John Tietjen

I am dabbing with a number of Korean Natural Farming  methods. I have had a successful IMO 1 collection and was wondering... why not use the IMO1 for leaf mold soil/ potato in JMS. It has the microbes and has the complex carbs from the rice. Maybe add a bit of potato for a boost. Comments are welcome. I will keep you posted on the results.

If it was a black walnut it is very possible you are encountering the Allelopathic nature of walnuts.  They have a chemical which inhibits growth in the soil around it. It is the way the tree fights competition.  The roots of your pumpkin are probably finally reaching down to the walnut wood and having a reaction.  All is not lost. The effects of this will lessen with time, so the Hugel is not a complete loss.

I just had bunch of felled tree mulched on about an acre or two  of my farm.  It was spread out when they finished their work. This area will be a future area for an orchard of native species like chestnut, mulberry, persimmon ans paw paw.  The question is what KNF/ biodynamic preparation would you spray on this area to encourage proper decomposition and providing the best foundation for the new orchard.  Thanks for you input.

For longer term storage have you considered making FPJ Fermented Plant Juice using the Korean Natural Farming method. I have no direct experience but am planning on using it later this year with my comfrey. From what I understand it can be used the same way as comfrey tea but it is a bit more stable once fermentation stops.  Just thought I would add this in case others might have used that method.

Thank you Bryan!

Just what I was looking for... The pond used t be for Cattle but I have kept them out this year and the banks have grow up with waist high grass which has given them good cover so far.  As I said I am in the middle of building a house, selling my existing house so I am a bit strapped for time. I was going to wait till late summer or fall to build anything for them.  The only other thing that bothers me are the turtles in my pond. I discovered them this year. Can't tell what type buy I heard they will go after ducks.  I would prefer they coexist. Any suggestions there?  Long term i want to add aeration and fish but heck my hands are full and I need to prioritize short term. Thanks again.

I have been the recipient of 4 soon to be 7 ducks  over the past two months.  I have a pond that is about 1/4 to 1/3 acre that they are in right now.  They are basically ducks people got for their kids at Easter then are getting rid of them.  Don't know the breeds but they were all purchased at Tractor Supply.  They seem to be thriving up to this point in the pond.  They get some fed but not much (former owners come by occasionally to feed them).  Since I never planned to have ducks (heck I am still two months out from finishing building my house)  I would prefer they naturalize as much as possible and not require too much maintenance.  The question is what do I need to provide them other then food and I assume some shelter especially in the winter (I live in Tennessee the winters aren't too harsh) . I love animals but I also don't want to build a system that requires too much of my time.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Bryant,

Thanks for the informative thread and your diligence in collecting the data. I will be trying this next year on my farm. Too busy building a house now to do much gardening.  I would be interested in your opinion of laying our the double rows in my garden on contour since I have a bit of a slope.  Over time with successive years of bales would this become a modified swale system?  If I am following your method the previous years bales would be leveled to accommodate the new bales each year?  How many years do you think it would take for the native soil to convert to a non-bale system?  Here in Tennessee I have very similar soil. Due to the rocky soil tree planting and post hole digging is a challenge.

Thanking you in advance

Can't speak to it's quality but a 36" walk behind can't cut an acre in 1/2 hour.  That being said after a year or two your pastures shouldn't need a brush mower ( actually after the first year).  Not wanting to be negative but  I would hate for you to spend valuable money on something you might not need in a year or two.

From a cost perspective given your size and now I know your animals you intend, you might consider cattle.  Buy three steers that will set you back roughly $2000.00 and a custom fitted scythe. Work them a whole season. They will mow and fertilize your pastures and you can sell them at the end of the season for a profit.  They will improve your pasture better then a mower ever will and will make you money. Stack that up against a mower that will cost $3000.00 and will have to be fueled and maintained and will eventually break. As you can tell I have an aversion to machines if there is any other way around a problem.  They are an easy solution, just not always the best.

If you plan to keep hogs they can be quite destructive regardless of the breed.  They are great for tearing up undesirable plants,  brush and small trees.  But if you have decent pasture now it may be a step back letting them out to be destructive on decent land. My opinion.  They are woodland animals not really grazers.

A flail mower is pretty expensive for your size  if all you are doing is knocking down weeds.  If that is the only purpose for the machine I would think twice about making a purchase.  Not knowing what you  are grazing or how dense you are grazing them makes it a bit hard to make a recommendation.  But given the size I would not buy anything the first year. Put some money aside to pay to have it bushhogged if it gets away from you. (much cheaper then buying a machine.  I like Wayne's   idea of doing it by hand at least the first year. You will get a better feel for the weed cycle and walk the pasture more intentionally instead of buzzing over it with a mower and moving on.