Our recon mission to Denman

Back in Canada and hitting the ground running!

We were into our second week home and there was already heaps to do. One of the main things on our list was a trip to Denman Island. We needed to meet the owners of Apple Lane Orchard. We have moved to the orchard to help with the harvest, as well as start striking some firm roots of our own.
Gregg (Jesse's Brother) came along for the ride, to check out our new home and offer a keen eye to the situation. It was a quick trip, exciting and absolutely beautiful because the weather held up nicely.

I think that the Island life will suit us just fine!!!
There is a lot of rain in the winter here but that is made easier with good surroundings; a clean lake stocked with trout, the ocean in all directions and a lack of hustle and bustle. The gulf Islands of BC our know for there natural beauty and laid back culture. There are several other islands near by. such as Hornby and Lasqueti and Vancouver Island is only a very short "fairy" ride.
There are 1000 residents on Denman and we hope to meet like minded people who are supportive of the work we do. This coming weekend there is a local strawbale work party that I plan on attending. It is going to be a great way to meet some locals and learn some new skills.
The apple orchard is very pretty and one really could not ask for a better work environment. What we might be loosing in the exceitment of city living we will gain in the strong community relationships that can be built in a place like Denman Island. In the last year I have learned that a true measure of wealth is found in the richness of diverse community relationships.

It's another beginning and it is going to be a fantastic journey. An apple a day keeps the doctor at bay!

I will keep you posted!

What is at the end of the journey?

Been out of touch for a while!! We spent the last two months in a remote region of Australia, near Mudgee, NSW. We are now home in Canada and getting back on our feet after the plane flight.
While in the Australian bush, we lived with some good friends of ours, Nick and Kirsten, whom have a little homestead called Milkwood. They are in the beginning stages of their great adventure and it was wonderful to help get things going. Milkwood is a great example of permaculture design in action.

We planted trees, planted a small garden, took down old fences and helped out where ever we could. Near the end of our stay we helped in the construction of their Humanure Hacienda, poo compost system.

Poo is a touchy subject!
Everyone we've meet has a different approach to handling poo. Some send it to a septic system others use various forms of composting, all avoid sending it to municipal systems and try to recycle or reuse.
The system being used at Milkwood is one of many techniques out there and it fits well with Nick and Kirsten's comfort zone and circumstance.
Milkwood is located in a remote area and piles of composting Humanure will not draw much attention. Not everyone is in this situation so other options have to be explored. It is great to see how simple it could be to handle poo. Composting poo is safe, practical, efficient and cost effective. The biggest obstacle is getting over any unwarranted fears of poo, one might have.

The Humanure Hacienda is a beautifully simple two structure system.
1. A manure and urine capture.
Basically this structure is an outhouse with a bucket or bin to catch deposits. After a deposit is made the user covers the poop with some sawdust. When the catching bin becomes full it is time to make a trip to the second structure.

2. The three bin composting system, "Humanure Hacienda,"one roof covered for dry straw and two for poo composing piles.

For the average family two composting bays is enough. When a bucket from the outhouse is delivered it is added to the compost pile and covered with straw. The layers of poo and straw build over the course of a year and fill one composting bay. It is then time to start filling the empty composting bay. At the end of the second year the first pile has completely composted and is ready for use in the garden. The designer of this system reckons that the compost is safe for use in the veggie patch!!! Very much up to the individual on this one.
To get a more complete understand of this system you can read The Humanure Handbook. I highly recommend it, whether you live urban, suburban or rural. It is an eye opening read.

Rather than treating poo as waste, it easily turned it a high value product for a fraction of the cost associated with septic and municipal treatment systems.

Composting is a responsible practical and safe way of handling human manure and more of us need to be doing it. We commend Nick and Kirsten for there efforts and thank them for sharing this experience with us. What away to end our year abroad.

An interesting note...
Before all other structures the Humanure Hacienda was the first structure to be raised at Milkwood. Even before a house has been built, Nick and Kirsten have taken responsibility for the most fundamental aspect of human nature.

Keep charging team!!!

Rest and Relaxation in Noosa?

By Tanya Booth:

By the time we had departed Jordan we were a bit tired and weary so we made our way to Noosa QLD, Australia, for some much needed R&R. It was a nice couple weeks of relaxation and surf. Our friends, and fellow Permies, in Noosa (The Gemmells) have always been very supportive of us and there is always a warm welcome and good food to be had. The pursuit of permaculture has been made much easier by friends like these. We could never express enough graditude for the hospitality they have shown us. The picture above is of Jesse and a couple of the Gemmelle boys enjoying a beautiful Noosa evening.

While we were staying in Noosa, a neighbour, Deb, needed some help putting together her garden. Deb decided to follow a no-dig garden recipe from a magazine with step by step instructions. All that was need was few hands to help.
A no dig garden is similar to the process of making our compost piles. However, the ingredients are not piled in a heap but layered out over a large area and there is no need for turning.

In a no-dig garden the materials are layered one on top of the other and allowed to decomposed at their own rate. This type of garden is a great way to start off a new bed. The big effort is having patience, allowing the ingredients time to develop into nice soil. There are numerous different formulas for making ‘no dig’ gardens but the main idea is to let nature do the work. As the ingredients breakdown, worms will move in and do the important work of soil aeration. The materials used will depend on what is available or what you can afford. The no-dig method is great for those who have marginal soil or wish
to turn a lawn into something useful.

There are numerous recipes available on-line, and it can make for a fun afternoon with a few friends. It is not complicated at all, but it does require accumulating the right stuff and taking a survey of what is available in your own backyard.
Take a look at these plans and give it a go!!
No Dig Recipe

The above picture is Deb with her newly finished no-dig garden ready for planting. It took a total of about 2hrs to put it all together and about $200 worth or materials. Within a few months this garden will be producing more veggies than Deb can eat and continue to produce well for many months to come. A worth while investment!


While in Noosa we also recieved a bit of press check it out by clicking the following link!
Noosa News

Permaculture in Palestine

Introduction Course in Palestine
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

Our time here in Jordan is coming to a close. We will be departing back to Australia on the tenth of June for the remainder of our one year tour.  At this time we find ourselves very reflective of the past 15 weeks. We have had and shared many moving experiences, far more than we could ever hope to write about. However a span of 7 days at the beginning of April continues to be at the front of our thoughts and the topic of much conversation and meditation...

Part way through March we received an e-mail calling out for help.  A Permaculture workshop was to be held in Marda, Palestine and an instructor was needed. The original instructor, Starhawk, had been deported for involvement with human rights organizations operating in occupied Palestine. We did not want to see the workshop fold because of such an unfortunate turn of events so we offered to fill in. For our first teaching job, this was an amazing opportunity. We never could have guessed that the pursuit of Permaculture would take us into the heart of the occupied Palestine. An unparalled opportunity to learn first hand the reality of such a difficult geopolitical region.

Permaculture has a long history in Marda dating back to the early 90's, with some impressive programs and design implemented by Julie Firth of Perth, Australia. Unfortunately the funding for these programs dried up some years ago and the system that were installed are no longer being maintained. They are still growing though, and it was great to see the positive effects of Permaculture design going strong in a land of so much hardship and difficulty.  Further confirmation to us that Permaculture design can achieve its goals.

Marda is a beautiful old village during the month of April, looking very lush with many flowers in bloom. The temperature was superb and a nice relief from the heat of the Dead Sea Valley. We arrived in Marda a day before the course was to start, we greeted by a gentlemen named Murad Al Khufash. Murad is the lasting impression made by the Permaculture activities of years gone by. With a family history dating back hundreds of years in Marda, he is the pioneering force behind the continuation of Permaculture in the region.  It was through his initiative and education centre that facilitated our teaching of this course.

Marda
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The next day we participated in a small tour of the site. We discussed the possibilities of Permaculture in the future of villages like Marda. Murad's plans to make a centre are just in the beginning phase. How to sustain such efforts in the face of difficulties created by the occupation is a challenge. Despite all of the turmoil and risk Murad pushes on and much good is coming from his work. He would like to see the local people re-establish a relationship with there land through the positive Permaculture principles. It can take some time to develop a relationship of understanding between Permaculture and the traditional cultural methods. Murad takes it step by step introducing hands on practical techniques that help the community. By hosting this course he has made a big statement to his village.

