Food Foresting

[nomadguy]

Lets get busy folks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6w-QsYPGg&feature=autoplay&list=ULiojAPPDgv8E&index=9&playnext=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqWwyQsIRiU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTUaqfpAQA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09qn2Mn2UHE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdy-4gbtrkY&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHOQ7Cu3FE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgwEgzIjIXU&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiTrF1xuWo&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEMpCNe6_JM&NR=1

Good solid info for Deserts and over plowed land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hp_iTmCTmM&playnext=1&list=PL5CC935BD22E09F74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rwVxfmMaIE&feature=autoplay&list=PL5CC935BD22E09F74&index=4&playnext=2

Introduction to Premaculture


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6aA7e9BZEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qJ9k67z-KE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWRtJpu2laE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fipxmLBepo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyXrAYgNDgA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irFdKzGu6JE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2P0l_meVjE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evhYruGwDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVizkF_Bpoo

Cheers! :horn:

[Tony]

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tony

[Carmen]

Ohh, thank you. Its my dream to have/live in a forest garden. It my vision for the future. Im someway there. Have the land, have learned to propagate. I plant lots of trees, have walnuts, hazelnuts, olives, fruit trees, gardens. These videos will be a great resource for me. Thank you again.

[nomadguy]

Ohh, thank you. Its my dream to have/live in a forest garden. It my vision for the future. Im someway there. Have the land, have learned to propagate. I plant lots of trees, have walnuts, hazelnuts, olives, fruit trees, gardens. These videos will be a great resource for me. Thank you again.

sounds awesome , please post some photos someplace, I would love to see it. I will be posting a lot of techniques and such I am developing a program over here for the Great Basin (Nevada). Which I am planning on calling it Permaculture "between a rock and a hard place". I began this a research project and now I am starting a business called Nomad Gardens. I will be uploading some video and some photos for you all as soon as I can get my hands out of the soil.

Cheers!
C...

[Carmen]

We are usually very dry here, but not this year. I will post some photos, Ill get my daughter to take them, cant find my camera!! Ive sort of got all the elements here to work with. Its a matter of putting them all together. There is a group of us here sort of working on the same sort of self-sufficiency, but we've got a bit to learn. I just love forests, the smell of them, the atmosphere. I have a tree hut nearly complete overlooking ponds. Its great. Build between the trunks of four trees (its actually one tree cut off and growning again) Thought I might retire there!!!

[Rainbowbrite]

Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this wonderful information for us here! My family intends in the future to do this on a larger scale than we currently can do. This resource will prove invaluable. We do a lot on a small scale and are beginning to apply some of these methods as a natural progression of working and planning in a limited space, it's great to have more info - wonderful stuff!

[Peace of Mind]

I agree

Peace

[nomadguy]

You are all very welcome I am very Pleased to be able to deliver it, and I really am Thankful to be on this earth where you can do these wondrous things.

Here is another set,
Aqua
~ :cool: ~


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJylRPl1-50


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICfi7i-rOA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYR9s6chrI0&feature=pyv&ad=6312417136&kw=aquaponics

practical points of interest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pleIXeR5hVc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pleIXeR5hVc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA_NtKGNhTw

Erosion and over-tilling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN613J9d22Y

more coming soon...

[Carmen]

After learning about the progression of land always heading toward forestation courtesy of Dr Elaine Ingham, I am observing much of the land in my area really becoming fungal and growing bushes and trees at a great rate. Without the interferance of man the earth would quickly cover itself in trees again. I find when I plant trees in fungal soil areas (areas that are already growing trees) they grow well in spite of adverse conditions such as extreme dryness.

[nomadguy]

this is also very relevant - Bokashi post - http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?21783-Bokashi-Composting-Method

[Ineffable Hitchhiker]

Thank you sooooooo much for this wonderful series, nomadguy.
I watched it last night (the first series) and am filled with enthusiasm and inspiration.
Thanks for "planting seeds of thought" . ;)
Have subscribed to the channel and will be watching more of the vidoes.


Martin Crawford, in the UK, also talks about agroforestry/forest gardens.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbcn06h8w4



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u75q3KaZGy4

[Cjay]

Lets get busy folks!

THANK YOU nomadguy. The topic of this thread is one of my personal passions - definitely worthy of its own thread. You beat me to it.

May I suggest that you (or a moderator) convert your links to embedded videos?

I have been watching most of these videos over the past few years. I have been talking about this and related topics in various places, including some other Avalon threads. I kicked off the discussion with the following two posts about two months ago and followed up with several more posts in the same thread (as well as some related posts in other threads, which I have not listed here).

BIOCHAR http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?2050-Gardening-organics-sustainable-gardening-food-crops-etc&p=187057&viewfull=1#post187057
PERMACULTURE http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?2050-Gardening-organics-sustainable-gardening-food-crops-etc&p=187963&viewfull=1#post187963

The permaculture post contains two of the most outstanding videos I have ever seen on the subject of food foresting. PLEASE, anyone interested in this thread, read both of the posts above and watch BOTH videos. In fact, I recommend that EVERYONE watches them, even if you are not (yet) interested.

...and just last night, in one of my posts in that thread, I stated:


I highly recommend all of the videos on YouTube by or about each of the following people:

Bill Mollison (co-originator of the Permaculture concept)
David Holmgren (co-originator of the Permaculture concept)
Geoff Lawton (Greening The Desert and many other videos)
Peter Andrews
Willie Smits

...just to name a few.



This is synchronicity. I am glad more and more people are learning about and DOING these very important things.

[Cjay]

After learning about the progression of land always heading toward forestation courtesy of Dr Elaine Ingham, I am observing much of the land in my area really becoming fungal and growing bushes and trees at a great rate. Without the interferance of man the earth would quickly cover itself in trees again. I find when I plant trees in fungal soil areas (areas that are already growing trees) they grow well in spite of adverse conditions such as extreme dryness.

Human greed and ignorance is responsible for desertification in many parts of the world, including Northern Africa and the Middle East, India, the countries whose names end with "stan", China, Mongolia, South America, USA, Australia and many other places. We could walk away and wait decades or even millenia for nature to repair the mess that humans made... or... we CAN reverse this, in a few short years, with PERMACULTURE.

[nomadguy]

"I watched it last night (the first series) and am filled with enthusiasm and inspiration"

it did have the same effect on me! very much so, LEGUMES!

¤=[Post Update]=¤



After learning about the progression of land always heading toward forestation courtesy of Dr Elaine Ingham, I am observing much of the land in my area really becoming fungal and growing bushes and trees at a great rate. Without the interferance of man the earth would quickly cover itself in trees again. I find when I plant trees in fungal soil areas (areas that are already growing trees) they grow well in spite of adverse conditions such as extreme dryness.

Human greed and ignorance is responsible for desertification in many parts of the world, including Northern Africa and the Middle East, India, the countries whose names end with "stan", China, Mongolia, South America, USA, Australia and many other places. We could walk away and wait decades or even millenia for nature to repair the mess that humans made... or... we CAN reverse this, in a few short years, with PERMACULTURE.

I think it is true, and we have so many unemployed it seems like a big DUH!, or rather a monumental AH-HA moment for us all to notice.

¤=[Post Update]=¤



Lets get busy folks!

THANK YOU nomadguy. The topic of this thread is one of my personal passions - definitely worthy of its own thread. You beat me to it.

May I suggest that you (or a moderator) convert your links to embedded videos?

I have been watching most of these videos over the past few years. I have been talking about this and related topics in various places, including some other Avalon threads. I kicked off the discussion with the following two posts about two months ago and followed up with several more posts in the same thread (as well as some related posts in other threads, which I have not listed here).

BIOCHAR http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?2050-Gardening-organics-sustainable-gardening-food-crops-etc&p=187057&viewfull=1#post187057
PERMACULTURE http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?2050-Gardening-organics-sustainable-gardening-food-crops-etc&p=187963&viewfull=1#post187963

The permaculture post contains two of the most outstanding videos I have ever seen on the subject of food foresting. PLEASE, anyone interested in this thread, read both of the posts above and watch BOTH videos. In fact, I recommend that EVERYONE watches them, even if you are not (yet) interested.

...and just last night, in one of my posts in that thread, I stated:


I highly recommend all of the videos on YouTube by or about each of the following people:

Bill Mollison (co-originator of the Permaculture concept)
David Holmgren (co-originator of the Permaculture concept)
Geoff Lawton (Greening The Desert and many other videos)
Peter Andrews
Willie Smits

...just to name a few.



This is synchronicity. I am glad more and more people are learning about and DOING these very important things.


Yes please MODS do your thing, help us spread this

[nomadguy]

Visual food for thought ~

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2004159353695&comments


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2004174954085&comments


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2004293037037&comments


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2004297677153&comments

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/252947_2004211074988_1534956715_3923042_7930518_n. jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248602_2004213395046_1534956715_3923047_5898832_n. jpg


For more photos click here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2004209714954.263905.1534956715

[nomadguy]

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250886_2004213995061_1534956715_3923048_7077064_n. jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/252553_2004218755180_1534956715_3923054_8138630_n. jpg

Pull weeds,
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/250451_2004226235367_1534956715_3923066_7912163_n. jpg
then that is part of this process >
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254152_2004226875383_1534956715_3923067_4607124_n. jpg
Add your grey water to the man made dry creek or rivet, or "swail"
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/251070_2004227675403_1534956715_3923070_5376676_n. jpg
(it is very important to know your areas soil PH)
Desert soil NEEDS shade, any will help (rotten hay is often given away)
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/250526_2004228355420_1534956715_3923071_3933753_n. jpg

[nomadguy]

Worms like to work for you, so give them food "where you want them!"
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248184_2004234235567_1534956715_3923096_5781340_n. jpg
red wigglers above soil, browns underneath in the rocks.
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/255691_2004236315619_1534956715_3923105_8264862_n. jpg
Fruit trees do better with lots of added mulch from the invasive plants in your area
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248513_2004238635677_1534956715_3923117_5094128_n. jpg
Nature will cook the seeds for you, Black containers, water and sunshine (for excess weed seedy mulch)
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250139_2004243595801_1534956715_3923136_2205583_n. jpg
ADD the then produced Aerobic compost juice for plants, anaerobic to dry sparse depleted soil areas
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/251726_2004244435822_1534956715_3923138_5248713_n. jpg
Add beneficial seeds under mulch
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/252756_2004247755905_1534956715_3923141_3826096_n. jpg
Tap root trees n shrubs deepen water retention in all soils
http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/248273_2004248115914_1534956715_3923142_6075231_n. jpg

¤=[Post Update]=¤

for the full photo stream go here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2004209714954.263905.1534956715

[Franny]

Amazingly good and highly useful information everyone. Very much appreciated. Just about anyone could do this if they have a little land.

It reminds me of a book I read years ago called, The One Straw Revolution by a Japanese author and farmer. Donʻt recall the name but he was a sort of pioneer in Japan for more sustainable farming methods. Many similarities.

[Carmen]

That book is by Masanobu Fukuoka, latte, a truly great man who died last year (I think) Thankfully perhaps, it would have been so hard for him experiencing what is happening in his beloved home now.

I will add the reference when I find it, but there is a wonderful site that documents the mistake of mankind in taking animals off land that is designed for grazers. This denuding land of animals also leads to desertification. Savannah land and the great plains of America are meant for animals to graze. In short, the grass grows, the herds move in, eat, poo, trample, then move on. The land is fertilized, the seed trampled into the fertilized ground, the rains come and the cycle starts again. When this is not allowed to happen by mankind shutting up large areas from animal, actually caused desertification. The guy (I will find the website and post it later) browbeated the so called experts and they ended up giving him an area of gold tailing, (mounds) where absolutely nothing had grown for years, where he could prove his theory to them. He fenced the area. Put cattle on and fed them hay. I'm not sure how long it took (dont think a very long time) those mounds of tailings were growing grass. It was amazing to see the pictures. Sorry to tantalize with no reference but promise I will find the site because the pics are very telling. Someone else may also know of this anyway.

[nomadguy]

The One Straw Revolution _ YES YES YES, that is the thinking here, only with what you have WHERE you are. SO if you do not have land or are in a tight space. Think of "vertical farming" and aquaculture... More soon.
Cheers

[nomadguy]

gardening for Urban areas -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyRMvXZIKaw

Vertical Gardening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8W_ucIpJpE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfF5tPv1zbY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPCAaMS7nFw

Moveable Vertical Wall Garden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpM3cb_E_-Y

Wooly pockets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-JVHUyD70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q396qLGBNM

[Steven]

Awesome, thank you so much. My wife is watching it and says thanks :) The world is full of solutions.

Namaste, Steven

[Arrowwind]

Anyone know what kind of worms can survive very deep freezes like 20 below for 4 months? our ground freezes to 6 feet. My lasagna beds need them but I don't know what kind to get... there are no worms in these parts.. I dont worry about them infesting the land, as some purests do as most of the land around here can't sustain a worm... not enough humus to feed on.

[Cjay]

Anyone know what kind of worms can survive very deep freezes like 20 below for 4 months? our ground freezes to 6 feet. My lasagna beds need them but I don't know what kind to get... there are no worms in these parts.. I dont worry about them infesting the land, as some purests do as most of the land around here can't sustain a worm... not enough humus to feed on.

This resource might help answer your questions: Worm Composting Canada
http://www.wormcomposting.ca/

[nomadguy]

Anyone know what kind of worms can survive very deep freezes like 20 below for 4 months? our ground freezes to 6 feet. My lasagna beds need them but I don't know what kind to get... there are no worms in these parts.. I dont worry about them infesting the land, as some purests do as most of the land around here can't sustain a worm... not enough humus to feed on.


