	26-Mar	1 week after	7-May
Celosia	6 to 8	12-Mar	26-Mar	1 week after	7-May
Centaurea (Bachelor's Button)*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Chinese Lanterns	8 to 12	5-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Coleus	8	12-Mar		1 week after	7-May
Cosmos*	5 to 7	12-Mar	26-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Craspedia (Drumstick Flower)	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Datura (Angel's Trumpet)	8 to 12	19-Feb	26-Mar	2 to 3 weeks after	14-May	21-May
Delphinium	10 to 16	8-Jan	19-Feb	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Dianthus (Sweet William)	10 to 12	22-Jan	12-Feb	1 to 2 weeks before	16-Apr	23-Apr
Digitalis (Foxglove)	10 to 12	5-Feb	19-Feb	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Eucalyptus	10 to 12	5-Feb	19-Feb	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Euphorbia (Snow-on-the-Mountain)*	4 to 6	19-Mar	2-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Flower Collections & Mixes*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Forget-Me-Not	8 to 9	26-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Helianthus maximillianii	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Hibiscus	8 to 10	26-Feb	12-Mar	1 week after	7-May
Hollyhock	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Hyacinth Bean	4 to 6	26-Mar	9-Apr	1 week after	7-May
Impatiens	8 to 10	26-Feb	12-Mar	1 week after	7-May
Kale, Ornamental	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Larkspur*	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Lisianthus	12 to 13	29-Jan	5-Feb	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Lupine	6 to 8	19-Feb	5-Mar	2 weeks before	16-Apr
Marigold	6 to 8	12-Mar	26-Mar	1 week after	7-May
Monarda (Bee Balm)	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Morning Glory	3 to 4	23-Apr	7-May	3 to 4 weeks after	21-May	28-May
Nigella*	4 to 6	19-Mar	2-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Phlox**	4	5-Mar		1 to 2 weeks before	16-Apr	23-Apr
Pepper, Ornamental	8	12-Mar		1 week after	7-May
Petunia	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Polygonum (Prince's Feather)	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
California Poppy*	2 to 3	9-Apr	16-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Corn Poppy*	2 to 3	9-Apr	16-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Iceland Poppy	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Ptilotus	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan)	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Salpiglossis (Painted Tongue)	4 to 6	19-Mar	2-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Salvia	6 to 8	19-Feb	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Sanvitalia	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)	4 to 6	19-Mar	2-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Scarlet Runner Bean	2 to 3			soil 60 degrees
Snapdragon	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Statice	8	5-Mar		on frost-free date	30-Apr
Stock	8 to 10	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Sunflowers*	3-4	2-Apr	9-Apr	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Strawflower	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Sweet Pea*	4 to 6	5-Mar	26-Mar	1 to 2 weeks before	16-Apr	23-Apr
Thunbergia (Black Eyed Susan Vine)	6 to 8	5-Mar	19-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)*	6	26-Mar		1 week after	7-May
Verbena	8 to 12	5-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Viola (Pansy)	8 to 12	22-Jan	26-Feb	1 to 2 weeks before	16-Apr	23-Apr
Yarrow	8 to 12	19-Feb	5-Mar	on frost-free date	30-Apr
Zinnia	4	9-Apr		1 week after	7-May
* Usually direct-sown, but may be started indoors
** Specifically recommended for direct seeding outdoors
*** We have left current crop failures in the list because they may be available next year.
Note: Dates are the same from year to year, but this table requires a year for computation

2011-01-12T09:40:00.000-06:00

Minnesota and the Midwest is at a crucial stage in climate change, economics, energy descent and transitioning to self reliant homesteads.

Permaculture has principles and ethics to help individuals, communities and families develop their resources into stable and continuously viable homes and property.
Permaculture principles guide participants in observing patterns of energy use and collection and storage of diminishing resources.
This workshop will introduce Permaculture to participants and assist them in entering new patterns of existence that secure an environmentally supported lifestyle.

When: Saturday Feb 12, 2011 9AM - 5PM
Where: Great River School, 1326 Energy Park Dr. St Paul, MN
Recommended Materials: Intro to Permaculture by Bill Mollison

Materials:
Participants will be given supporting materials based on the days presentations.
Participants should bring lunch. Snacks and refreshments will be provided at breaks.

Cost:
$75 PRI Members,
$85 Non-Members,
$150 Workshop Kit (Workshop, Mollison Permaculture Intro Book & PRI Membership) Save $30
Please register online. Space is limited, Register ASAP.
Questions? Contact: Dan Halsey

Register at PRICOLDCLIMATE.ORG

Spring Series at Valley Natural Foods

2011-01-06T20:50:00.001-06:00

Getting Off the Grid. An Evening.of Mandala and Keyhole Gardening

2011-01-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

Getting off the grid.

