Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Permaculture - Farms for the Future

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Permaculture - Farms for the Future
  • Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:29:19 -0600

Debbie Mcdonald wrote:
Paul, can you expand on the comments you made regarding "forest gardens that shouldn't be there anyway?? or something like that?

I'm not Paul, and Paul tends to be short to the point of obscure about what he means sometimes. I don't think he likes to take the time to type.

Trees don't grow in some places naturally. He thinks it's a bad idea to try to force it to happen. Still, that's what any of us who garden do in essence, we force edible or pretty plants that are not native to the area to grow there so we can consume or look at them.

Now, of course in most areas there IS some vegetation (like tall bushes) that does grow naturally. Trying to grow a forest garden in a place where there is limited water and where tall trees don't occur naturally is not necessarily a great idea. BUT, you can adapt it using local edible native plants with some height to them, and once you do get some moisture retaining going on, you can introduce a few trees or taller bushes. It's not going to be the same or as easy as doing it in a place that trees grow on their own. I think people get too married to the idea of "only one right way" to do a thing.

I think if you're going to spend the water to grow a fruit tree or a wood tree anyway you might as well do it efficiently, and forest gardens look like they might be efficient. I like multi-use functions for things. I intend to lean heavily to plants that don't use a terribly large amount of water when/if I play with it.

Have any of you a solar greehouse? I have a bunch of barrels and I remembered reading about lining the bottom of a greenhouse with them full of water to heat it some but? I am having trouble imagining it:)

Barrels need to be black to help in any heat absorption, assuming that is the major function of the water. They work best in areas with lots of sunlight. Water, just by itself is a passive climate adjuster. It soaks up heat when the air is warmer than it is and releases it when it is cooler than it is. Think of a rock in the sun. It soaks up heat all day then the rock is warm on into the night. I don't have any first hand experience with it. I understand the theory.

Other people tout other things. I haven't got a real greenhouse yet, not sure I want one.

Some people use bunnies to heat their greenhouse, or so I've read. I imagine bunnies and water together would be ok as long as you keep the place cool enough the rabbits don't die. Rabbits don't do heat real well.

Where I live, I can see 80-90 on my plasticed in porch during the day(when it's 40-50 outside and sunny),I use it to heat up my house during the afternoon on those days, although it does cool down to freezing or near freezing at night. Part of that is the flooring not being solid. One of these years I will lay down removable solid flooring once the plastic is up and stick a monitor in there and track temps all day for a winter. I wouldn't want it there all summer.

Morgan




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page