permaculture

[lbsaltzman@aol.com]

I was just having a talk with an experienced organic farmer who lives about a 
block from me in a neighborhood that has pottery grade clay soil.? At his 
home, he only attempts perennial trees and bushes in heavy clay.? His farm 
which is a few miles away is blessed with a more sandy loam.?I was coming to 
the same conclusion and didn't have the courage of my convictions. I had 
watched annual vegetables sulk and fail?in the heavy clay while fruit trees 
have thrived. Interestingly the one other?crop that is thriving, that I would 
never have guessed, is strawberries.? 

I have tried endlessly piling compost and mulch on, planting deep rooted 
pioneering species, and sticking long forks in the ground to open the soil 
etc. etc. The surface remained nearly inpenetrable.? One year, as a small 
experiment,?I double dug a small section and heavily amended with compost. I 
got great production for a year, but the next year things returned to heavy 
clay conditions and you could hardly see organic material in the soil.? So my 
annual vegetables have moved to inexpensive half wine barrels filled with 
lovely compost and a touch of soil and the abandoned growing areas will get 
more foodbearing trees.



So, where do you plant your plants when you're using a berm in clay soil
(which we have)?  On the tops of the berms?  I'm presuming not in the
valleys, since that's where the water would collect???  And, being clay
soil, what is the recommended/most favorable type of planting for this clay
soil?  Especially if you're talking about planting on the tops of the berms?
S&M




-----Original Message-----
From: Margaret & Steven Eisenhauer <eisenhauerdesign@earthlink.net>
To: 'permaculture' <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 4:17 pm
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Looking for good examples of the use of berms and 
swales & definition of each



So, where do you plant your plants when you're using a berm in clay soil
(which we have)?  On the tops of the berms?  I'm presuming not in the
valleys, since that's where the water would collect???  And, being clay
soil, what is the recommended/most favorable type of planting for this clay
soil?  Especially if you're talking about planting on the tops of the berms?
S&M

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of yarrow@sfo.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 2:19 PM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Looking for good examples of the use of berms
and swales & definition of each

Berms are also effective if you have clay soil and want to plant 
anything that likes very well drained soil. Make them about a foot 
wide and high, and as long as needed. No soil amendments needed; the 
berm keeps water from collecting near the roots.
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