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Showing posts with the label plants

Why Plant a Food Forest, or What's With All the Woodchips?

I am a baby permaculturist, not even living on the land we are going to cultivate yet. But I have been learning so much from WhatsHisName (I can't find that he has one) on the Canadian Permaculture Legacy channel at YouTube. (I'll keep looking.) And from other resources, which I'll name as I share what I learn from them. Growing food in old, dead city-dirt is a great deal of work. Many of you do well at it, but you could enjoy the fruits of your labor with less of it. Left alone, this kind of soil will grow weeds, but that is nature doing its job. The weeds provide carbon to the soil through the process of photosynthesis, which carbon travels down into the roots and is available in fallen soft green leaves, feeding bacteria and developing a bacteria-dominated soil. (Good compost is needed for growing leafy vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes, which require bacterial soil.) Over time, in nature, the soil will improve and the area will slowly transition from grassland t...

Welcome to Paradise!

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We are excited to be starting our family paradise using permaculture principles, helping to heal the air, soil, and water in our small way, and we hope to share what we've learned with those who are interested as well as to learn from those with more experience. Nature shows us how to have healthy soil and a sustainable way to feed the planet without chemicals and backbreaking work, even where water is less available. Compare the vital soil in an untouched forest to the dry, dead soil alongside the curbs in a busy city or even a backyard garden which must be fertized regularly, weeded often, perhaps sprayed, and watered almost daily. Permaculture gardening is much, much easier than a typical vegetable garden. No rototilling is needed, no use of fertilizers or sprays, and there is very little weeding. Even watering is relatively infrequent! In just a few years, a natural environmental balance will develop. This means you can plant more food, enough to share with other people and ...