Nick Schneider

Hello,
I would like to get feedback on the idea of best ways to increase living carbon in the soil in preparing ahead of a food forest install. I have ten years until I aim to plant, potentially a bit sooner.

The conversion would take place on old hay or corn field in zone 4 upper Midwest, relatively wet, clay and sand loams around here.
We are talking a set up of alley cropping on contour.

Do you think its better to 1)  do 1-2-3 years of  winter rye leading into more mixes species cover crops or 2) (and this might be a bit unconventional - that's why I am coming here), plant woody species that are fast and vigorous on depleted soil? Such as black locust, honey locust, Caragana, poplar, etc..
The intent would then to either at once or selectively remove most to all of the pioneer species of trees before diverse planting of perennial fruit species go in.
The trees would be chipped or chopped and dropped.

Might this pioneer species prove hard to kill with suckering and resprouting?
What method do you think could get more carbon into the soil? with the least labor over time (as that's another consideration- a hands off approach for some years)?

I am thinking about the Afforest methods from fellow in India and comparing that to a regen ag method commonly discussed.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
THank you
Nick

I am starting to plan for a small (1-3 acre) u-pick poly fruit orchard. I would like to run poultry through with e-fencing. I am less interested in maximizing the number of apple trees per se than I am trying to bring about a healthy diverse system. I have little experience growing mulberries, only eating the wild ones around me in zone 4b.
I plan on planting some for the birds in the very least. I have read and heard in many places that mulberries make great animal fodder and that historically it was hay before there was hay, so to speak.

My question is, does any one here feed their poultry mulberry leaves (I know they eat berries, but its the leaves that I want to know about as well)?
I am considering the idea of mulberries planted in row with fruit trees, wherein, the mulberries periodically get pruned ahead of grazing periods. My idea is to prune them regularly so they remain as a large bush and the small branches overhanging into the mow aisles becomes fodder.
Poultry (and sheep I am presume) would eat the chopped greens in the mow aisles.  The re-growth rate on those trees is so great that it seems like an excellent
supplement to their diet if they eat it. I have read that ducks will eat just about anything green.

Anyone have experience with this kind of alley cropping w/ silvopasture for small animals?

hello Mike,

I am responding to a post you made about climate zones and growing zones. I am in MPLS and will be growing near Stillwater MN. I see that you are in Northern WI.
I have been looking for examples of growers in zone 4 succeeding with Cornelian Cherries. There's theoretical info from One Green World. I worry that the fruit while may not ripen by the time the heat drops of in Sept, even though the branches and roots can survive in zone 4.

Do you have an feedback after some experience now attempting to harvest from Cornelian Cherries?

Thanks
Nick

Rhamnus cathartica L

Hello,
I am planning on doing some soil remed on old eroded hay fields. Soil staking is one such method I will use. It’s silty Loam in upper Midwest with hardwood forest being dominant. I will use some fast breaking down species like aspen and birch but we have lots of buckthorn all around these parts .

Does anyone know if buckthorn will re-sprout if staked like a willow might?

I think I will also cut and allow stakes to dry out 3-4 weeks to minimize chances of resprouting.

My intuition tells me buckthorn is not a resprouter.
Things that sucker and form thickets I think would be in this category.

Thank you for any feedback

I am currently designing a small backyard system for three layer ducks.
I would like to use rain water catchment for their drinking and bathing water.
After reading Rob Avis's recent book on water catchment I am confident it can be done
to manage for best water quality. Plus ducks are quite hardy aren't they? Body temps of
107 F.
Is there any reason to be concerned about using rainwater for their drinking?

Other notes:
I am in a wet region and tank should turnover 1x-1.5x per week.
In winter they will be getting indoor water anyway.

Thank you for any thoughts.

Also, how important is it to have a small outdoor protected area (apart from the run)
where they can sleep outside if they want to?

Nick

Jay Angler wrote:I was given a pair of 50 US gallon stock tanks -
My hubby installed ball valves on both. The one I use one for Muscovy ducks, which free-range, has a "T" leading to two 1 1/4" pipes which I drilled holes in, so when I want to drain the tank, it spreads most of the water nicely, before I have to tip the rest out and rinse. I move this one around the field to "irrigate" the areas that need it.



Thanks that is helpful. I looked up your tank dimensions. It is 1 foot deep. One of the questions I have been trying to figure out is how deep to make it. The duck legs don't extend too deep underwater it sounds like?
Because of space and being in an already water rich environment I am not inclined to make the tank too large for them (given the space I would love to have a pond...).

Your drainage system sounds useful to consider. I like the mobility of it. Move the empty tank, fill, ducks swim, etc., they fertigate with the water where you direct it.

A parallel question with the water management is how to apply it to garden beds. Perennials is easy, but it sounds like from my reading that even though duck water/manure is not hot like a chickens you still would not
apply it to foliage of your annuals.

The plumbing issue, Jay. Your 1.25" PVC drain does not clog or do you have to filter it? Matter of making the openings large enough?  Wood chips somehow ending up in the pipe might be my biggest worry.

Thank you for the feedback.

Hello. I am looking for a little feedback on my plans for having ducks vis a vie their swimming needs/wants.
I am wondering about what types of containers and what depths (inches, feet) are needed for the average duck to
swim in verse stand in.  I will have two ducks. Probably not a larger breed but a golden hybrid layer or silver appleyard.
My options are typical home bathtub (~ 20 in deep), bisected blue 55 gallon plastic drum (divided either on short plan
or the long plane), something different.
I have seen Geoff Lawton's use of a a tub.
Any thoughts on what is sufficient?

Many thanks for your input.

Nick

Larisa Walk wrote:We have 2 ducks. Their coop has a concrete floor covered with a rubber floor mat. We use leaves in the winter and all year for nesting. The floor is cleaned daily with a squeegee and big "dust" pan and fresh leaves applied as needed. They have access outdoors except in the coldest Minnesota weather when they prefer staying inside. We have a small greenhouse attached to the coop that they can access when the weather is too cold, even having occasional baths in a rubber tub on sunny days. They seem happy with the setup.

Larisa, I see that you share a cold climate location like me. Thanks for posting about your two ducks. One your concrete floor / rubber mat set-up, are those mats the ones used for standing on? They have holes in them. Or are they a solid type that link together or perhaps another type. I have the option to leave some concrete in place for this project and was not sure about it as a flooring ducks.

What types of leaves do you use?  You clean/replace daily so I imagine there is much less time for ammonia orders to develop. Is it fair to assume your greenhouse and duck coop set up is configured in such a way that the solar gain accumulated in the summer does not overheat the duck house?
Green house / duck house has been on my thoughts as well.

Nick