Oy thats a toughy, II think one way to do this is indeed composting, Kobashi style composting produces a lot of heat, and you centralize all of this process even heating water tube-sprials that are buried in the mounds to then soak the excess food waste when it gets dry, if you have a fire ~a wall for this mound to lean against is also a good idea, so you really need to look at constructing this into the current way you heat your home as it is now.
~ (mainly excess greens) as food for the worms.

here are a couple of ideas that you can gather insight from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu2kw91uuGA

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96fSXccQx9Q&playnext=1&list=PL0A586372329970E3

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=446WshBQW-4

THINK INTEGRATION
If you also have a Cold frame garden going on already put this into the system,
http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/2689356404_ca7d7fd821_z.jpg
Above is a cold frame for sprouting I spotted on the permaculture site today.

Also Solar heating(fresnel lens then tank the heated water in an ideal spot IE LOW),
plus the hot air from your cooking could be ventilated into your compost area.

So in review of these topics,
One can vent the hot air underneath a deck lets say
and you make a hole in the deck where you can pile your compost Say uner you house int he basement or something like that (make sure it is clean compost, no animal, all greens mainly, with very few fruit waste deposits)
Design the hole to have enough space so that you can surround your pile with hay bales, and you then add mushroom juices(dry mushrooms ground up then added to warm water) to your hay bales,
and add bean juices(been sprout rinse water, or beany juices from a meal) to your bales over time, I also like to add coffee excess. This gives much needed nutrients to the whole system and should speed up the process for quicker heating or decomposition.
Now if it is REALLY cold add water tanks surrounding the pile then the bales outside of that, so it will be layered,
Form the inside out > compost then water tanks and then hay bales. All of which is in >In your deck hole. And it is lower than the floor and you added vents to force warm air down there from kitchen cookery or some other hot air source.
and if you can put your hot water pipes through there.

Does this sound like it has some value ? Please feel free to poke at this and correct me if I am off anywhere or add your points if. I am truly thinking it out with you all.

Cheers
C...

[Arrowwind]

Thanks guys, I already do Bokashi composting and I have started a thread on it.....

as far as running pipes with hot water... I don't thinks so.
We get 20 and 30 below for many weeks here in the winter.. one slip up and the whole thing freezes and breaks.. besides, we escape this time of year and head for Mexico..

...Just got to find durable worms... or none at all.

that guy with the neat cold frame cellar.... is almost laughable for our climate...he says zone 6 . we are 3 to 4... varying year to year. We freeze to 6 feet below ground level and I suppose that if you are really industrious and creative you can make it work... but I tell you when its 20 and 30 below folks just dont go out side much at all and with wind chill we get down to 40 below, easy... and its very windy here generally. I doubt it can be done without using electicity around here unless it were somehow structured into the basement of the house facing a south slope where the house would be a huge insulating factor above it. My husband says our basement will never freeze as long as someone is living in the house... so i put a root cellar down there.

We plan to build a green house, maybe next year.. that will extend our growing season by 4 weeks on each end of the season. the north side will be lined with black water barrels for heat retention and part of the roof will be insulated..... cold frames can do it for about that long too. If you want longer you have to heat artifically....

We will have a sun room on the south side of the house and once we move in we should be able to grow a numbe of things there year round... being able to heat it with the wood stove in the living room on real cold days/nights just by opening the windows between the rooms. We will also have insulation panels to fit into the windows come sunset.

but none of this answers the question about worms surviving the winter.. I left my question on the website that cjay provided. .. them being way up in Canada maybe they know...

[nomadguy]

If you find out anything about cold hearty worms, please post that info here.
Cheers!

[nomadguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPVAMja5jq0

Chop-N-Drop – Mulching Permaculture Style
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/06/14/chop-n-drop-mulching-permaculture-style/

[Cjay]

300 Year Old Food Forest in Vietnam


This is one of the little extras on the DVD title "Establishing a Food Forest" with Permaculture teacher Geoff Lawton. Whilst Geoff was in Vietnam he discovered a 300 year old Food Forest built on 2 acres of land and still functioning well in the same family 28 generations later.
More info: http://www.ecofilms.com.au/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZgzwoQ-ao

[Cjay]

2,000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco


One of the extras featured on Geoff Lawton's DVD "Establishing a Food Forest" the Permaculture Way
available from www.permaculture.org.au
More info: http://www.ecofilms.com.au/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftgWcD-1Nw

[Cjay]

Vermicomposting Trench - All Natural Fertilizer Factory for Your Garden!


A Canadian guy (judging by his accent) discusses composting with worms in a trench. If you live in an extremely cold climate, make the trench deeper than your ground freezes so worms can stay warm in winter and add plenty of straw or other insulating material on top.


This is a system I came up with back in the summer of 2008, when I was attempting to process hundreds of pounds of food waste provided by a local restaurant. Let me first point out the fact that I in NO way am claiming to have "invented" trench composting - this is just my twist on it. My trenches have worked really well thus far - and the '08 summer food waste extravaganza was particularly impressive (the next summer I used manure as my main material). It's a great way to grow plants and put your composting worms to good use in the garden - and avoid the hassle of trying to separate out the worm compost!

more information: http://www.RedWormComposting.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl2XybtZ1dA

[nomadguy]

2,000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco


One of the extras featured on Geoff Lawton's DVD "Establishing a Food Forest" the Permaculture Way
available from www.permaculture.org.au
More info: http://www.ecofilms.com.au/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftgWcD-1Nw

This one is my personal favorite, in a slightly closer latitude to the poles there is a different variety of plants and trees that are a group that always go together like this in more temperate oasis forests. IE like Apples, Cherries, Peach, blackberries, currants, grape, strawberries etc (to name a few in the group) And this is very noticeable in the North west or northern California.

[nomadguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZZSZMdtrR4

[nomadguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c65rThLdUNc&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ow11IN0CSE&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syl3QjZxSIo&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3uDestp_A&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9_iDp06nBQ&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PINYq_Q4oc4&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vVeCAj3RFc&feature=BFa&list=WL646D1AFD61AA4D61&index=8

[etheric underground]

Great inclusion nomad guy.
A question for you??
An old tribal trick that has been past on to me, which many seem to scoff at
but I find quite intriguing is this........
to grow any thing to coinside with you and whoever eats from your garden
you should place the seeds of what it is your intending to grow in your mouth for 8 minutes
the seeds will absorb your D.N.A, you then place these seeds into mother earth.
Your vegetables or fruit will grow a specific way according to the needs of the person who transmuted there saliva.
In affect you have fruit and veg that will adapt to your D.N.A and give you what your body requires perfectly.
Have you heard this before ???

[nomadguy]

Yes I have only described to me was that you only had to do this for a minute or two. The saliva would help break down the timing mechanism of the seed so that it would germinate sooner than later and your DNA is in it as well. And while the seed is in your mouth the frequency that is your DNA is recorded or transmitted to the seed. I cannot say that I had a lot of luck with this technique. And to add we can blame some hungry squirrels and/or slugs or earwigs for that as they ate my seedlings.

[nomadguy]

Foresting Strategies for Drylands
Here are some notes I came up with during a coffee break. SLOPE is a huge ally for creating a food forest environment.
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=9556&d=1314218577

So referring the above sketch, groves of trees on slopes mtns and perhaps even flat have a way of slowing cloud traffic and wick more precipitation down from cloud masses and dew vapor then they leaves or needles direct the water to the best possible potential spot. Or "superposition". The larger effect I am attempting to express is complex cloud convection cycles are created by tree masses.
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=9555&d=1314218577

Here is a quick way to alter a slope for the purpose of reforestation, bioremediation or food foresting and permaculture gardening.
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=9557&d=1314218605
------

This article had originally spurred my interest
http://permaculturetokyo.blogspot.com/2007/03/water-catchment-strategies-for-drylands.html

Water Catchment Strategies for Drylands: Swales
3/11/2007 01:17:00 PM | Author: DJEB
By Douglas JE Barnes


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uH8JDRwUtr0/RfOF678Ih6I/AAAAAAAAADM/FSc2lmTfge4/s400/tree-rain-effect.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uH8JDRwUtr0/RfOFMr8Ih4I/AAAAAAAAAC8/H7HNjPlVobM/s400/swale-trees.jpg


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uH8JDRwUtr0/RfOJzL8Ih8I/AAAAAAAAADc/jHErBXSdNco/s400/swale1.jpg
http://perennialideas.ptpc.com.au/sites/default/files/styles/larger/public/hugelkultur_how_to_image.png

[nomadguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d39biIxeuss&feature=player_embedded

[nomadguy]

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/food_forest_layers.jpg
Why Food Forests? by Angelo Eliades October 21, 2011 permaculture.org.au
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/10/21/why-food-forests/

[Ilie Pandia]

I've disabled most of the video embeds in this thread.

There were so many that were causing problems with loading the thread in a browser.

[nomadguy]

Cool thanks!

[Maria Stade]

Thank yoy for this insperational thread !
I hope to grow a food forest in the future, we are a groop of people that would like to live in earthships and have this kind of forest around ;)
The young trees are standing in pots and waiting for me to find the right spot in Sweden to grow big on !

[nomadguy]

Hot Mulch : I am coining this as a certain mixture of humic decay and animal waste, most of all animals like Horses that have a tendency to create a high temperature compost.


Too many green tomatoes?

10900

In predominantly cloudy areas, northern climates, or simply environments with shorter seasons or lack of sunlight, certain produce like tomatoes and peppers, certain beans and many other important plants never reach full maturity. Here is a one way you can assist the plant to boost the speed of ripening. In addition this technique is scalable and in line with permaculture premises. In doing this task you will be acting out the a typical and helpful fall time activity to your landscape, garden or food forest environment.


1089510898

Hot mulch is a particular variety of compost that has a high temperature. Horse manure is a great ingredient for this task. One can additionally use Straw, and then the addition of a cup of molasses and perhaps some comfrey leaves to your humus. If you get a good batch of this type of mixture composting over summer in fall you will have a very warm dry mulch for your tomato gardens.

The hot bio-rich mulch will insulate, feed and create a hot surface under and around the plants. This can also be trapped with a canopy to boost the over-all temperature. Doing so will boost your red tomato ripening in a day by day fashion.
And when it gets close to freeze go out and snag most of your ripe, or half ripe and green tomatoes, I usually leave the premature fruit in case the freeze is not so hard. The additional mulch may also provide the adequate temperatures to survive a freeze or two.


10899

After you Hot Mulch your garden, begin to go out daily and pick all tomatoes with any color. Then put the half ripe tomatoes into paper bag in a south or south east facing window. Within a week most of these will ripen.

~ On they go to the pantry or plate...


10901

[Maria Stade]

:wave: Hi Nomad guy !
Why do you put the tomatoes in paper bags ?
Is there some special benefit by doing that ?
Nice pics !

Yea you can get real good benefits from hot mulch in the spring to, if you use some old windows over !
The sun and the micro life can make it posible to start up to 1- 1 !/2 months before normal and that can make big different in cold climat with short summer and few sun hours !

[Maria Stade]

Here is a amazing man !

Enjoy !


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl9rkXifxrw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FhFJ801Y_M&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SBCzp_-9vQ&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPk7nKG68T0&feature=related

[nomadguy]

Yes the benefit is that the paper bags help the green tomatoes ripen, the contained heat is a factor though I am not sure why it works so well.

[Maria Stade]

Maybe that the hormones that makes them ripe gets more concentrated in the same space !

[nomadguy]

thats highly possible, I add a ripe pear or lemon into other bags of unripe fruit for example and this often helps fruit speed up their process.

[nomadguy]

Fall-time permaculture activities ~


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wu_telI5gxQ

Rocket Stoves?
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/10/31/rocket-stove-water-heater-redux/

Water
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/W3732E/w3732e09.gif
http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic/conferences/Feroze_Ahmed/Image18.gif
http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic/conferences/Feroze_Ahmed/Image15.gif
http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic/conferences/Feroze_Ahmed/Image17.gif
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1148/1036941728_527abef643_z.jpg

The secret to growing healthy nutritious food compost and biological fertilizers
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/11/01/the-secret-to-growing-healthy-nutritious-food-compost-and-biological-fertilisers/

Permaculture saves lives - http://permaculture.org.au/2011/11/01/the-ghana-permaculture-nwodua-tree-nursery-project-saving-lives-granting-livelihoods-and-restoring-eco-systems/

[nomadguy]

Fall-time permaculture activities ~ cont....

Water Closets
11191

Create aqua culture system from reused goods.
Part out your Kitchen Garden herbs to aquaculture trays and pots.
11192

:lever:

Further reference -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WymWRDd1OOg

http://permaculture.org.au/2011/09/28/brad-lancaster-urban-water-harvesting-systems-ipc-presentation-video/

[Maria Stade]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl01au5pXm0&feature=related

[Cjay]

Hot Mulch : I am coining this as a certain mixture of humic decay and animal waste, most of all animals like Horses that have a tendency to create a high temperature compost.

Hot mulch/compost sounds like a great idea in cold climates because warmer soil would extend the growing season... BUT uncomposted horse manure is noturiously dangerous to use as a mulch for food crops or home gardens because it often contains Clostridium tetani, which causes Tetanus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanus).

"Standard" practice is to compost horse manure for a year before using it on your garden. That would mean it is no longer hot, as it would be fully composted after a year.

The heat in active compost is caused by the rapid decomposition process - and the heat contributes to the decomposition process. Generally, when the depth of the compost is less than 30 cm (1 foot), the temperature of the compost will be much lower than a deeper compost pile. Lower temperature means much slower decomposition and slower recycling/release of nutrients. To emphasise this point, a well-managed compost heap will be ready after 3 weeks but if you spread the uncomposted material on the ground, it can take 3 years to decompose - or longer in cool climates.

ALL uncomposted manures are full of potentially dangerous (even potentially lethal) pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and many more. For this reason, it is recommended to THOROUGHLY compost manures before using them in your food garden. Many commercially produced composts and manure-based products are treated with steam at very high temperatures to kill the dangerous pathogens. As a further precaution, ALWAYS wash your food, even if you have not used any pesticide.

Almost any organic mulch would provide an insulating layer to help keep the soil warmer as the nights get colder. I recommend using a layer of mulch that is at least 5 cm (2 inches) thick. I personally use about 10 cm (4 inches) of mulch but it depends on the material being used as mulch. I have heard from permaculture gurus that you can mulch as much as 60 cm (2 feet) thick if the mulch is very coarse. As a rule of thumb, fine mulch should be applied thinner than coarse mulch. If you use too much fine mulch, little moisture will penetrate the mulch and make it into the soil where the roots are. Also, fine mulch can sometimes dry out the soil due to a wicking effect.

Manures can chemically burn most plants and kill some plants, so manures should be used sparingly.

One option that is far better than using fresh manure is to mix the manure(s) into a compost made with as many different species of plants as possible. Add biochar to the compost which accelerates the composting process and makes it hotter, thereby killing more of the pathogens.

In any case, "finished" compost releases far more nutrients than uncomposted plant or animal waste and it will not burn your plants even if you use a lot of it. To prove this point, I have successfully grown plants in 100% compost. By the way, I don't recommend this, for various reasons. As with many things in life, just because you can does not mean you should.

Speaking of compost, I am going oustide now to "turn" my compost heap. Frequently turning over a compost heap is a critical part of making good, sweet smelling compost. If you don't turn your compost, it becomes anaerobic (lacking air, especially oxygen) and it will smell BAD, like rotting garbage. If anything smells bad, it probably is bad for you. In the case of compost, if it smells bad, it is full of bad bacteria that can seriously harm you.

A simple schedule for turning compost heaps is to turn it on day 4, then turn it again every 2nd day until it is finished. If you turn it less often, it will take much longer to be fully composted (decomposed).

Happy composting!

[Maria Stade]

Very good writing on the compost subject Cjay !
I live in cold climat and here we use 1 year old horse manure in warm beds !
I always mix it with fresh plant material and water with nettle extract !
The compost mix should be at least 30 cm thick !
On top of that is a 30 cm layer soil where the seeds are put or small plants !

The bottom layer is active and warms up the top soil and then there is glas over !

This is very useful in the spring !

And about horse manure !
Many horses are on medications so I would be picky with from what horse or where I take my material to grow in !

Another way composts can be used is to make Biogas that can be used to cook with or drive a car and so on !


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=but5ntRMQQc&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrVC4XKR2s4&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-RyysPU1Hw&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MP5wI132u4&feature=player_embedded

To bio gas even treated horse manure is fine to use ! But give it later to some plant that you dont eat, a tree works fine Like a pine !

If you use fine clean products they can be put in the plant soil later =)

I have worked out a way to heat the house with compost to ! But it has not been tested yet so It will be a future project when I have some land to play on.

Nettles are amazing and when I do my soil solution I pick nettles and put them i a Container !
Fresh airobic water ( with out cluoride ) is added so they all are under water ! Some rocks to keep them under on the top !
Put the container in shadow so the sun dont heat it.
Then I stear it morning and evning if it is hot outside or once a day !
After about 8-10 days it is ready to use !
Separate the plants from the extract and add some sand or stones !

I ad 2 dl extract to 10 L water and with this I feed the soil and the micro life !

Move around the extract every other day or every day if its hot !

Sometimes I add dandellion leafs or crushed roots !

Or in the early spring Willow leafs helps the roots develop as an extra stimulation !

:biggrin:

[nomadguy]

Excellent point C-Jay you are so so correct, And good to mention, as it turns out I don't have any livestock. However I may in the future so this is very important to know.

Another pointer with certain manure's is that they all create by reaction and have a different PH already.
So different soils + different manure's can create a variety of different results. I am going to take some time and read through the last post's here, very good information, Thanks Maria, and C-Jay good work, very good information, I recommend everyone-anyone interested in gardening read it!

[nomadguy]

1qIXmusaeg8

http://beyondsustainabilitymag.net (http://beyondsustainabilitymag.net/)

ref - http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/02/tedx-honolulu-matthew-lynch-beyond-sustainability-the-story-of-a-reformed-capitalist/

:tea:

[nomadguy]

Take your garden indoors for winter with aquaponics...
j_Tz9iXLI_U

winterponics?

:fish:

[Cjay]

nomadguy, as soon as I saw your post, I remembered another similar post that I have copied below in it's entirety.


How 1 MILLION Pounds Of Organic Food Can Be Produced On 3 Acres.

video of a man who has figured out a system to grow 1 million pounds of food on 3 acres each and every year. How are they doing this?

Aquaponics 4 You* By producing 10,000 fish

* Using 300 to 500 yards of worm compost

* By utilizing vertical space

* Having 3 acres of land in green houses

* Using 1 simple aquaponic pump

* Food is grown all year by using heat from the compost piles

A packed greenhouse produces a crop value of $5 Square Foot! ($200,000/acre).

Can you imagine if places like this started popping up all over the world? It would be one giant step towards self-reliance. Food self-sufficiency is a major step towards being sovereign. If you are not able to start your own garden, consider finding a community garden or hooking up with a small local farm.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfScfxkmWw4&feature=player_embedded

link (http://wakeup-world.com/2011/07/14/how-1-million-pounds-of-organic-food-can-be-produced-on-3-acres/)

[Cjay]

Edible Forest Gardens:
Dave Jacke Interview with Jill Cloutier of Sustainable World Radio

http://www.permaculture.org.au/podcasts/Dave_Jacke_PC.mp3
Interview link: http://www.permaculture.org.au/podcasts/Dave_Jacke_PC.mp3




http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/edible_forest_gardens.jpg
Edible Forest Gardens! This powerful concept of perennial polyculture design is finally gaining wide recognition, thanks in part to people like Dave Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens, Volumes I & II.

Dave Jacke was in Santa Barbara recently for a program sponsored by the SBCC Center for Sustainability as a benefit for Mesa Harmony Gardens, a food forest in the making. If you missed Dave’s talk, or just want a review all the great material he shared with us, the interview is now available to listen to.

Dave Jacke is a longtime permaculture teacher and designer. In this interview, he talks about the history of forest gardening, its many benefits, and how gardening like a forest can enrich your life.

Source: http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/03/edible-forest-gardens-dave-jacke-interview-with-jill-cloutier-of-sustainable-world-radio/

[Cjay]

This is very useful information for all gardeners. Plants have likes and dislikes when it comes to growing right next to other plants. Find out what works and what doesn't work.


Companion Planting Information and Chart

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/Feijoa_Guild.jpg


An updated chart of basic companion plants we’ve grown successfully over the years

We recently received an e-mail from a gentleman in China looking for…

… what plants you may have in your garden that you can transplant next to your rose or your apple tree to see how they nurture each other over time.