Gardening with fewer paths and higher diversity helps the plants, soil and your back.

Totally scalable to backyard or public field, the mandala creates energy and builds the garden community.

A free event

Wednesday, January 19 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

700 2nd Street North, South St Paul -

South St. Paul High School. Sponsored by Dakota County Gardeners

Diversity Affecting the Fitness Landscape for Insects, A Complex Adaptive System

2010-12-16T07:28:00.014-06:00

In a recent class in Complex Adaptive Systems, I wanted to find a new way to relate the effects of diversity models on insect patterns and the resulting plant benefits. We need high access for efficient harvesting, but that flattens the fitness landscape for insect pests. If we have K (Diversity) too high, the harvest, mechanical or human stresses our fitness. My models here are showing the variations in planting methods that affect the insect fitness for better integrated pest management. The third column K would vary greatly depending on beneficial insect habitat species used in the same pattern. Likely without loss of yield.

The top row represents the patterns used in gardens and a value for K relative to C.
K being the Complexity or Diversity and C being coupling or proximity.
The bottom row shows insect patterns due to the above pattern. Breaks in the continuity add stress and opportunity for predation.
Insect species compete as the fitness landscape becomes rugged.

Low K (Monoculture) Low K (Interplanted) High K (Diverse Species)

High C (Proximity) Lower C (Intermittent) Low C (Dispersed)

Low K (Flat, Monoculture) Low K (Fractured) High K (Stresser Areas)

High C (Immediate Access) Low C (Less Access) Low C (Fractured Availablity)

The flat fitness landscape of the monoculture (first column) allows insect pests to flourish unabated with no fitness challenge. This also lowers insect species competition with limited habitat. Interplanted areas (second column) add stress and increase mortality by requiring higher fitness. The landscape offers fewer resources for propagation. Column three adds further plant diversity creating broad areas of predation and again requiring higher fitness to survive with fewer resources. In the final case, there is less yield from each species of plant, yet the individual plant’s yield higher and the diverse cropping provides a higher yield in aggregate of all species

Where: Sp = Kp/Ki

K is Diversity (species) Si = Ki/Kp

C is species proximity (coupling)

S is stress p is plant

Y is yield i is insect

____Yp___

Sp = Kp/Ki

Si = Kp/Cp

This is an observation model, not a proven hypothesis tested in a controlled environment.

