Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

We were counting on finally meeting Carla Oct. 10 at a hole in the road
called Datil, NM near us.  It was cancelled and she passed the next day. We
were stunned. Can someone ever can take her place? We realized it will take
a lot of someones, and that's what we hope to encourage locally and through
this list in coming days. We see folks  posting right here who, whether
they realize it or not, are going to be in great demand as teachers
demonstrating how to get groceries from the ground (what a concept ... ).
And this is tremendously encouraging to us. 

Steve, you made the point it takes a lot of $$$ to get set up for off-grid
living. And We're fixed income here, some of those ordinary folks who can't
afford all the "appropriate technology" to go off-grid. So here's our
challenge:  how best to go off-grid with home and market garden.  And, how
far off-grid. Again, I expect gradual decline with prices of everything
becoming less and less affordable. 

We'll need to use the utilities to get set up while it's still affordable.
Electricity for irrigation, private well on one acre. Buy Portland for soil
cement for raised bed walls (my back isn't going to cooperate for bending
much longer). For the garden and greenhouse (yet to be rebuilt) we still
have to set up rainwater collection and in ground storage (more soil
cement). And we'll need the most moisture-retentive growing soil we can
make, to reduce irrigation - compost, humus, mycorrhizae-forming cover
crops. And need to make the best possible use of cover crops in soil
building and weed control, as you pointed out.  There's a brush chipping
operation near us for loads of free mulch, so no-till is a no-brainer here.


This area was thriving years ago producing flour, beans, and other staples
and had a railroad line to ship them out. No more. Just as well, we'll need
to consume what we can produce right here. The old pickup burns too much
gas getting to the farmers markets. 

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------

On 7/20/2006 at 12:32 AM Steve Diver wrote:

>Greetings Art -
>
>Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and the perspective
>on your own life.  I'm sorry you lost your wife, and
>faced that kind of "downsizing".   But it sounds like
>you're adjusting and ready for the next phase.  Good luck.
>
>In the 70s there was a huge back-to-the-land movement
>and the feeling was there would be an economic collapse.
>The collapse never came but a lot of people earned skills
>with landcare, gardening, and homesteading in the process.
>
>Carla Emory had me on her Internet radio program
>about three years ago, and then two years ago I
>finally met her in person at the Small Farm Conference
>in Missouri.  She gave an entertaining and educational
>workshop on homesteading.  She was a pioneer
>in the homesteading movement and right up to her
>untimely passing earlier this year she lived a simple life
>dedicated to sharing her skills and knowledge with others.  
>
>I've got friends all over AR and MO that are living
>on the land and growing gardens, but few people
>are truly living "off the grid."   It frankly takes a lot
>of $$ to buy all the technology and gadgets that
>enable that kind of lifestyle, far beyond the reach
>of working class and fixed-income folk.    I guess
>we'll figure out the essential aspects of self sufficiency
>real fast if a collapse becomes reality.
>
>But in the meantime there are supplies and
>skills that people can acquire to prepare for
>a collapse scenario.  Preserving food is
>just as important as growing food.  
>
>In addition to a few key garden tools to
>prepare and plant into soil, I realized that
>a scythe will be an important hand tool for
>cutting hay and straw to use as mulch, lots
>and lots of mulch.
>
>Take care,
>Steve Diver
>
>
>art corbit wrote:
>