permaculture

[mIEKAL aND <dtv@mwt.net>]

just a small ode to tree tubes here.


at Dreamtime we have a 2 1/2 acre forest farm demonstration that weve been
growing for about 7 years or so.  In the first 5 years I would say that we 
lost
more than 50% of each years plantings to mice & rabbits.  (& the 5th year was
way more drastic)...    so we bit the bullet & put everything in tree tubes or
wire cages & have been doing that "religiously" since.  just did a walk thru 
to
see if there is any rabbit damage so far & I could not find one tree that had
been touched.  in fact, since there is a blanket of snow I was able to see the
patterning of wear the rabbits went & they do not even approach the tree 
tubes,
so they are acting as visual barriers as well.

we've been discussing live trapping rabbits & keeping them in a pen & 
fattening
them up for a few months before butchering them, has anyone made use of them
like this....







so recently read a stack of Smithsonians & discovered 2 interesting articles
related to permaculture..  the first an article about Polyface Farm which 
seems
to be a polycultured animal farm, using natural grazing techniques, 
value-added
sales techniques, etc...    the other article of interest was a scare article
about how nightcrawlers are european invaders & are destroying the humus layer
of forests at an alarming rate & endangering natural diversity, complete with
different techniques that could be used to get rid of this horrible scourge.





mIEKAL
dreamtime village | zone 4 | sw wisconsin