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  • From: "Charles de Matas" <cdematas@hotmail.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] the double-digging issue
  • Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2006 20:08:20 +0000

Hey Rob, thanks for the comments on John Jeavons and double digging. I went and ordered two of JJ's books. I think the method might help me in the difficult situations that I face. There are bush fires on my land every year. This year I had to work hard to prevent fires reaching my compost heaps and grass piles and the mulch around my trees. In previous years the fires have burnt up compost piles and practically all the surface mulch. It's very difficult to prevent the fires from spreading. I've had to concentrate on protecting a small area. Hoeing around compost piles and mulched trees seems the only reliable way to prevent fires reaching them. I try raking the grass after I cut it, but even that doesn't stop the fires from spreading. The smallest particles of dry grass that the rakes miss are enough to propagate the fires.
I wish I could do what other people have suggested, just leaving organic matter on the surface, but over the past few years I think the soil has been losing organic matter because of the fires. If I have finished compost I will much prefer to dig it into the soil. Leaving it on the surface is much too risky. Just a few days ago there were more fires that reached my land and burnt up a lot of grass that I could have used for compost, mulch etc. I'm thinking of buying a rotary cutter, with the nylon string, to use, although I dislike using power tools.

Charles (Trinidad)

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  • [permaculture] the double-digging issue, Charles de Matas, 06/01/2006

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