Hi there, first post on this site and relatively new to Permies.
I recently became obsessed with all things “Regenerative Agriculture” and have been studying theory for about a year. Took a course on Syntropic Agroforestry, but I live in Iowa Zone 5B so taking I’m what I learned from the tropical wisdom and applying it to a colder climate.
This past summer I received use of a Greenhouse (attached image below) and 3 acres of land around it. It’s about 60 ft x 30 ft and the cover was off for 4 years abandoned. Pretty much became it’s own micro forest with mulberries being the canopy. I had it completely cleared and laid everything on top (would not have done that knowing what I know now). Thistles started coming up like crazy and just kept chopping them down. Obvious sign nature was not happy. Heavy clay soil and compacted after about a foot down.
I’m envisioning this land to be a learning center for regenerative and permaculture principles with a small CSA to sustain itself and a large portion donated to the local food banks. I’m not in it for the profit as much as the experimentation and spreading the knowledge of nature’s intelligence and how to work with it.
I created rows of 3 ft x 40 ft and starting growing a diverse cover crop after broad-forking for aeration, inoculated microbiology with a vermicompost tea and just let it grow. Right before winter I chopped it down and covered with leaves and that’s about all I’ve done to the land.
I did a biochar burn of about 50 gallons and inoculated with coffee ground water, comfrey tea concentrate, and composted horse manure. I also have a large hot compost going that was going really well until about 2 days ago when everything froze over.
I feel like I can’t do anything now that everything’s frozen other than collect my urine all winter. My plan is to grow annuals only for now as I get to know the land. I did a soil test and attached the results of that as well. I have an idea of how I want to plant, but haven’t found any sources of people teaching it or having done it in this way.
The design I’m envisioning is rows of intensive companion planting covering all strata and planting in succession. I’m not too worried about weeds and see them as “repair plants” providing the soil what it needs in that particular area and assisting in the harmony of the ecosystem. Within these rows I’m interplanting pollinating flowers because I’m relying on creating a balanced ecosystem and inviting nature into the greenhouse to take care of pests. I strongly believe in building the soil and consistently inoculating with aerated microbes from my vermicompost bins as well as local native microbiology. I may even add my red wrigglers into the beds when the weather warms up again.
Hoping to do atleast one large Hugel bed mostly for demonstration if I’m going to teach and also inoculating Wine Caps throughout the rows and pathways.
Last thing I would like advice on is surrounding the greenhouse is raw land that has been growing native grasses, goldenrod, thistles, and mulberries primarily. I mowed right about 10 feet on both sides of the greenhouse with the idea of creating herb and pollinator gardens. I want to really support the native system here and co-create with the wildlife such as creating bird and insect habitats, but I don’t have enough knowledge to truly know what I’m doing.
I have plenty of seed of all kind from annual vegetables to all sorts of flowers and herbs that are native to this land.
Any and all input is welcome and all of this is open to be changed, nothing is set in stone as of right now. How do I best create an abundance of nutrient rich food for myself and my community while still supporting and continuing to evolve the health of the soil and the ecosystem I am stewarding?
.png)
