permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] FW: [SANET-MG] What the heck is permaculture?
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:38:40 -0400
From: Lawrence F. London, Jr. <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group 
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>

On 10/27/2011 12:59 PM, Jane Sooby wrote:
>   Edna shares details of her berm-building experience.

If you're going to use permaculture methods to create environments and
solve problems on your property, i.e. site-appropriate terraforming,
then it would pay to spend some time thinking through every aspect of
the project and draw up plans on paper and make lists. If you are going
to change elevations, drainage, create water impoundments and
"soakments" (new word), i.e. planted swales then rent the right power
equipment for the job and hire someone who knows what they are doing.
This is usually not a trivial venture so it would pay to plan it
carefully and follow through in a timely fashion, keeping an eye on the
weather. The best equipment for this type of work is a skid loader,
sized for the work you expect it to do. Follow with a farm tractor and
conventional implements but do not expect the tractor to do any
terraforming. I have done exactly this on my property and am now reaping 
immense benefits from the systems I created, i.e. expanses of raised bed 
market gardens bordered by edge zones with beneficial wildlife habitat. 
Thanks to this I am now able to crop using no or minimum till methods 
and have less problem weeds than before, greater water retention in the 
soil and drainage of excess rainwater when needed
into catchment ponds with aquaculture (natural ones) systems that
provide habitat for water purifying plants and beneficial insects and
birds.

If anyone is really interested in this and other aspects of permaculture 
I will take a series of photos and videos of my land
to share and describe in detail efficient and effective ways to
use earth moving and tilling equipment to build earthworks and
permaculture systems on your land.

And Great Pyrenees dogs will take care of the gopher, voles and moles,
deer, coon, possum and a few snake problems. 6', 7' or 8' dogwire
fencing with metal T-posts, PT corner posts is all you need to contain
these breeds of dogs and keep out other animals, including stray dogs,
all leading to more interesting and useful plant communities, planned or 
unplanned. I also recommend planting the following along the fenceline: 
red cedar, wild cherry, wild plum, wild rose, trumpet vine, honeysuckle, 
winged elm, eleagnus, lespedeza and a few others.

Lawrence London
Venaura Farm
http://ecolandtech.blogspot.com/
https://plus.google.com/103323666932740258290/about
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq