Lincoln Smith

Here's a video update from 10 years working to create a practical forest garden on 10 acres in Bowie, Maryland.

It's been challenging at times, but overall very rewarding.
Forest gardens are about people as much as they are about plants.

We're now systematically measuring all harvests, to help document the effectiveness of the system.

I often find that kids, especially the very small ones, love to munch on things they find in the yard, and with a little guidance they pick up on it very quickly and safely! A great starting point for permaculture. Here's a video of a toddler learning and grazing on various things in the back yard with a small person's gusto!  

Here's a video of a toddler grazing on various things in the back yard, learning to forage with that ease and enthusiasm peculiar to very small people! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C8jx6P2jjk

Dave Hunt wrote:...Do you have any idea of how much material is in that pile? Just wondering how big I would have to make my compost pile to mimic your same setup.

Hi Dave,
Glad you like it and thanks for asking.

Here's what's in the pile:
2 IBC containers, each 275 gallons
2 loads of wood chips from a chipper truck, maybe 30 yards per load
1 dump trailer of sawdust, about 4 yards
50 big bags of coffee grounds
2 bales of straw on top

The tanks sit up on about 2' of the mix underneath them to raise them up so it's easier to drain the water out.
Next time I build a pile, I might go for 3 loads of chips -- as you can see in the video, I had barely enough to cover the tanks, and the sides are pretty steep. That said, the water has never gotten near freezing even with the tops of the tanks sticking out a bit.

Good luck!
Lincoln

Aljaz Plankl wrote:Very nice idea, but i have a critical question. Doesn't the water in the tub freeze during the day?

Great point Aljaz. Couple things: if the daytime temperature is above ~25 degree F, the ducks' activity is enough to keep the tub from freezing. Below that, you do get a thin layer of ice by the end of the day, but the birds get their daily bath in the hours before it freezes. It helps that the water starts out fairly warm. When I come out at the end of the day, I fill their small nighttime drinking water tub and again they can drink for a few hours before it freezes too hard. Two waterings per day seem to do the trick -- the intervals of a few hours without liquid water available don't seem to be a problem for my birds.

Glad you like it! I'm in Bowie, MD, zone 7A.

After a couple years carrying water out to my 20 pastured ducks, this winter I buried a couple water tanks in a compost pile. I love it--a lot more water available, and a lot less water hauling for me. The compost keeps the water at about 60 degrees no matter how cold the weather gets. Here's a video of the setup:

After years of hauling water to my pastured ducks in buckets during freezing temps, I love my new system. I buried a couple tanks in a compost pile, and now the water comes out at 60 or 70 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.

Here's a video of the setup: