permaculture

[Tracy Dee Cook <tracydeecook@yahoo.com>]

Hi, I live in a colder climate and have been
experimenting with season extension and microclimates
by utilizing medium dark rocks (approx. 1x2).  I tried
to find angled rock face ~45 degrees and pointed that
angle towards the south/west to capture the most sun
during the day.  

Many were longer and flatter (about 3-4 inches deep)
and burried about 1/2 of the rock back into the hill -
so that the heat capture in the front exposed face of
the rock would transfer heat back into the earthen
hill where the rock was burried.

It's worked well.  Not dramatic - but good.  

The snow melt patterns were dramatically different
around the rocks, and soil temperatures warm quicker
around the rocks and stay warmer into autumn.  

Garden microclimate - This morning I just dug up
carrots that lasted through the winter - I had covered
them with about 3 inches of straw/hay. 

The carrot tops sprung up green this spring a few
weeks ago. I was curious to see how the carrot root
was doing. They were surprisingly still crisp and
sweet and I had them for breakfast this morning!  I
don't know if this is repeatable, but cool!

Beets that I similarly covered with straw I harvested
up through mid December. The straw kept the ground
from freezing as quickly. With the snow cover it was
beginning to be more difficult to find them, so I dug
them all up (but did get ~2 months of extra harvest
time)


My best!
Tracy

www.permaculturelife.com
www.permacultureacrossborders.org

--- "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net> wrote:

> 
> Anyone familiar with the subject of microclimates
> and experimenting with land constructs that lend
> themselves to
> microclimatic conditions?
> 
> I am thinking that this may be a very valuable
> technique for
> moderating temperature extremes, conserving water
> and creating habitat
> for a more diverse array of organisms. This may
> dramatically increase
> yield and survivability of crop, garden and
> permascape plantings.
> 
> I just put over 50 5.5'X4' hay roundbales across the
> grade on one long wide crop field
> with 50% on a fairly steep slope and in a 90 degree
> curve. This breaks the garden up into
> 5 sections, some wedgeshaped and some rectangular,
> with huge windrows of hay separating them.
> Water flow around the raised beds is interrupted and
> forced to filter through the masses of
> hay before continuing downhill. Subtle microclimates
> can exist between the rows of hay
> generated by additional moisture, nutrients, humus,
> enhanced microorganism activity,
> a warm sunny side and a cool shady side.
> 
> Seems like a worthwhile technique to use when
> developing permaculture systems and landforms
> when slopes are encountered on site and water needs
> to be impounded and redirected, redistributed
> and erosion controlled. Large masses of harvested
> plant material, living mulch, ground cover plantings
> as well as earth berms and swales can be used to
> accomplish this.
> 
> LL
> -- 
> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
> Venaura Farm
> lfl@intrex.net
> http://market-farming.com
> http://market-farming.com/venaurafarm
> http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/
> http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech
> 
> 
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