Adam Eccleston

First of all, congrats on finding a farm!

Second, I suppose it depends on what you want from the land?  Are you just creating veggie garden?

Even if you are starting a garden, you mentioned that you have a swamp, so obviously you don't have a problem with a lack of moisture... but you will have a problem with too much moisture.  If you try to grow a standard veggie plot then you are going to find that you plants will be drowning.  You’ll need to find a way to raise the soil level.

Now, you mentioned a problem with slugs.  You’re never going to beat a “pest” no matter how hard you try.  Just try to plant more of a variety of plants.  Plant some cover crops, oats, wheat, peas and then directly plant into the cover crops.

The variety will encourage a more diverse environment thereby balancing out your snail population.

Overwhelmed?  I can relate.

75 acres purchased and we’re just getting started.

But really, what are you in particular overwhelmed about?  Work to do?  Things to accomplish?  Making money?

Really, I’m not expert in all of this however, whenever I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.  But here is a little Jedi-Mind trick I learned.

“Ain’t nothing going to happen with you standing there!”

What does your end state look like?  If you close your eyes to imagine something about what you picture what do you see?

Now, how does permaculture play into that picture?  For my farm, I can close my eyes and imagine what it will look like when I’m an old man.  Then I think about the successional pattern that nature will follow in order for me to get to that image.  Brambles, grass, early trees, later trees, etc.

Maybe not the way for you, but it works for me.

Adam

Locabuck Farm

You know, I wouldn't think so hard about the leaves breaking down.  You don't need to add air, or water the pile or even turn it.  Just let the leaves, be leaves.

Leaves will break down on their own, albeit with a little time.  Something to think about would be to spread out the pile a little more.  You don't need to create such a large mass of leaves.  Cut it in half (the depth) and spread out the surface area if you have the space.

Once you spread out the leaves a little bit throw in some winter rye or something very cold hardy and get something growing.  I believe winter rye will germinate with temperatures as low as 34 degrees.  Once they germinate, they stand a good chance of surviving all winter because the leaves will provide the insulation.  The roots will assist in breaking everything down.  After all, it’s the roots that build soil.  Not compost.

Another beautiful thing about leaves is that darn near anything grows in leaves.  No soil is even required.

We love leaves so much for preparing an area for growing that we have one of the larger suburban cities of Columbus, Ohio deliver ALL of their leaves that they pick up from the municipal park as well as the leaves that people rake to the curb for pickup.  I’d say we’ve had about 100 yards of leaves delivered this fall.

But the bottom line is this, just let them be leaves.  They have been mulching trees for eons.  Why fix something that isn’t broke.

Adam

Locabuck Farm