Crops
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This picture, which is close to the Permaculture demonstration site, is an example of traditional Palestinian farming practices and village organization. The crops that are seen in the foreground are broad beans,and chick peas and in the distance to the left is wheat. On the slopes behind the village off the the left are very old olive terraces. This village is lucky enough to have two sources of flowing spring water. Unfortunately both springs are not being used to their full potential and are presently contaminated with wastes and garbage.

Old olive grove in Marda
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Tour of Site
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

In the valley below the village the land is divided up by families owning small terrace fields. The soil appears to be a chocolate colour clay-loam with numerous pieces of limestone. The stone is moved out of the fields and used for the terraces that mark parcel boundaries.

The traditional agricultural system appears to be one of rotational tillage production, though many practitioners are using arogcheimicals. There are productive trees of olive, almonds, apples and stone fruits on the edges. All of the basics are there. This system of agriculture is ripe for redesign. It would not be much work design some hard wear to access the springs, some earth works for better water soakage; and diversifying the edge forest system to increase fertility, products, reduce the amount of area in tillage, and increase the amount of permanent pasture. These lands have been under intensive cultivation for many thousands of years. It is only by virtue of the rich subsoil and abundant water that they have held up for so long. Soil organic matter is marginal at best. From a design stand point Marda is on pretty good footing with tree production on the upper slopes, housing in the mid-slopes and broad scale cropping on the flatter lands below. With near 600mm of rain per year and two perennial springs there is more than enough water to go around.

The course went off well with good attendance and the local community well represented by young people employed in various agricultural activities. Unfortunately the practical component of the course was not well developed, due to a lack of prep time on our part. It was a big enough job as it was to work out lecture material for each day.  

Sharing a meal
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

Within the context of a military occupation, from check points to a mid-day curfew, this Permaculture experience is one that we will never forget nor fully understand. It will be given its rightful place amongst our collection of stories. We are grateful too Murad for providing this opportunity and keeping us safe. Thank you for sharing with us!!!

Through the positive outlook of Permaculture we were able to share ideas and dreams of the future. The enthusiasim of the local students made the course that much richer. It is gives us strength to connect with others of our generation actively working to make a difference in their communities. This is a thread of consistency we have seen everywhere we have been. We are blown away by the overwhelming co-operative and  positive action going on even in the face of so much difficulty.

If you would like to read more about this event please check out an article written by Tami Brunk.

Planting the Trees

The Plan
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

The compost is still quiet warm, and loosing value as a blog topic so we will change things up a bit....

About two weeks ago, we finished the planting of the first trees for Permaculture Research Institute Jordan Valley.  We dug 87 holes about .5m deep, 1m wide and 3m apart above and below the three rock walls.  A few of the trees are closer that 3m, because of large rocks that would often get in the way during digging.  It took just over one week to get all the holes finished.  During this time things really started to heat up down here in the Jordan valley. Work was confined to the morning and evening.  The site is on a very degraded piece of land and the soil is hard and compact with almost no organic matter.  Digging the holes was hard work, and we often found ourselves using a pick axe to chop through a calcified layer of soil. This calcified layer of soil is commonly known as a concretion. When planting trees in such conditions it is very important to get through this layer, as the trees have difficult time pushing roots through on their own.

Tree Planting
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

In preparing for the planting of trees we lined the holes with a thick layer of cardboard and  bucketed water into each hole back filling with a mixture of soil and mulch. It is important that the mulch:soil in the be high, as the mulch will increase the water holding capacity of the planting hole. The mulch will also work like compost to increase the soil biology. This new soil biology we help the young trees to grow and thrive.

The cardboard in the hole also works to hold water and act as a fungal food. Many types of fungi are important to the growth and healthy development of young trees.

Once we planted a tree a thick layer of mulch was piled around it.  The whole planting process was very labour intensive.  We often put more that 40 minutes into the planting of each tree, and this is still not taking into account all of the hours spent getting materials together.  It is a massive investment of time and energy into just a few trees. However, the shade that these trees will offer in five years will more than amortize our efforts. 

