Shahtess Thorne

Hi Everyone, I could use some help please.

I have been discussing creating a community cooperative that is based on Permaculture where a group of people (all of whom are unknown as of yet) put money together to buy a couple of hundred acres and live and grow our own food on site, this would be based in Western Australia.

What I would like help with is the contract(s) that other people have put together when they have gone this direction so that no person can take advantage of or be taken advantage of, something that covers everyone and makes people feel secure.

Thank you for your help.

Alicia

Hi Redhawk,

I haven't selected any dwarf varieties, my plan was to keep them pruned to 5 foot high so I can reach the fruit (no ladder required) and any excess fruit I was going to food trade with other people. I chose each plant so that I had early season, mid season and late season maturing fruit.  Considering that apricots are $14+ per kilo in the shops I can't see a problem with being able to swap them for something I haven't grown.

Thanks

Alicia

Hi Redhawk, thank you for that, would you leave room for planting apples, pears, plum and cherries etc in the following years?  Also I am big into worm farming, as in 10 square metres big at the moment and enlarging, so there will be plenty of worm castings and worm tea being used.

Thanks

Alicia

Hi Everyone, I need some opinions/help please.  I have bought some apricot and peach trees and I have fenced of half an acre of my horses/sheeps paddock (will be adding more fruit trees next year). I have been bringing in trailer loads of horse manure from off the property and aging everything ready for planting.  What I need to know, is should I be planting fruit trees in related groups as in all the apricots together and the peaches together etc, OR should I spread them out so that no peach is next to another peach.  I want to keep the fruit fly away as much as possible and I intend on planting veggies etc under the trees. At this time I don't have chickens as foxes are a problem and I don't live on the property to be able to look after them properly.  Please note that I'm in Perth Australia so different planting season, it's currently spring here and we have a mediterranean climate so fruit fly are an issue and I DO NOT like chemicals or poisons of any kind so I don't want to spray and all trees will only be allowed to reach 5 feet high so I can easily reach the fruit.

Thank you for any help/ideas.

Alicia

Hi, Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow has a Mandala Garden layout and she has good suggestions and plans on sizing etc to suit different property sizes.

You could also look at making use of the excess heat from an anaerobic digester (composting with no oxygen).  There is a large scale anaerobic digester in Perth Western Australia that uses the excess heat in greenhouses set up nearby to produce out of season fruit and veg eg blueberries.

Hi Everyone,

I haven't read everyones posts so my apologies if I double up on information.

I did some quick research and it would seem that seaweed, specifically dried purple laver (nori) is high in Vitamin B12.

This is the title of the article that I read

Studies from Tottori University in the Area of Nutrient Research Reported (Vitamin B??-containing plant food sources for vegetarians)

ref Life Science Weekly. (July 22, 2014): p3500.

Do check the source as to where the seaweed is harvested from eg don't buy seaweed harvested from around Japan due to the radiation leakages. Australian or New Zealand oceans are cleaner so harvested from those areas should be safe. You don't have to buy it in sheets for sushi, you can buy it in a powdered form that can be added to your meals.

There was another article that came up stating that the addition of cow dung to your soils (not a one off but continuous) will build up the B Vitamins within the soil improving it and allowing the plants to pick up this vitamin for their use and your eating.

Mozafar, A. 1994. Plant and Soil. "Enrichment of some B-vitamins in plants with application of organic fertilizers". Volume 167; Issue 2; Pages 305-311. KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBL.

The above article is available on Web of Science.

I hope this helps.

Loquat trees grow well from seed as well (Perth, Western Australia)

Hi Jami

Please note there is no power on this property and anything that is left there eg solar energisers for electric fencing would be stolen (no house, I visit daily). There are a mixture of young trees (max 5 years old) and older trees, not a lot, but about 30 of them on 55 acres, they are preferring the pallets.

You mentioned building them a scratching structure, what shape/design would work?

Thank you

Alicia

Hi Everyone

I have used the H Frame pallet fencing design from your website as I believe it is a great idea and is saving me money (always a plus). So far I have been using the design to make a sheep yard to pen my dorpers and a couple of merinos (the merinos are strays) in so that I can check them each night and hopefully catch the merino strays and remove their wool coats. I also want to use it to fence my car park area as it is turning out to be foal proof unlike every fencing idea that the fencing stores have come up with.

The dorpers have broken the fence apart, ripping the screws out of the adjoing pallets. I originally blamed this on my horses who I have had to apologise to. I caught the dorpers having an itching party last night.

Would anyone have any ideas as to a solution, I was thinking longer screws, but I am not sure that will even withstand the pressure they are putting on the pallets and I would like to come up with a fix before I do more fencing projects and incorporate the idea(s) into them.

Thank you for any help

Shahtess