Kyle's Permie Bootcamp (BRK)

I was watching Opalyn spin, she had no trouble, just spinning the spindle and gently drawing the fiber into string.

BRK Post 95

Today we gorged ourselves on climate factors and trees and their energy transactions.

Knowing the earth's axis of rotation tilts at 23.5 degrees you can tell how the seasons work, how much light a region receives, and see why weather patterns exists.

The lectures on trees are still my favorite.  You can find basically whole free Bill Mollison PDC lectures online. Here is one on lbry;

https://lbry.tv/@jackspirko:a/Bill-Mollison-Permaculture-Designers-Course-5-Trees-Part-1:0

Trees interact between the wind, precipitation, light, other trees, fungi, and bacteria. They literally trade resources with other organisms for things they need and give resources to their offspring through their roots.

We went over how to transplant trees, seems like newbie info until you ask yourself, "Out of all the trees you have planted, have you ever planted one toward the solar aspect they grew towards to maximize their growth? How many nurseries mark their tree's solar exposure? "

Today was only day 4. Alan has so much more to teach.

BRK Post 96

Today sped by, Water part 1 and 2 then Soil 1 and 2.

Everyone basically knows the simple version of the water cycle. Rain falls on a landscape, it runs down eventually finding it's way to the sea, evaporates and returns to form clouds. Well that doesn't take into account the water in aquifers, fresh bodies of water, the water inside of plant or animal life, there is so much more to it. And if you can store more fresh water in a landscape you can turn a brittle landscape into a resilient one.

Alan had a lot to teach us about soils. Part one was all about the physical properties of dirt itself and how plant life interacts with the particles of sand, silt, or clay. Plus how the nutrients plants need form polar bonds with different soil particles.

Then in part two we learned how to tell good, living, well structured soil from dead, lifeless soil. The difference has very little to do with what a lab soil test can tell you. Soil from a healthy forest likely holds very little water soluble nutrients, the nutrients are all held by microbial life. While a heavily fertilized field may show lots of nutrients on paper but perform poorly.

Tomorrow still hold Soils part 3, the soil food web.

Besides being hooked up to Alan's matrix and getting mind downloads, I got some gardening time in and thought about the design project. The client: Paul Wheaton, the site: Basecamp. The Duke has needs, wants, and demands. I videoed an hour of q&a too, I'm going to watch it a couple of times.

BRK Post 97

Before class today I snuck in some garden time. I got some good garden pictures from above. Matt's pathway is nearly overgrown and my space by the house is crowding the lower path.

I checked on how my apple grafts are healing. There was one in good shape and growing well.

In PDC land, we started today with the soil food web and how to identify good soil through observation with a microscope. Then the rest of the day was all about improving soil with compost, compost tea, good annual garden practices, and finished with saving seed with the goal of creating vigorous and resilient genetics.

During the optional session Alan walked us through using a microscope and looking at real soil samples from around basecamp. Good news, the aged willow candy is full of organic matter and some good fungi. The bad news, basically all the other samples show nearly no life.

We are going to have a get together to strategize on solutions.

Please identify the broad leaved plants that are on both sides. I'm going to guess either mullein or comfrey. Thanks in advance.