T

Mulch
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

As a matter of common sense, one wouldn't expect that banana leaves be a major source of mulch in one of the driest countries on the planet. However, At great expense to the local environment and population, banana farming is an important part of the local economy. Usually the surplus organic matter from the farms is seen as a problem and often gets burned. In this case we have managed to put the banana leaves to good use, as they provided the bulk of our mulch material for planting the trees. We had some help collecting the mulch from a few friends we have made locally, it turned out to be a fun couple of afternoons.

Mulch can reduce water demand to one fifth what it might be without mulch. It also keeps the root zone of the plants cool and provides habitat for all kinds of beneficial organisms.

Under very difficult circumstances, we have only lost about 20% of the trees we planted. The weather is getting very hot and dry and we where about 2 months behind on the planting season. We planted only hardy pioneer trees and, all that are still alive, shouldn't have much trouble getting establish. For the moment we are hand watering once every week, and the moisture seems to be holding. Before we leave, next month, it is important that a drip irrigation system be installed so the plantings can be easily water by one person. The really challenge to the survival of these trees will be goats. At the moment the site is not entirely secure and small goats seem to come and go as they please. While on the site, the goats provided us with unnecessary pruning services. Unfortunately the project does not yet have any real budget and it cannot afford to build a new fence or wall. All we can do is patch up holes and hope for the best.

Nothing is easy 400m below sea level!!!

The compost at 26 days

The compost at 26 days
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

We have been turning the pile religiously for the last 11 days. Everyday the pile was steaming, and looking as though it would never cool down. Today it happened, no steam and a lower temperature. The pile is evolving out of the thermophilic stage and into the curing stage. We will still turn it, as it is a bit warm and will still be consuming its fair share of oxygen. The product is looking great with a nice dark brown colour, good diverse structure and a clean smell. We have already started to use some small amounts in the garden to help establish new seedlings and germinate seeds. The pile will only get better with age now.

Based on how things went the, C:N ratio was a bit low in this pile. If it was higher the thermophilic stage may have ended sooner. If we had not turned the pile every day would have been anaerobic with a poor end product. We will let you know when it is well and truly cold and curing.
that's all for now.

Look at this beautiful Pile!

15 day old compost
Originally uploaded by Jesse and Tanya

15 days and still going strong. The shape of this pile is just about ideal. When we turn a pile we try and build the new pile it a nice uniform conical shape. In our experience this shape seems to get the best results. It has also been shown that this shape allows for better oxygenation of the pile. We have found that a lower rounder shape produces more heat and is more likely to turn anaerobic.
Like all aspects of assembling and producing compost achieving an nice shape takes practice, luckily one gets to practice on every turn. We are meticulous about every aspect of making compost. Some days it can take more than 30 mins to turn the pile because we are being very careful to mix and aerate the with each pitch fork and trying to build a nice shape.

Q an A
Some question sent to us via e-mail.

How long can something compost for and produce heat days, weeks or forever if you kept feeding it?

Our pile is still producing a lot of heat. We try to keep the temperate low by turning it every day. If it gets too hot many of the beneficial microbes will be killed off. We expect that it will be starting to cool off in the next few days. It is possible to keep a producing heat by adding more material. Brush turkeys in Australia us a compost heap as a nest. The male bird maintains a constant 30 degree temperature by adding an removing material through the whole incubation period.

Does the composting produce harmful gases?

Most of the gas that is produced by a compost pile is CO2. The C:N of the pile at the start should be about 30:1 by the end of the process it will be something like 10:1. the reduction in C is gassed off as CO2. It is also possible for a pile that has too much N that ammonia be gassed off the pile. We have also noticed a rotten egg smell around composts that are anaerobic, this is likely from a sulphur gas of some kind.

The smells from a compost are excellent patterns to use when working with your pile. One can learn a lot by smelling the pile. If a problem is noticed early enough a pile can be pushed in the right direction.
In order to experience these patterns you have got to turn your pile!!!!

