pebble Hatfield

Kay Baxter is running a series of posts at the Oz PRI website on designing for health (in an urban setting) with a focus on nutrition.

http://permaculture.org.au/2012/05/28/urban-design-designing-for-health/

I live in a dry climate, not as dry as that, but I'd be wanting to know two things that haven't already been mentioned -

- what does the wind do there? Where I live, we have more rainfall, but a predominant wind that sucks the moisture out of everything. There are solutions to that, so I'm just saying check the prevailing winds as well as the rainfall.

- is the desert there natural or a consequence of farming for a few hundred years? What grew there 500 years ago? Do you have examples of wild land in the area that hasn't been farmed? Or isn't being farmed now?

I think people's 'negative' ideas can be useful, so maybe ask them to reframe them? Someone might know a limitation but not the solution, but you knowing the limitations is very important. Have you put those people off?

I agree that if the Lawton's can green part of Jordan, which is a far harsher landscape then you are considering, then you can permie the land you are looking at. I think how much time, energy and money and skills you have is just as important as all the things about the land and the climate etc. That you have two sets of oldies who've been farming there is a huge asset.

Very interesting!  I wonder if you could do this for stock too (there's a whole thing here in NZ about willows, rivers and stock, where willows are a pest, but stock shitting in the water aren't). Would take a while though.

Which horehound is that Morganism? (botanical name?).

How big is the area? What is growing there now? What grows in the surrounding areas?

What's the soil like? Flat or hilly? Annual rainfall and biggest average gap between rains? Windy?

I've not found anything good yet, I just use a low toxicity powder from the health food shop.

I tried soap nuts but wasn't impressed. Essential oils are not good for the environment in many ways (growing as well as anti-bacterial impact. They're a refined chemical too).

Would someone please edit that post with the long URL? - it's making the page too wide to read. thanks

"The general rule of thumb is to chop and drop when precipitation is over evaporation."

Brad, could you please explain that a bit more?

"Paul W sez permaculture shouldn't need irrigation", yes but one has to replace it with other techniques that hold water in the land. I'm not clear what you are doing in that regard or if you are meaning plants that will survive in your area in general

The driest part of NZ gets around 300mm/12" of rain per year (hot summers, cold winters). I see things like thrown apple and pear trees growing wild there. Also, by the river there are many more plants including wild asparagus and blackberry (closer to the water table). So 'it depends...'

Hi Ludi, what are you meaning by no irrigation? Do you mean no watering of any kind at all? No grey water even?