Permaculture Farming

Posts Tagged ‘food’

Question: How should I start a Permaculture Garden?

I just read an article in Yoga magazine and was inspired to start my own Permaculture Garden but have no clue how to. Websites would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Hi Lanie,

I saw that you cross-posted. I answered the other one first, here is my answer again in case you don’t look there

You’re asking about how to start a Permaculture Garden. I warmly, warmly recommend a book where an American woman travels to Australia (the birthplace of Permaculture) and lives on a Permaculture Farm where she starts a garden in the middle of snakes, leeches, rain…. She doesn’t go very deep into Permaculture as she travels all around the world on a shoestring, but it is a funny, touching, inspiring read. Part adventure travel, part life change, and a really really good vibe. I smiled throughout and wished it wouldn’t end. You can see the reviews on Amazon.

Here’s one bit about Permaculture from that book.
“One example of a Permaculture principle: the problem is the solution. Problem: the deer are eating my garden. Solution: eat the deer. Problem: slugs are eating my garden. Solution: ???

You also ask about websites. The biggest Permaculture resource is Permaculture\.org.au. That is where I would start. From there, there are lots of friendly little sites. For instance, in Australia, jerrapark.com, a Permaculture Farm. In fact, I would say that the best way to learn about Permaculture Gardening, if you have the time, would be to travel to Australia, where there are all these Permaculture Farms where you can volunteer under the program called wwoofing. The same type of thing exists in the US, particularly in Oregon, Washington state and Colorado.

Wishing you a beautiful garden (and weekend),

Lenny

UMass Amherst Franklin Permaculture Garden

Question: Oil/gas dumped in small quantities years ago. What risks are posed today?

We have some land near an oil distribution company, and apparently cost-saving methods of getting rid of oil and gas wastes, and dirt with oil soaked into it, were favored over environmentally beneficial methods. We think some may have been dumped into parts of the pond that we were considering using for irrigation, and though it was years ago and there are healthy fish in the pond, i still wonder if there are risks, especially since we are considering organic/Sustainable Farming.

Does the ground and pond heal itself over time, and if so, how long? Also, is there anything that can be introduced to help out (some type of beneficial microorganisms [photosynthetic bacteria, lactobacillus, streptomyces, actinomycetes, yeast, etc]).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer: Oil can contain a variety of hydrocarbons. Some of which may break down over time. some maybe not. The real problem is that you have no idea what is and isn’t present and in what quantities. You may have some amount of benzene. Some toluene. etc. known carcinogens and toxic compounds. But until you test it, you have no idea what’s going on. And you certainly don’t want chemicals like that in your food supply.

And cleanup of things like this is complicated, expensive and most likely regulated. And you will need an expert to help you through all this. Understanding the data, understanding what your options are, and planning a treatment.

Not to mention that you may want to involve attorneys. The oil company, if they still exist, can be held financially responsible for the cleanup. And for health related problems.

regardless.. the first step is find out what you’re dealing with. I’d suggest this. Call your water company. They may even be willing to sample and test for you or at least provide a resource lab that can do this. Call your local EPA. Ask them if they would be willing to test or least offer advice.

Sustainable fish farming

Andrew Faust on Permaculture Forest Gardens