Compost moisture

compost moisture
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

And the compost marches on. Actually the compost marches back and forth with each turn. It has been developing for about 12 days now and some big changes have taken place. For one it is getting easy to turn as the big banana leaves have broken down into smaller pieces and are no longer getting caught together. We only saw the wool twice on this mornings turn( we put a whole sheep's worth of wool into the pile). The material has a nice dark brown colour to it, not black. Black would indicate an anaerobic compost. There is no offensive smell. The pile seems to be maintaining its initial volume. Often when a pile is too hot it will shrink in size. In all compost piles bulk carbon is gassed off, however, this lost volume can be replaced by air space and structure if the pile is well turned and oxygenated.

Today we also performed a quick check to ensure proper moisture content.
1. Take a handful of compost.
2. Squeeze as hard as you can.

If water drips out of the compost and off of your hand the pile is too wet.
If no water appears the pile is too dry.
If water just appears, but does not drip, between your fingers and on the surface of the compost the moisture content is just right.

Notice in the picture the moisture between the pinky and ring fingers and below the tip of the middle finger. This pile seems to have just the right amount of moisture content.

In the next post we cover pile shape and its effects on the composting process.

Turning the pile on day eight

turning the pile on day eight
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Ok so the pile has been going through its own evolutions. Luckily for us we have been there to push that evolution in the direction we want it to go. Everybody remembers the stinky mess when we first turned it. On the second turn it was going well but a bit too hot. We decided to turn it every day to keep things oxygenated. Now on day eight, the sixth turn, it appears our strategy is working, as there are few signs that the pile is ever getting anaerobic. It is uniformly moist and hot. On day two, when we first turned it the heat and moisture were patchy. It is only by turning the pile that we spread out these patches of activity to the rest of the pile. We have been adding one watering can of water to the outside before each turn to keep things moist. We also keep the pile covered with plastic between turns. If we allowed the pile to be exposed to the air it would dry out in no time.
It looks as though we are on track to be finished with this pile in about 10 to 15 more days.
This is with out a doubt our most successful composting effort. It has been a fairly intensive job, but it will be worth all of the good soil biology in the end.

5th day of compost

5th day of compost
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

We turned the compost for a second time on the afternoon of the 16th. We where a bit worried about what we might find, as it was so stinky on the first turn. We where happy to find that the compost was quite hot. It actually produced steam in 40 degree weather. It did not have much smell either. One part was a bit stinky, because it was too dry and not decomposing properly, we added a bit more water here. In fact the pile is composting a bit too quickly now. Notice the white residue in the middle of the picture. This indicates the presence of anaerobic bacteria, meaning the pile is using more oxygen than is present. If we do not address this problem the final product will be low quality. We are working to maximize the amount of aerobic life in the pile not anaerobic.
It is likely that the nitrogen ratio of the pile is a little bit high. As a first measure, the pile will be turned everyday. Hopeful turning the pile everyday will bring more oxygen into the system and fix the problem. If this does not work we may need to add a sparing amount of high carbon material such as shredded paper or cardboard. The addition of more material is a last resort. Adding more material after the composting process has started will increase the amount of time required to finish the pile off.

The pile on April 14th

The pile on April 14th
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Looking good on the outside and showing signs of internal heat, we made the choice to turn the pile after only two days. It might have been a better idea to turn it after four. On the inside the pile was only just starting to heat up. Once we got into the middle things weren't really happening yet and it was all a bit stinky. It was also quite dry so we really needed to add water. It is likely that we will need to add water on the next couple of turns before we get it right. This is really only the fifth or sixth pile that we have made, it will probable take a few dozen more before we really get it right.

Day one: Assembling the elements

A close up of the ingredients
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This is the first post of series that will be published over the next few weeks. If all goes well it should be approximately 18 days long. If we have not been that good it could take much longer. On April 12 we assembled a compost pile in the front yard of our residence in Jordan.  It would be difficult to list all of the different materials that went into the building of the pile, because we don't really know ourselves. The rule of thumb - "If it was alive once, it can be composted". We do know that banana leaves, mesquite leaves, goat manure, dried up old bread, sheep's wool, guava leaves, wood ash, chicken poop, sticks and stones, kitchen scraps, snails and bugs went in. It is likely that some plastic made its way into the pile as well, this will be removed as it goes. We hope that countless species of microscopic life made it in as well. It is the diversity of the life in a finished compost that makes it so valuable to a garden. It is the flourishing of microscopic life that we are trying to encourage by assembling a compost. All of the fungi and bacteria found in a good finished compost are around us at all times. When building a compost we bring the elements together and allow life to do the rest.                                  

