Nathanael Szobody

Nikolaj Vinicoff wrote:

What I’ve done for now is to chug the rest of it into my banana circle where I’ll end up covering over it more mulch, letting it decompose over time and feed the circle

Cool,  but you don't have haul any mulch on top,  just plant gourd and squash around the edge. They'll absolutely love it.

Not only natural, but up-cycled: bicycle brake and gear cables. They take a little work to unwind and straighten, but have a great steel sound. Nearly all traditional African string instruments use them now.  

Yes I do have suggestions.

First I lay the branches out on a tarp for the leaves to dry. Then a bang the leaves off and use them for tea. Amazing.

Next, the branches fall into the "thorny stuff" category. I've got a pile of "thorny" going at all times. I put that pile on a spot of ground that is most degraded. I make that pile for the duration of a year, and then let it sit until all thorns are decomposed. By that time vines have covered it, other weeds have taken root under it, sometimes trees too, and the plot rehabilitated and ready to go.

You also need to figure out what the "bulk", and "float" settings are on your first charger so that the second charger can operate synchronously.

You are correct that the second charge does not effect the inverter; the inverter is "ouput" from the batteries (unless you charge with a generator or grid power) and the chargers are "input".

Hi Ahmet,

If I understand your description correctly, your first string doesn't actually go into an inverter,  it goes into an MPPT charger that happens to be packaged with an inverter. It's the same as if it were an independent charger.

You can,  therefore connect a second charger (I have two chargers on my system) but you want to make sure the charging parameter settings are identical to the charger in the inverter system.

Hi Leland,  I love your idea! Small,  beautiful,  intimate. Right outside your window (permaculturists call this"zone 2").

To answer your questions we need to know what climate you live in.

Way to go Thomas! Sounds like you are well on your way.

I've dabbled with aquaponics, but am no expert. I would encourage you not to give up on your outdoor space either though. 80 degrees is not that hot for most vegetables. I grow veg in much hotter temperatures; it's just a matter of selecting varieties. If necessary, a cheap arbor to provide partial shade could be made for much less than a greenhouse. As for soil, just start composting your kitchen waste and grabbing your neighbors' bags of leaves ;-) Between the two you can have great soil.

I've often wondered if there couldn't be a garden-aquaculture hybrid system where the aquaculture makes fertilizer liquid for the garden. If, for example, a pile of leaves were mixed with a little soil and watered with water from the fist barrel every day, then you would get soil. It would be a matter of balancing the fish with the added use of nutrient. It would essentially allow for more fish. Just an idea...

Great going Nic! Sounds like you've got the system down for your soil type. I have also found that swales are the way to go for clay soil. Mostly because its collection of organic matter which causes the biology to loosen the clay underneath and allow infiltration. The first year my swales were veritable stink ponds; the second year were marshy trenches filled with weeds; third year the water would completely soak in within 24 hours of a large rain. Now the swale has completely filled in with organic matter and soil, but the whole plot is now a giant sponge thanks to continuous mulching. So a combination of swale and organic matter is pretty much all that's needed.

I would recommend the same for your orchard: after digging swales, lay as much wood as possible on top of the ground around your trees and in the swales and the biology will significantly increase infiltration.

Your garden sounds like a "creeping Ruth Stout" method; nice way to implement a slow and steady solution. It seems you have Gaia's Garden in hand so you can't go much wrong. Good luck!

A line is never straight

Rufaro Makamure wrote:The female flowers on my pumpkin plant turned yellow before even flowering. I am putting a shade as its very hot these days and it could be the reason why. Both the female flowers had no bite or prick on them, also the white mould is not as much as it was, so it's encouraging.

That's very common in the hot dry season. If they continue to drop the fruit when your shade is over it,  then just eat the leaves :-)

They grow for many months, so if you keep it alive until rainy season it will produce.