Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

Most people have no inkling how much of the USA is third world, in housing,
sanitation, and food. But we can all benefit from this. Of course
preserving produce, setting up greenhouses, providing water for food crops,
farm tools, farm fencing, all fall under our subject. Great work, Ken.

On the soil cement part, it seems to me it's easier to pour in place and
move simple forms as you go.

Here's a link to NC Cooperative Extension Service
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.
--Henry David Thoreau
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 7/21/2006 at 11:44 AM Ken Hargesheimer wrote:

>I have a document "Appropriate Technology for Villages" that I send to
>NGOs and people in developing countries.  I am going to add some things to
>it and post it here since there so much interest in this but please
>contact me directly for more info, minifarms@gmail.com, as this listserve
>is for crops, land, food, etc.
>
>  Ken Hargesheimer
>
>  ol3
>  GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
>  USA: TX,  MS,  FL,  CA,  AR,  NM, WA;   Mexico, Rep. Dominicana,
Côté
>d’Ivoire, Nigeria,
>  Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India,
>Uzbekistan
>  Box 1901, Lubbock TX  USA  79408-1901     minifarms@gmail.com
>              Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent-bed gardening,
>mini-farming, mini-ranching worldwide in English & Español
>
>
>
>
>  Appropriate Technology for Americans
>
>  More information can be obtained from me or on the internet.  Ken
>Hargesheimer  minifarms@gmail.com
>
>
>   Organic, No-till gardening/farming in permanent beds:  These will
>double or triple yields and will reduce labor by 50% .  No digging, no
>plowing.
>   Soil:  Before doing anything else, add organic matter to the soil.
>Bring it to the farm [leaves, grass, sawdust, manure] or grow green
>manure/cover crops [do not till into the soil; leave on top].
>   Hoop houses:  A sheet of plastic and some PVC pipe make it possible to
>grow during cool or cold weather.
>   Greenhouse:  Cost-$100  NC Coop. Ext. Service.  AG426.  I can email it
>to you. Can’t find url.
>   Shade for vegetables:  Shade over cool season crops may makes it
>possible to grow during warm weather.
>   Farm tools:  Scythe for harvesting grain, etc.
>   Water pumps:   hand or pedal-powered; solar-powered using batteries
>[see below].
>   Bucket drip irrigation:  Use a bucket to supply water to a drip line.
>A kit can be purchased [chapinlivingwaters.org] or made locally by farmers
>[In Nicaragua, US$3 for DIY dripline].  Water is carried from a stream,
>well or pond.  40 liters per day for a 33 meter row of veggies.
>   Solar cookers:  Cook food with the sun, free.  Do not buy them; DIY.
>solarcookers.org
>   Solar electricity panels:  Light homes, classrooms, etc.  Can power
>radios, computers, etc.  Use to recharge batteries.  Contact: Graham
>Knight at  <biodes@tiscali.co.uk>, biodesign.org.uk. 2x3 inch [$1] powers
>a radio.  6x12 inch [$10] recharges a 12v. battery.  I know him
>personally.
>   Solar water purifiers:  solarcookers.org;  jalmandir.com [English,
>Español, French];  echonet.org
>   Solar water heaters:  A drum/barrel, painted a dark color, will heat
>water.  In cool/cold climates, put it in an insulated box with a clear
>cover.  For more hot water, add more barrels. DIY.
>   Solar driers [dehydrators] for food.
>   Solar collectors:  heat homes, etc.
>   Bicycles:  Should be used by everybody.
>   Bicycle trailers:  Make one, using metal, by drilling holes and bolting
>it together.  Use for cargo, passen-gers, selling, etc.  Can be made from
>bamboo, wood, pipe, etc.  minifarms@gmail.com
>   Pedal-powered tools/machines:  www.mayapedal.org;
>bikesnotbombs.org/at-list.html  I have two documents of other peoples’
>ideas. Veggie harvester.
>   Portable DVD players: They are available with 7” to 10” screens,
>operate on 220, 120 & 12 v. and has a cable to connect a 12 v. battery.
>Use a solar panel to charge the battery.  These can be used to teach
>people anywhere on earth.  Every school should have at least one.  People
>who cannot read and write can learn by listening and watching.
>minifarms@gmail.com
>   DVDs:  Free and on many subjects.  Contact NGOs, government offices,
>etc.  www.cd3wd.com
>   Ram-earth construction:  Forms are set and soil-cement packed in.
>   Soil-cement bricks:  Bricks are made by mixing soil and cement [6%-10%]
>and adding water.  The mix is put into a brick press.  The press cost
>US$150 in most countries.  They are then cured and are equal to a fired
>brick.  Contact the AT NGO in your country.
>http://www2.unam.na/pdf/RevSTFocus/Part-3of3.PDF
>   Soil-cement roof tiles:  See url above.
>   Soil-cement floors:  Cement is mixed into the soil, wet and packed
>down.  Equal to a concrete floor.
>   Fencing;   Set post in a soil-cement mix.  Excellent.
>   Sawdust toilet:  minifarms@gmail.com for plans.
>   http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/LTRAS/itech  I Tech designs, PO Box 413,
>Veneta, OR 97487 Public Domain--a gift to humanity.
>  ·        Farm-Scale Food Dehydrator
>  ·        Hand-held Narrow Flame Propane Weed Burner
>  ·        A Propane Weed Burner for the Garden
>  ·        Garlic Clove Separator
>  ·        Hand Operated Garlic Trimmer
>  ·        Make Your Own Weeding Spade
>  ·        Serrated Hand Hoe and Mower Blades
>  ·        Grain Huller for Rice, Spelt Wheat, Quinoa and Millet
>  ·        Conversion of a Leaf Shredder/Wood Chipper into a Grain
>Thresher
>  ·        Hand Operated Vacuum Packing System for Seed Storage
>  ·        Hand Operated Winnower
>  ·        Small Electric Winnower
>  ·        Bug Zapper
>
>  Other Important Information:
>  1.       Periodicals: Footsteps Magazine tearfund.org/tilz [English,
>French, Portuguese, Spanish, KiSwahili];  LEISA Magazine LEISA.info
>[English, Bahasa Indonesia, French, Portuguese, English/India];  Urban
>Agriculture Magazine ruaf.org. On internet.
>
>   Micro-loans:   Many organizations make small loans to people to create
>or expand a farm or business.  No collateral required.  Check for one in
>your country.
>   Idealist:   idealist.org  List your organization, etc.  54,000 listed.
>
>   Nabuur: nabuur.com is where you can have a website for your village and
>“neighbors” around the world can help you by the internet.
>   Books:  Where There is no Doctor [in 90 languages], Where There is No
>Dentist, Midwifery. hesperian.org and Micro Eco-Farming – Barbara Berst
>Adams
>   Pedal/hand tools:  compatibletechnology.org
>
>
>Go to: http://bibledvd.googlepages.com/home and www.nabuur.com
>
>---------------------------------
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