As a result I thought I would post our own updated list of companion plants for him and anyone else interested. While I would love to say this plant or that plant are "best" I feel I must remind folks to keep in mind your climate, soil and many, many other factors that determine how well these plants cooperate together. Trial and error is the best choice to begin companion planting but the chart below should lead you in the right direction….

What is Companion Planting? A gardening method which makes use of the synergistic properties found in nature: cooperation between plants to achieve optimum health and viability.

Full details and chart: http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/02/companion-planting-information-and-chart/#more-6668

To be continued...

[Cjay]

...continued from previous post


Companion Planting Guide


http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/companion_planting_guide.jpg

IDEP’s Companion Planting Guide
Click here for full PDF (http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf)
(Includes natural insect repellent tips)


Sometimes you end up wishing you had a resource at hand to make it easier to apply Permaculture principles. This was the case for myself when it came time to start thinking about beneficial groupings of plants and those groupings that do not go well together.

This is what I often find lacking with the current publications on offer from PRI and from those in the community. There is a lot of good knowledge locked up that could benefit so many of us in applying permaculture principles.

A simple A3 or A4 information sheet or booklet of a small number of pages is easy to mentally digest and take in and very handy to have as a reference, either printed out and hung up on the wall or on the computer when we sit down and start thinking about designing our gardens or food systems.

Full details: http://permaculture.org.au/2010/07/30/companion-planting-guide/

IDEP A3 Poster Chart (external pdf): http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf

[Maria Stade]

Thank you for the planting guide Cjay :thumb: very useful !
I am doing one and this is the most important knowledge to create a good system with balance !

Many thanks

[Cjay]

This is a very interesting article that I am sharing in it's entirity as we can all learn from this.


FRESH – World’s Wildest Supermarket - part 1
by Kenneth Gronbjerg


A holistic and most outrageous concept being turned into reality in Denmark (http://jordforbindelse.wordpress.com/fresh-english/).

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/fresh_1.jpg

Fresh is the concept for an organic, living supermarket in cities and villages, were instead of taking the items off the shelf, the customer harvests the produce directly from raised beds.

A system that works along with nature rather than against it.

By harvesting, the customer contributes to the work of producing to such a large extend that the produce can be offered at a never before seen quality and low charge. It’s almost for free. This is what you may call a win win win win situation!

Man is the only creature that has to pay for living on planet earth. All other creatures get their food directly from nature and the ecosystems they are part of. We share many essential conditions for life with both plants and animals. We share for instance soil, water, air and sun light. Our food comes from nature, and the only reason why we process our food is business. We grow our food in rows on fields. We remove weeds, harvest, store, package, transport and sell our food to process it further.

The system is designed out of economic interest and thus fails to address the fundamental values of food. During the production, the essential living conditions for the actual crops are removed. The crops therefore turn sick and are affected by various diseases and pests, which subsequently are controlled with poison. As the produce finally appears in the shelves of the supermarkets, it lacks the quality of proper food.

All processing of food diminishes its quality, whether it is the tilling of the soil or the processing of the actual crop. Nutrients diminish from the moment of harvest, so that the food, once it is delivered to the customer in the supermarket has lost most of its nutritional value.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/2.jpg

FRESH is a highly productive place offering the totally fresh and healthy produce at low and sustainable cost. It is an experimental site for the conceptual development of urban farming systems for the future. It is a centre for exchange of knowledge in growing systems, companion planting, plant’s interactions with nature and their use for man. It is a centre for courses offered to schools, institutions, associations, companies and private people… with courses in food preparation, nutrition, herbs, medicine, cosmetics, growing systems, and the use of plants, etc.

To be established


A raised bed area in a forest garden environment for intensive cropping and self harvest.
A place to experience and teach ecology.
The physical framework for education in plants, healthy food and medicine.
Literally, an experience of growing with nature, the discovery of old and new crops in mixed settings with plants and animals, where people can become part of the system.



http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/fresh_2.jpg
From: Sepp Holzer’s Permakultur,
Leopold Stocker Verlag, 2008

The basic construction


Import of wood (partly as tree trunks, and partly as wood chips) and mushroom mycelium as a basis for the establishment of the raised beds and to start the decomposition process.
Planting of a forest garden including the planting of fast growing trees for sustainable production of biomass.
Establishment of a species-rich seed collection from breeders and seed collectors.



http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/4.jpg?w=640
From: Sepp Holzer’s Permakultur, Leopold Stocker Verlag, 2008

Alternative models for possible financial support


Raising of financial support and employment of a group of professional gardeners that establish the first physical framework, e.g. raised beds.
In cooperation between the community and local residents as a socio-ecological project or as an activation program for unemployed people.
Through courses and the active participation of students in the construction.



http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/fresh_5.jpg

The mission

Food production does not need to depend on fossil fuel energy, pesticides or artificial fertilizers. The entire chain from production to consumption can work out completely independent of fossil fuels.

Health does not depend on medical care but nutritious food (http://www.foodmatters.tv). Healthy crops produced under natural conditions.

Such benefits cannot be offered by any of the existing production systems in Denmark. Only radical new concepts, such as FRESH, can and will create the desired resilience for the future food production and health of the consumers.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/6.jpg

The holistic view on food generates culture. From soil to soil, from table to table and from mouth to mouth.

FRESH will provide the physical framework for development of growing systems and its subsequent circulation to the public. FRESH will serve as inspiration for social entrepreneurs and companies having their focus on social ecology rather than conventional economy.

FRESH will be of benefit for the society at broad, as it will secure food production and resilience independent of the current economic system.

The vision

Fresh will be an ecosystem with plants, animals and humans. Children will learn about essential living conditions as provided by the garden.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/7.jpg?w=640

Paradise derives from persian language and means ”fenced garden”, and if the garden is designed properly, it will contain all the essential conditions for life to thrive.

FRESH provides education in entity.

We learn about the needs for plants as well as human, and we learn about ecology as a sustainable alternative to economy.

The knowledge will be explored in an open and integrating process and will be spread through consultancy, practical demonstration and guidance.


To be continued...

[Cjay]

FRESH – World’s Wildest Supermarket - part 2
by Kenneth Gronbjerg


The growing system

In nature, plants do not grow in separation, do neither grow in rows or in monocultures. Plants are used to growing in accompany with other plants and organisms, and have found in the course of evolution friends, enemies and cooperators.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/8.jpg?w=640

Some plants are so dependent on the presence of a specific other species, that they depend on each other for survival. But there are also entire groups of plants that support other groups of plants.

Legumes, for example, assimilate with the help of bacteria nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. Other plants are more efficient in assimilating carbon through photosynthesis. These different groups of plants are able to efficiently exchange their assimilates via a dense network of mycelium, so that both groups benefit from each others expertise. There are additional mechanism in plants and their environment to efficiently share water, light and nutrients.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/9.jpg?w=640

During evolution, plants have developed specific strategies to circumvent direct competition. Most plants do not thrive well in monocultures. Instead, they are coded to cooperate with other species. And there is a wealth of mechanisms for such cooperations beyond imagination.