Watering the pile
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Water is the "keystone" element of any compost pile, as it is the keystone element of any life system. Life uses water to conduct its interactions. It is the interactions in a compost pile that we wish to encourage. A lot of water is used to start a compost pile, as most of the materials are usually quite dry. A healthy pile will have moisture content of about 50%. This might seem a wasteful use of resources in a region such as the Jordan valley. However, the value of compost in a garden can be seen within a few months. This compost pile will also be used at the project site to help build soil biology around trees that will be planted in the coming weeks.

We are following a composting technique known as the “Berkley Method.” It is a labour intensive method, but it can yield a reasonable product in short period of time. If all is going well we will be making the first turn on April 16th and every second day to follow until the compost is relatively cool and finished. The plan is to blog a picture and some observation at every turn.

Right now the pile is covered with a plastic sheet and holding its moisture so things are looking good thus far.

One Month in Jordan

The Land
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

When it comes to water, Jordan is one of the poorest countries on the planet, consuming an average of only 200m3 /person/year. The global average is approximately 7,700 m3 and the North American average is on the order of 110,000 m3 .

Al Jufah is located in the Dead Sea Valley several hundred meters below sea level. The average rainfall for the area is 100-150mm per year which usually falls in just one or two rain events. The summer temperature often exceeds 40°C and the defining characteristic of this bioregion, as with all arid regions, is an average evaporation exceeding precipitation. Water is a major issue for the region, and water harvesting design will be vital to success under these conditions.

During a visit to Jordan in Late 2007 Nadia, Abu Yahai, Lawton designed and implemented three on-contour rock walls (swale walls) on the site, one of which can be seen in the photo above. The walls were back filled and covered with a layer of topsoil.

Rock Wall October 2007
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

These walls will function as soakage water harvesting features and planting sites. Other site infrastructure includes a gravity fed drip irrigation system, small holding tank, low perimeter fence and a small concrete block structure.

The long-term goals of PRI Jordan are to establish sustainable arid land living systems, which can be affordably replicated by members of the local community. The primary short term objective for the coming months will be planting and maintaining perennial plant systems along all three swale walls and fence lines. These guilds will included both support and crop species. Plantings regimes will resemble those established by Geoff during Greening the desert, 2001. In the future these perennial systems will provide micro-climatic stability on the site, giving shade and wind protection, holding soil moisture and building organic matter. As the system develops the site will become a more comfortable living environment for human habitation.

All plantings will need to be in the ground by the end of April, as the weather is too hot and dry after this time. Through the course of the summer months it will be crucial to keep the plants irrigated and well mulched to survive the season. The summer construction of a straw bale house may take place if more funding for the project can be sourced.

Raising local awareness and empowerment will be the most important aspect of PRI Jordan. It is important to demonstrate practical solutions for local difficulties involving water, food (nutrition), fuel, housing and waste management. Empowerment of the local population is vital to the maintenance of local stability and sustainable long-term success of any community. There is a strong historical presence of efficient water use and water harvesting design throughout the region. The Nabetean culture was second to none when it comes to dry land agricultural design and many aspects of permaculture design take a page directly out of this cultural history.

It is the hope of PRI Jordan to rekindle the success of these traditional systems, reducing the dependence on modernization and industrialized systems.

Farm Life

Freddy the Fab Fence Maker
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

As always, we are busy and made more pressed for time with a four day Christmas vacation coming quick. We could just stick around the farm and keep working, but we are getting a little worn out. Time for the beach!
There are many different projects going, at various stages of development. The following is a run down of some of what we've done within the last month.

Our Captain Mr. Freddy the fencer headed the fence project up. It took a while to complete as none of us had ever built a rabbit and roo proof fence. Is there such a thing??? A combination of home milled, courtesy of Fred, and locally milled wood was used in construction. It would have been ideal to use only home milled wood but this was not possible, as time and effort is spread out amongst several different projects on any given day. If the time had been taken to home mill the entire fence it would have taken far too long to erect, and the garden would soon become Le plat du jour for roo and rabbit alike.

Nice to have an extra pair of hands
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

In November Owen, a friend of Jesse and Freddy from California, showed up to lend a hand for a couple weeks. It made all the difference in the world to have an extra pair of hands around. An added bonus was a fresh face offering tons of encouragement and support. It takes a very special person to put up with Jesse and I and we give much thanks to Owen and his fantastic attitude. Get Crackin!!!

Gravel pad for garden access
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The garden area expanded a bit to include a gravel pad that will give access to farm vehicles. This area will be the multi use working space for washing up veggie's and any other activities involved in gardening and harvest. This was another 'wheelbarrow project' involving lots of hard work spread out over several days. The whole garden area is very large. In the coming months many hours will be dedicated to refining the system and planning for the future.

Cover Crop Trials Daikon and Mustard
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

It is commonly suggested that diakon radish and mustard are both excellent cover crops to repair damaged soils and building soil structure. An added benefit is the ability of the plant flowers to attract beneficial insects into the garden. These plants have both been broadcast seeded throughout several systems on the farm site as well as being trialed in these two plots.

Daikon and Mustard going well
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

These two plants have worked very well under various conditions and soil types. They both exhibit great germination rates and vigorous growth giving good soil coverage. Several species of beneficial insects have been observed on and around these plants. Weather was a huge factor for us too. Nothing seems to replace that natural rain that comes down nearly daily on the farm. In fact, just today a thick fog rolled in followed shortly by rain.

Owen building a spillway
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

In mid November 760 tree seedlings arrived at the farm and planting became priority. These trees were a free subsidy from the local land care group and all are hardy native species several of which produce very useful timber wood. Most of the trees were planted as wind breaks. This is Owen helping us prepare a windbreak composed of 33 individual swale mounds down the length of a treeless ridge. At this point in time Martina, from Italy, had just arrived which was great, as the job of planting these trees is challenging. It was really nice to have everyone planting trees and four countries being represented all learning a bit about Permaculture. We were busy with planting for a long time and still have some to do. A total of 48 swales were constructed and there are about 150 trees left over.

Windbreak
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This is one of the main windbreaks where we planted a combination of trees and shrubs. We received Acacia melanoxylon, Grevillea robusta, Lophostemon confertus ,which are all great timber trees, with several varieties of Eucalyptus. Tagastase and Pigeon Pea have been interplanted and of course a mix of herbaceous cover crop, which is coming up nicely.

A little rain.....82mm
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

For the last month rain has become common and Jesse and I feel right at home, being from Vancouver and all. One morning the rain gauge registered 82mm over night, a real cracker!!!

The first swale we made flowing from our 82mm
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The swale filled up with water that morning. The swales are working very well with no damage since the 70mm event a while back. The timing of the rain could not have been more perfect with most of the trees in the ground and a garden planted.

Legumes

Universe in a raindrop
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The rainy season has started with one big event this year and 70mm of rain came down in a couple of hours. You can see the power of water flow over the land here when you get so much water at one time.
I attempted to get a picture the rain and this is what I ended up with. Not really what I wanted to show but you get the idea.

Roots of a vetch plant
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This rainfall was very much appreciated because of the recent seeding and a heap of trees to be planted in the near future. The swale and the garden are now fully charged with moisture and will be good for the next couple of weeks until it rains again. In fact it was a bit too much rain for the swale and it broke the wall in one weak spot where not as much soil was avalible. No big deal just a 30-minute patch job with shovels and it was back to normal.
All of the seeds were legumes sown as a cover crop after the land had been disturbed by machinery in the garden, on the swale and the area surrounding the house site. This land has had cattle on it for many years and most of the soil is depleted of nutrient and badly compacted. The cover crop will help to fix nitrogen in the soil, break up the compaction with deep roots; crowd out uninvited plants (“weeds”) in favor of our own dynamic accumulators; and act as a living mulch to maintain soil moisture and biology.

Perennial garden
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Fortunately there is an abundance of dam water irrigation and some areas didn’t have to wait for the rain. Though, the seeds never really started to go until the big rain. Something special is carried on the clouds.

