permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

FranksFarm@aol.com wrote:

> You seem to accomplish so much. Must admit that I'm way behind. 

I've been lucky. My experiments have been successful, i.e. the
1100lb. hiller/bedder, key to making highly functional/productive raised 
garden beds. IOW, if I could walk away from the beds and
never put tractor & implements to dirt again, these beds would hold 
their shape and stay productive for many years, as all notill permanent 
raised beds do, its their nature, n.p.i. I rediscovered the 3 bottom 
plow, small disc harrow, subsoiler
(serious JD cat 2 with deep penetration)
and 9 time tillage tool (spring tooth harrow/field cultivator. I found a 
really good use for these implements and made them work for me, 
inegrated into my System for constructing and
maintaining/upgrading/tilthing/weeding the raised beds. Very satisfying.

> I'm raising beef cattle now and have pit in a few ponds, adding electric 
> fencing; built a new energy efficient house, etc.

Hope that house meets your expectations. The ponds will serve you well.

> But there are still so many projects I'd like to do.

> I'm working with NCRS to put in a siltation basin to help control erosive 
> force of groundwater from heavy rains. May have a problem though since they may 

Easy solution: forget NRCS and use permaculture design principles to 
arrive at control and reuse of heavy rainfall runoff. You will want to 
make use of all silt that migrates from point A to point B. Therefore 
you need swales and berms, with water channelling, possibly ditches, to 
connect slopes to impoundment, filtration or catchment areas. With 
regard to the latter, do what I have done. Create a large, wide, long
catchment/wild area near or at the bottom of all slopes. Match all 
slopes with their own catchment area. The slops can consist of ridges, 
and berms as needed but the core of this system is creating places where 
water can sit until it is absorbed by the ground. This is most easily 
accomplished by:
renting a medium sized skid loader with large earth auger (36", 
hydrostatic unit)
drilling hundreds or thousands of 3'X 4'-5' holes

Water will flow off the slopes into these catchment area and into these 
soak holes. The area will become a nice wildlife habitat or edge zone.
Frogs will breed and keep your mosquitos down, dragonflies will 
proliferate, all animal will have easy access to water and soil in this 
area will dramatically improve with the added moisture and water-borne 
nutrients. You can do reall steep raised beds in this area and ditches 
too, say along the lowest point to ensure you contain all runoff onsite.
You could do some Fukuoka gardening here as well. It will be interesting 
to see what weeds dominate though you could directly seed certain 
grasses, clovers and wildflowers as well as wildlife attracting plants 
and plants for beneficials.

Want more details, just ask.

> NOT permit use as a water storage basin that accomplishes same goal. Makes no 
> sense. I'd like to use the pond for multiple purposes.

What is their reasoning for this?

> If you ever want to get away and visit we could spend many an hour discussing 
> permaculture projects:)

I'd really enjoy that, Frank. Maybe some day.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

LL
> Best to all! Frank in KY
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