FRESH can contribute to exploring these mechanisms and to further the develop of growing systems.

We will only be able to study the cooperation between organisms, when we allow the cooperation to take place in the way we grow our crops. Mixed polycultures are therefore the most appropriate way to cultivate plants.

Crops versus weeds

FRESH will challenge our understanding of food and redefine terms such as crops and weeds. Many of the so-called weeds are rather miracles of nature.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/10.jpg?w=640

Weeds have important functions in ecosystems. It does not make sense to quantitatively remove weeds from the system. Instead one needs to work together with these plants in order for them to contribute to the system with their particular quality.

Stinging nettle is one example of the most neglected miracles among the plant kingdom. Stinging nettles accumulate a large variety of nutrients from the soil such as sulfur, nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron and copper. Stinging nettles contain minerals as well as vitamins (A and C) and are beneficial for both humans as well as the soil.

Stinging nettles clean the blood, the kidneys, the liver and even the cells. But stinging nettles can also be used in surface composting by covering the soil between the crops. Surface composting releases nutrients for other plants thereby contributing to the formation of a natural soil structure. Stinging nettle is a healthy component of ecosystems; healthy in a broad sense.

Extracts of nettles can be used as liquid fertilizer as well as protectant against pests and diseases.

Nettles have been used for food, medicine and fiber. But nettles also have important functions in the wild nature. More than 30 species of insects feed on stinging nettles and many spiders depend on them for food and habitat.

The mycelium

Mushrooms form a large group of living organism that decompose and feed on biomass. Mushrooms are mostly known for their visible fruit bodies. However, their hidden mycelium is a tight network that penetrates the soil in order to find decomposable organic material.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/11.jpg?w=640

The mushroom mycelium is the planet’s natural internet (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html). Individual mycelia are known as the biggest individual organisms on the planet and have extended on areas as large as several hundreds of hectares. The mycelium transports and distributes nutrients and makes them available to soil bacteria and plants. The mycelium decomposes toxic compounds, takes up heavy metals and paves the ground for the establishment of a healthy ecosystem thus allowing many other organisms to flourish. The mycelium cleans and restores ecosystems from the bottom up, both after natural and man made disasters.

A specific group of mushrooms, also known as saprophytic mushrooms, are able to decompose a broad spectrum of the most toxic compounds in our environment, such as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), or the explosive TNT. The same mycelia can decompose all fractions of oil including products derived from oil. In addition, the mycelium of specific mushrooms can take up heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, copper and lead, as well as contaminants such as arsenic and radioactive cesium.

The mycelium is a dynamic network that communicates with other organisms, shares and transports nutrients across large distances, while keeping toxic heavy metals out of reach for other organisms. Several mushrooms are known as toxic because of their capacity to accumulate toxic concentrations of specific heavy metals.

A natural soil structure is the most promising way to reestablish the intelligent system mycelium. Tilling the soil destroys the immune system of the soil and releases toxins.

Obviously, the quality of soils cannot be monitored by merely analyzing its elemental composition. The soil is an ecosystem with dead and living organisms in a dynamic and evolving process. It is the healthy state of the soil that determines, whether and how much toxic compounds are taken up from the vegetation above. The quality of the soil can only be determined by the vegetation. Its content of essential minerals versus toxic contaminants.

It is further obvious that a naturally built soils must not be disturbed repeatedly by ploughing, because tilling the soil destroys its natural structure. Permanent, perennial and mixed polycultures are therefore the most appropriate form of cultivating plants.

Biochar

Long before the discovery of the American continent, the Amazon basin was inhabited by was one of the largest agrarian civilizations.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/arqueologica-embrapa_acrima20110707_0073_15.jpg?w=640

The Chibcha people (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCu8Mi4e5yk&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLD14017C880BCB2FA) practiced a method that became known as ‘slash and char’ to create and maintain cropping systems in the rainforest. The soil that has resulted from this culture is known as ‘terra preta do indio’ and is still, 500 years after the disappearance of the culture stable and exceptionally fertile.

Char – or biochar – is amorph carbon which is the product of a fractionated burning (pyrolysis), where – instead of burning the biomass all the way down to ashes – only the light and volatile compounds of the biomass become oxidized, whereas most of its carbon skeleton remains.

Biochar has a gigantic surface structure providing a habitat for mycelia and bacteria, keeping moisture, and binding both nutrients as well as toxic contaminants.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/biochar-from-cassava_1_20090528_2078029508.jpg?w=640

The addition of biochar to soils contributes to the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere (http://jordforbindelse.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/biochar-is-part-of-a-local-solution/), while at the same time serving to increase the soil’s fertility. In turn this creates conditions for better growth and further assimilation of carbondioxid.

Biochar can be produced from all kind of dried biomass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp6y3U_axwc&NR=1&feature=endscreen) with simple technology. Biochar bears many potential applications and can for instance be used in the foundation of growth areas such as raised beds. Here it can serve as a filter to prevent unwanted contaminants to rise into the upper soil layers, while at the same time reducing the loss of nutrients into the ground water.

Health – body, mind and soul

Standing strong against chronic diseases including depression, stress and burn-out. Our body is our temple. A healthy body is required for health of mind and soul.


http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/12.jpg?w=640

We are genetically coded to live in and from nature. Man has eaten food produced in and from nature for 250.000 years. Consequently, our body needs nutrients and metabolites from the soil primarily via plants.

The definition of disease from the school medicine’s perspective refers often to a functional failure with the result that symptoms are treated rather than diseases. The body turns sick if it is not provided with the necessary minerals, vitamins and metabolites.

Today, we treat such symptoms with medicine. However, we can also choose to treat the patient and his or her disease, if we instead take a holistic view on the matter and provide the body with the necessary nutrition of healthy food. In fact, then we activate the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

Apart from the above, there is a wealth of energies, such as love, that cannot be exactly measured and quantified by any means. Experiments have shown that social accompany, stress via heavy metal music and shouting, excoriating or showing disrespect all affects the development of plants. Mobbing provokes stress so that plants become sick and are negatively affected in their development. In contrast, plants that are treated with the ‘god energy’ are physiologically and visually healthy and develop faster. Other experiments have suggested that plants can sense, whether they are watered automatically or by a person that cares for the plant. Plants treated with the god energy thrive healthy and better than plants that are treated by an automated process.

The garden is known as a place for therapy. In reality however, it appears that people get sick as they are taken out of nature and the garden.

Initiators of FRESH

Kenneth Grønbjerg, cabinet maker, ecological farmer, permaculturist , activist and guerrilla gardner, growing food with focal aspects on health. E-mail: kermitgaard@live.dk, tel.: +45 20778644

Thomas Paul Jahn, PhD, biologist, former associate professor in ‘Agriculture and Ecology’ at KU-LIFE, active consultancy i growing systems with core area in soil restoration using mycoremediation. Guerrilla gardener. E-mail: thomaspauljahn@gmail.com, tel.: +45 22314540
www.jordforbindelse.wordpress.com

Filip Micoletti, permaculture horticulturist, artisan, musician. E-mail: tuvieni@yahoo.dk, tel.: +45 60904966

cooperations

Caroline Fibæk (http://www.carolinefibaek.dk/), naturopath in biological medicin, book author, presenter and educator.

