Greta Fields wrote:Yes, I agree totally with that. I think observation is the best thing that Indians and permaculture people both teach. However, some permaculture people sound like they do not take time to observe the land. After having a farm, I would never just move to a place and rip it up for a permaculture plan, because I found out you can't possibly know what the land is like just from walking it one year.
They teach you to observe, but their students forget to practice observation.
Sepp Holzer stresses observation too.
I am in Appalachia, not Austria. However, my grandparents were from Karnten and Salzburg, Austria. They moved to America and settled in an area that reminds me of parts of Austria. I never went there myself, but it looks beautiful.
One every ten years, a certain flower will bloom that you never even knew was around, for example. In a really biodiverse place, the plants rotate, not just with each other, but according to years. So if you just study the land one year and dig it up, you may kill something you had no idea was there.
One year a certain hollow turned blue with Campanula flowers which never had any before, for ex. Another year, the whole mountain turned yellow with trout lilies I never knew were there. Some years, the 12-inch pasture roses bloom, but fail to bloom for years.
You may meet somebody I know in Portugal, in the permaculture circles. Her name is Tabitha, and she was planning to go there and work like Fukuoaka She came to visit me once, but did not like what I was doing, as I was not practicing pure enough Fukuoaka methods, I guess. [I was piling up weeds instead of doing slash and drop]
but I had a goal in mind...I was making a mound of weeds to plant corn on top. This seems to be the way the Cherokee grew corn when clearing a field. There are old pictures of Cherokee making corn mounds.
Yes, I agree, a person learns to be humble working with nature. I fail a lot trying to make things grow, but I can usually figure things out if I just study nature. I do hundreds of tiny "experiments" to figure out what works, because I got tired of doing gigantic projects, only to have them fail. Now I am thrilled if I get one little thing to work(: )
Our projects:
in Portugal, sheltered terraces facing eastwards, high water table, uphill original forest of pines, oaks and chestnuts. 2000m2
in Iceland: converted flat lawn, compacted poor soil, cold, windy, humid climate, cold, short summer. 50m2
Irene Kightley wrote:
I would like to communicate with someone/anyone who has grown all their food.
We grow our own food but we also eat our own animals fed by food we've grown and we hunt and forage. I admit I buy milk, yeast, flour, some pulses and rice and sometimes buy stuff for a treat. We have had our own milk and will again and we intend to grow wheat for flour next year.
Xisca - pics! Dry subtropical Mediterranean - My project
However loud I tell it, this is never a truth, only my experience...
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www.createspace.com
Help spread the word! Thanks!
struggle - hustle - soul - desire
Adam Klaus wrote:we run a functional farm, feed the family and sell our surplus to make an income. it works. here are the cornerstones of how we do it-
-good water. have lots, more than you think you need. water is life. get a lot of it or you will have many many problems. know water law for your area, be the lush spot not the marginal spot.
-mineralized soil. you can add the humus and the biological soil web, but you get what you get in terms of the native geology. read steve solomon's intelligent gardiner and choose your region accordingly.
-dairy cows on pasture. they produce so much top quality food, and benefit the entire farm's fertility. i am happy to answer any questions on this one.
-orchards with chickens. great combination. if your region wont grow good fruit, that is a bad sign for the overall growing characteristics of the area.
-intensive vegetable gardening. dont waste space, labor, or time. aim for off the charts productivity of mineral and vitamin rich foods. lots of good books on this.
-semi wild land management. good for the ecology, great place for medicinal plants and wild foods.
your question is short so I will keep my answer similar sized. happy to expound on any of this if you like.
YOU CAN FEED A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH PERMACULTURE!
we don't have a problem with lack of water we have a problem with mismanagement
beavers the original permies farmers
If there is no one around to smell you ,do you really stink!
It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com
dj niels wrote:Those are all good points, about how to create a functional farm. Better land and water does make growing things easier. On the other hand, even on marginal land, by using swales, deep mulches, compost, green manure crops, and other methods to improve the soil and water-holding capacity of the soil, and adding climate-adapted trees and other perennials, a system of perennial agriculture using permaculture principles can do much to allow even poorer land to become productive.
Not all of us have the option to pick up and move to the "perfect place and climate," but I believe we all can do something to help ourselves. I don't believe permaculture is a system only for those rich enough to buy great land
Order copies of my book, Dairy Farming: The Beautiful Way at
www.createspace.com
Help spread the word! Thanks!
struggle - hustle - soul - desire
Brenda
Bloom where you are planted.
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/
Check out Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
Danette Cross wrote:My neighbor would rather spend a full 8 hours mowing her well-watered lawn...
Pecan Media: food forestry and forest garden ebooks
Now available: The Native Persimmon (centennial edition)
Danette Cross wrote:I think many "get it" but quite frankly are too lazy to even put in raised beds.
You'll find me in my office. I'll probably be drinking. And reading this tiny ad.
Roots Demystified by Robert Kourik
https://permies.com/wiki/39095/Roots-Demystified-Robert-Kourik
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