permaculture

[William Genest <genest@pivot.net>]

"Uppen" it !

Don't dig down, build up - Raised beds - lots and lots of mulch and  
organic matter...

On Sep 14, 2005, at 1:08 PM, neshura wrote:

> Hello all!
>
> I rent a suburban property in hot-and-humid Alexandria, VA. There are
> four beautiful maples in the back yard and a cypress in the front, and
> the property is largely covered in lovely dappled shade for most of
> the summer. It is ideal for gardening except for one factor -- the
> tilth, or rather lack thereof. The soil is completely impenetrable by
> normal human effort.
>
> I have tried denting the soil with:
>
> * a shovel
> * a spade with a sharpened edge
> * hand tools
> * a garden "claw"
>
> and finally, an earth auger hooked up to a power drill.
>
> The net effect of all of these methods, across several test spots in
> the yard, was merely the generation of a few small puffs of
> light-colored dust with absolutely no penetration into the soil. The
> established grass grows fine, the established daylilies struggle
> along, and the virginia creeper and morning glory do just fine around
> the edges of the property. There's plenty of water; the house has an
> active sump pump and we have to carefully redirect gutter water away
> from the foundation because the water table is so close to the surface
> here.
>
> I don't want to rototill, not least because it would risk damaging the
> tree roots. I had some thought of using cover crops or daikon to try
> to break up the soil, but the thriving urban wildlife (birds and
> squirrels) are quick to jump on broadcast seeds. Hand planting
> individual seeds by hammering a nail into the soil to make holes, over
> about 8,000 square feet, is doable but daunting.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions for elegantly and inexpensively
> improving the soil? It is a permaculture challenge right now.
>
> Thanks,
> Amanda Gilbert
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Best Regards,

 William Genest

 - Founder  Green Mountain Permaculture Institute of Vermont
Solutions, Sustenance, Sustainability
www.greenmountainpermaculture.com

- Creator  "Regeneration - The Art of Sustainable Living"
From "Something-Must-be-Done" to Something we can do !
www.regenerationshow.com

- Ecological Coordinator
Club St.Paul Ecological Golf Course

- Vice-President  Green Party of Quebec "pour nous et nos enfants"
www.pvq.qc.ca

- National Spokesperson Green Party of Canada
"The Future is Now ! "
www.greenparty.ca