Dan Halsey

Garden Plant Height Chart for Resource Partiitioning

2010-12-07T10:48:00.000-06:00

Relative Height and Spread of Garden Plants

2010-12-07T10:25:00.000-06:00

Build a Basement Root Cellar

2010-11-07T10:08:00.001-06:00

http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=77714

Build a Basement Root Cellar

By Steve Maxwell
The great thing about cabbage, carrots and all the other crops, as David Cavagnaro and Nancy Bubel describe in the two previous articles, is all you need to store them for months is a cold, well-ventilated space. A spare refrigerator works pretty well, but even better and more spacious is a real root cellar. A basement root cellar is convenient and useful.
Traditionally, this cold room was an underground space built under or near the home, insulated by the ground and vented so cold air could flow in and warm air out in the fall. Then when winter temperatures arrived, the vents were closed, and the cellar stayed cold but not freezing.
Most modern basements are too warm for long-term winter storage, but you can create an indoor version of the cellars that have long served homesteaders well by walling off a basement corner and adding the vents, as shown in the drawing above. The two vents (#1 in the illustration that can be seen in the gallery) create a siphon effect that lets you regulate the flow of cold outside air into the insulated cellar room, allowing the temperature to remain near freezing through the winter months.
Fred Matlack of Vera Cruz, Pa., developed this nifty design, and the basement root cellar he built in his basement has worked just as he planned. “You just need to watch the temperature to be sure you close the vents before the temperature drops below freezing, which would damage some crops,” Matlack says.
Several universal truths remain constant that will help you create an optimal root cellar, even though every basement situation is unique. The first is location. Because you’ll need access to the outdoors for fresh air, choose a cellar position that includes a window. It’s possible to bore holes through a basement wall for the 3- or 4-inch vent pipes you’ll need to install, but it’s a whole lot easier to simply remove the glass from a window, replace it with plywood and then run your pipes through holes in the wood. In cold regions, you can create an insulated panel to replace window glass. Laminating a layer of half-inch-thick exterior-grade plywood on each side of a piece of 1- or 2-inch-thick extruded polystyrene foam is a terrific way to make an insulated panel for vent pipe access. Polyurethane construction adhesive is perfect for holding the foam-and-wood sandwich together.
When it comes to any basement root cellar, the exterior walls create ideal interior temperatures. This is what delivers the cooling action, and the more masonry surface you’ve got, the better. That’s why you’ll want to choose a corner location for your installation if you can. This offers maximum exposure to exterior walls while minimizing the need to build and insulate interior walls. And if you’ve got a choice, select a spot with the highest soil height outside. Does one of your possible options include northern exposure? Terrific! That’s great if you can get it.
After you’ve picked your cellar location and replaced the window glass with a solid panel that accommodates the vent pipes, turn your attention to the walls. Find yourself a helper, grab a sheet or two of plywood or wafer board, and get ready to use your imagination. It’s amazing how temporarily propping up sheet materials can help you imagine the floor plan of a new room, leading you to better finished results. How long should your cellar be? How wide? Is a 3-foot-wide door big enough? These kinds of questions are much easier to answer when you’ve got something to hold up, look at, move around and tweak.
With the footprint and door location of your cellar finalized, mark the relevant outlines on the floor with a big felt-tipped marker. Although you’ll need to build some kind of wood frame for the wall and doorway, it needn’t be as beefy as a typical load-bearing wall for a house. You can extend stud spacing beyond 24 inches on center if you need to economize, but regardless of the wall design, you’ll have to secure it at the top and bottom. A few tricks can make this happen.
As you custom-cut your wall studs to length, make them short enough to leave an eighth- to a quarter-inch gap between the top of the wall and the joists above when combined with the top and bottom plates (#2). That way, you’ll have no trouble tilting the wall up into position (be sure to check that it’s plumb by using a level), yet you still can secure it with 3½-inch #10 screws driven up through the top plate and into the bottom edge of the joists. Drive a softwood wedge dabbed with glue into the gap before driving the screws home.
Basement floors are often damp, so consider using composite deck material instead of wood for the bottom wall plate (#3). Choose a brand that’s solid all the way through, then cut and nail it just like regular lumber. Composites are rot-proof and won’t contribute musty smells to your cellar, even if they get wet. Anchor the bottom of your cellar wall to a concrete floor with construction adhesive and concrete nails or screws driven into pre-drilled holes.
Insulation is your next challenge, and good reasons exist to consider using rigid sheets of foam (#4) instead of traditional fiberglass batts. The most important is moisture resistance. Any basement is likely to get damp from time to time, and fiberglass has almost no ability to resist mold growth and deterioration when water is present. Foam, on the other hand, tolerates moisture much better. It’s also easier to use than fiberglass, and it’s non-irritating. Extruded polystyrene is especially good in this regard. It’s also a highly effective thermal insulator. Just be aware that some jurisdictions require foam to be covered with a fire-resistant sheet to meet code specifications. As you plan your insulation strategy, be sure to include the ceiling of your cellar. Warmth coming down from heated areas above could raise cellar temperatures too high for the food.
A key feature of the basement cellar is the two-vent design. To function optimally, space the interior ends of the intake and exhaust pipes as far apart as possible. Also, you’ll need to plan your shelf layout to allow as much top-to-bottom air movement as you can achieve. This is where ceiling-mounted shelves can really help (#5). The best idea is to use hanging metal wire frames that support shelves made of 2-by-12-inch lumber you cut yourself. Cover the vent openings with screen to keep out insects and mice, and if you want to really cool the room down quickly, add a little exhaust fan to supplement the natural flow of cool air down into the room.
Steve Maxwell lives and gardens with his family on Mount Island, Ontario.

The Chaos of Prescribed Order and Complexity of Self Organized Systems

2010-11-03T18:07:00.001-05:00

Recently as you see in previous posts I have been working on new designs for local community gardens. I have also been taking a class in Chaos and Complexity Theory and been puzzled as to why the energy expended on the highly ordered grid garden designs exceeds that expended using a naturally ordered design. The observations are obvious, but not until I saw the systems side by s did I see some quantitative explanation.

Common grid gardens are tightly coupled and controlled spaces. The immediate proximity and rigid planting regimes within the spaces is counter to natural patch dynamics. Plants compete with other plants and defend the constant barrage of heat, evaporation, disease and insect pests. Also, the internally simplistic order of the grid plots combined with the immediate presence of connected plants and bare soil reduces the "K" value, internal complexity (Diversity), and raises the "C" coupling value, or in this case pest connections with other plots. S.A. Kaufman describes this as the pre-Nash dance from chaos to stability. John Nash (also famous for the movie about him, A Beautiful Mind) devised the Nash Equilibrium in chaos theory.

Our annual and perennial gardens are a dance floor for the plants, diseases, and insects. If we create a "weak", low "C", network of plants, spreading them randomly or within beneficial polycultures in a highly complex spatial pattern, the pests cannot create a tight network, high "C", of predation and propagation. We are mimicking the natural pattern of plants that exists in nature where an equilibrium is established between insects, plants and other plants.

To paraphrase S.A. Kaufman, an Environmentally Stable System (ESS) is one with high internal complexity, (diversity), and low spatial inter-species relationships (proximity).

State of the System

K (Diversity)

Low High

High Chaotic Variable

(Species Number and Proximity) C Low Variable Stable

Re-Used Air Cargo Container as Green House

2010-11-01T18:25:00.001-05:00

We are looking for more.

Little Earth Orchard, Community Garden and Hoop House

2010-11-01T14:10:00.005-05:00

Bermed Orchard holds Apple , Pear and Cherry Trees.

We installed the trees on a warm autumn afternoon. The weather is extending our planting times. Far to the left of this scene is the hot composting soil builder bins.

Tool Shed and Community Garden

The Clover is planted and hopefully we will get some ground cover before snow fall.

East Wall, 20,000 lbs. of composting bananas, Garden, and Hoop House

The system is developing before our eyes. Actually as planned on paper, but seeing the structure gives us renewed energy. The entire wall will be vegetated at the base with fruiting shrubs. Next spring we will be ready to go with the new garden farm. Thanks for help from Will Allen and the Women's Environmental Institute.

Little Earth Mandala Install Photos

2010-10-14T00:27:00.002-05:00

The garden is set on compass points.

Changing the Shape of Community Gardening for Perpetual Harvest

2010-10-04T10:59:00.003-05:00

Daniel Halsey

In October the 2011 Gardening Season starts for us. Up to eight IPM Community Gardens designs being implemented. The Mandala Team will be busy.

Some people think that small details are inconsequential to the design and they can make changes for their own reason. That was hard yesterday, but overall it went quite well. The garden looked spectacular. Today I am recuperating, thinking of design tweaks, and putting away my tools and materials.Not only do plants have to be site specific, but materials too. There is certainly no cookie cutter solution. The design is benign without a system in implementation based on site specific materials, watering regime and a supporting human social structure, any of which being dysfunctional, will cause the design to fail. Even the definitions of these things must be explained.

The Garden Game

2010-09-30T13:02:00.001-05:00

The Garden Game

The garden game is the only game where the player/gardener creates the pieces and the playing board. The rules are set in an ever changing but predictable environment, based on the local conditions and characteristics of the game-board. The game is played in an environment where the rules change as the game progresses. The game set-up can start months before with the design and installation of the playing board (the garden plot) and allowed to cure before any pieces/plants are positioned. The game ends either as the pieces mature or the conditions are beyond the games capacity to proceed. The game can end at anytime the player losses interest, but usually runs without the player, until the pieces are removed. Once started the game is difficult to end before its ready. A player’s gains can be counted, withdrawn, and banked at anytime, although the highest gains will come at the end. A successful game depends on the expectations of the player(s) and satisfaction of those expectations. Most struggling players do not continue playing after a certain loss or reduce the active area of the board to smaller confined space with fewer factors and pieces. Unfortunately, this makes the next game more difficult.

A player may be leading the game at first with successful placement of the pieces and gains in position with few losses. As the game progresses, the “pest players”; piece eaters, predators, competing plants, changing conditions and the player’s attention span, may take the lead. The pest players allow you to create the game any way you wish and respond in kind. The number of pest players depends on the strategy and design of the game board. Early decisions in game set-up and team building may allow for the changes and buffer the limiting factors.

Players new to the garden game may have little experience to draw from. They may use tactics and traditional methods with a thin and rigid strategy based on anecdotal information, simple design or techniques used by other players with different conditions. Seasoned players assess and allow for changing conditions. They front-load the game with contingencies to encourage a beneficial environment, mitigate losses, and buffer extremes. Excellent players invite a diverse team of other players that will mutually benefit and also play the game. They pick teammates to disburse the tasks of defending the gains and reduce the pest players to a manageable number. These beneficial teammates will not assist if treated as pests or ignored.

Rigid design of the board may hinder the response of the pieces to changing conditions, reducing the later gains or causing the loss of some pieces. The game board, designed by the player and prepared prior to start play, is the most crucial role in the success of the game. Once the pieces are in place and the game begins, it is very difficult or impossible to change the board without severe penalties.

Additional components may be added to the board at anytime. Replacing or amending depleted parts of the board is allowed without disturbing the pieces in play. Individual pieces can be quickly pulled, banked, and replaced without losses, as long as the board is not vulnerable to pest players in the process.

Upon completion of the game and final accounting, the board is cleaned of all remaining pieces, keeping in mind other team members may still be playing. Preparation and strategy for the next game begins. The board is allowed to rest, heal and cure until the garden games season opener.

More on the Garden Game soon.

Copyright 2010 Daniel Halsey

Wiley::Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Print Design

2010-09-22T22:17:00.002-05:00

Permaculture can be applied to all ares of life and work.
Package design and graphic design has a lot to do with sustainable practices and holds the key to many improvements. I have infused permaculture principles into this book as examples of new thinking.

Wiley::Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Print Design