Our mix
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The seed was sown by hand ‘broadcast style’ and was either raked in, as on the swale, or mulched with cane straw, as in the garden. Mulching is the preferred technique, however it is relatively expensive making it impractical for a large area like the swale.

Covercrop coming up in garden
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This is a before and after shot of the garden. The after shot shows the garden with about 3 weeks worth of growth on it. Once the fence is up around the garden will can start planting veggies until then the cover crop will be allowed to do its job. This season’s veggie crop maybe a little behind. No worries though, time building soil is never wasted time!

Vetch, Lupin, Pea
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

Garden Construction

It is one thing to grow a small veggy patch out the front door of a rental house add a bit of mulch, some manure, a few plants, seeds, water and enjoy. The evolution of a large permanent garden is a whole other exercise in muscles, machines (if you have them), planning and time. The garden at the Rivertree homestead is located approximately six meters to the down slope side of the swale( that was established several weeks ago). The hope is that the garden will benefit from being on the down slope of the swale. This is an account of the design and implementation of the Rivertree veggy garden.

Garden location
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The line of string on the right indicates the placement of a future fence to keep out the local rabbit and Kangaroo/Wallaby population. Using a laser level it is pegged to the natural contour of the land the remainder of the garden was designed square to this line. The garden covers an area of approximately 240 square meters, of which 70 are dedicated to pathways.

Lining up pathways
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

First, a string was placed to mark the edges of a pathway. In the proccess of this type of garden construction, material is removed from between the two lines and placed on either side to form the raised beds. Second, there is an application of blood and bone meal fertilizer that provides a young garden with vital nutrients and helps kick start soil biology. It is applied before the beds are dug, and is incorported as the digging takes place.

Tools of the trade
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

These tools would find themselves permanently glued to our hands for many days. We did use the excavator to do the bulky rough work, but the majority of the effort was spent on more deatailed work that only hand tools could do. When we started, Jesse and I did not fully realize how much we were in for physically.

Jesse digging paths
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The initial dig, with the excavator, is to an average depth of .5m. On either side of the trench the beds begin to form with the excess material. As with most water efficient design, it is important to keep pathways and beds dead level. We should have been checking the trench for level as we went along but we didn't. The paths were dug to a consistent average depth, but they were not marked on contour and therefore it produced a 20cm difference in elevation from one end of the garden to the other. With that much elevation change in the pathways water will collect at the low end creating a soggy area and at the high end the garden beds would be dry making it difficult to water consitently. Obviously this was a really big mistake and by the time we had noticed all the trenches had been dug.

Leveling off and measuring path
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

We have a bit of a melt down at this point, because we have recognized our mistake and we are already very tired. In order to correct the problem we had to move around a lot of extra material by hand meaning the lessons of this experience will not soon be forgotten.

Tip
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

To lift our spirits we went to the Tip and did some garbage picking. Notice the giant bird net in the background. We were on a hunt for cardboard and other resources to be rescued from the Tip and used to help create a bountiful garden.

Our haul
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

This is the first time in our lives we went home from the garbage dump with more than when we arrived.

Crushed limestone
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

In the distance rests 30 cubic meters of crushed limestone. Behind the photographer is the garden for which it was destine.

Gravel and cardboard
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The paths were lined with a thick layer of cardboard and filled with the crushed limestone hauled wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow up the hill. The gravel filled pathways will function as both drainage and water catchment systems. In theory, these beds will be both moist and well drained using this pathway design.

Path construction
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

As the pathways were filled, a width of .80m was maintained using a measured length of wood, and the laser was used to ensure that dead level was maintained.

Soil over cardboard
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

The cardboard is used as a biodegradable weed barrier at the edge of the garden pathways. Persistent weed problems always occur at the edges, like the base of a fence post or crack in the sidewalk. The buried cardboard will prevent weeds for several weeks, but not permanently. It is important to plant something in this part of the bed soon. Pennyroyal is a favorite for its pleasing smell and ability to distract pests.

Finished
Originally uploaded by tlbaraka

There it is!!! The completed garden. We are very happy with our effort and persistence and the garden is going to be very productive in the future. All we need now is a few thousand plants!