Jann Kuusisaari, biologist with focal area in edible weeds, gardner.

Julie Dufour Veise, architect, field guide.

Ginda Hirslund (http://essenceoffood.com/), green cook and nutritional therapist. Educator at the school of ecological production, Copenhagen (den økologiske produktionsskole).

for download of a pdf version press here: FRESH english (http://jordforbindelse.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/fresh-english1.pdf)


Sources: http://permaculture.org.au/2011/11/17/fresh-worlds-wildest-supermarket/
and: http://jordforbindelse.wordpress.com/fresh-2/fresh-english/

[Cjay]

FRESH – World’s Wildest Supermarket - part 3
Videos linked to from part 2 (previous post)


Excellent TED talk, referred to in above article in the section about mycelium - the planets natural internet.

Paul Stamets: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY



BBC documentary about the re-discovery of El Dorado, the implications of biochar and terra preta.

The Secret of El Dorado

8993313723654914866
Source: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8993313723654914866

[Maria Stade]

WOW :clap2: Thanks :hug: that was amazing !

Pick it your self shop LOL yea that is the future ! Or step out the door and grab your food !

The garden of eden is here if we make it so !

[panopticon]

G'day Cjay,

Excellent post.
Guilds are one of the best ways of keeping disease and pests under control.
I never understand when people want "beautiful" garden beds...
Even more annoying is the "show piece of consumerist pride" -- the suburban lawn... ** shudder **

It should also always be remembered that edges are where dynamic growth occurs.
That's why monoculture is so poor.
I remember a demonstration site where a field was planted with alternating cereal "strips" (big enough for a header).
The harvest was about the same (for the usual cereal) with the added benefit of a second harvest of the alternate cereal. So twice the crop in comparison to a monoculture regime.
That's the beauty of increasing edge. It provides the diversity and difference that encourages growth and protects against disease and pests. I could carry on for hours about this...

Add to increased edges some small animals (ducks, chooks etc) and it's a winner!
They clean up where its needed (including many scraps), keep locusts etc down while providing fertiliser, eggs and a food source.
Brilliant!

My biggest problem is keeping the bloody possums and spotted-tail quolls (http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/webpages/bhan-5373rd?open) out!
An excellent resource for fencing to do with wallabies, roos and possums is here:
http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter/nsf/WebPages/LBUN-7RE7LM?open

I've got about a hectare of gums to drop over the next month for the "down side of the lake" new orchard (for two reasons it provides food and a fire resistant zone). Trying to make the overflow work a bit more before it leaves the property... Busy, busy, busy.

Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[Muzz]

This is an excellent source of info. Many thanks everyone. :bump:

[Cjay]

G'day Panopticon, what part of Aus are you in? Just curious.

[panopticon]

G'day Cjay,

South Island.
What the North Island folks call Tasmania. :smokin:

Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[Cjay]

It's funny talking of just north and south islands when Australia consists of 8222 islands.
Source: http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/landforms/islands.html

I love trivia, lol.

Our kiwi friends call Australia the west islands (of NZ).

Tassie is beautiful. Love it there. My sister and her man recently bought 40 hectares of mostly protected land near Hobart. I also have a cousin in the north west of Tas.

[nomadguy]

Good stuff Cjay!, keep it coming,
Hey any of you Avalon folks from Aus, Has any begun to work with the indigenous on permaculture type projects?

[nomadguy]

Here is am Excellent article (In my opinion)
Permaculture and Metaphysics
People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/08/permaculture-and-metaphysics/

additionally
ABC Rural Talks to Matt Kilby About Farm Restoration Through Installing Trees and Swales (Podcast)
http://www.permaculture.org.au/podcasts/abc_matt_kilby.mp3
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/08/abc-rural-talks-to-matt-kilby-about-farm-restoration-through-installing-trees-and-swales/

Carry on ~
:frog:

[Cjay]

Good stuff Cjay!, keep it coming

Oh, I will keep it coming. I'm on a mission! It's great information that we all need to re-learn.


Hey any of you Avalon folks from Aus, Has any begun to work with the indigenous on permaculture type projects?

Not yet but it's definitely in my plans for next year.

[panopticon]

Tassie is beautiful. Love it there. My sister and her man recently bought 40 hectares of mostly protected land near Hobart. I also have a cousin in the north west of Tas.

G'day Cjay,

I can only agree with you there.
I love the fact that I can go for a walk out my back door for about 20 minutes and be deep in the State Forest.

I planted out around 20 hectares with gums (from seed) a few years back to slow the water movement at the top of the property.
Still got problems with the dam and silt that I haven't sorted yet but reckon I'll be mining silt 'til I can't move no more...
Plan on using some of it on the down ward slope (where I've got the trees to drop) in conjunction with light swaling, green mulch, gypsum and aggregate to combat the high clay content before establishing the pioneers.

I posted above about using fruit trees as a fire retardant.
For a list of Australian natives that do this see this Australian Plant Society (Victoria) page (http://www.apsvic.org.au/plant_fire_resistant.html).
For a few case studies on fire resistant tree see this page (http://www.smalltreefarm.com.au/Fire-retardants.html).

As I'm sure everyone in this thread knows it's important to take things like this into account when designing a system. This is stuff where only local knowledge and careful consideration really make the difference.
As the Permaculture principle goes:

http://permacultureprinciples.com/images/principle_1.gif
Prevailing winds, water sources, slope, species choice all have an effect on whether a house will burn or not.
I remember a lecture Mollison gave where he was saying how a Landscape Designer had planted pampas grass (from memory) on the downhill side leading to the house, in a "wind funnel", that would channel any fire straight onto the house.
He said the Landscape Designer must not have liked them very much!
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[panopticon]

Here is am Excellent article (In my opinion)
Permaculture and Metaphysics
People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/08/permaculture-and-metaphysics/


G'day nomadguy,

I agree with Geoff Lawton and Bill Mollison on this.
It has been a long debate on this topic and Dave Holmgren doesn't help sometimes.
His 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (http://permacultureprinciples.com/resources_principles.php)' is an excellent book that is well researched and written but he does muddy the waters sometimes with his beliefs (though I agree with most of them).

In a PDC there is hardly enough time to cover the material needed let alone head off into belief systems.
While I am probably all alone in this thread on this, I don't see a place in a PDC for spirituality.
As Craig mentioned it is impossible to cater for every belief in what would by necessity be a short session without the risk of alienating some members of the group.
What if the "teacher" was a fundamentalist christian who demanded that everybody prayed before they started and studied the bible for a session?
I for one would not be very impressed.

So:
Yes, individuals need to understand themselves and appreciate the beauty of nature in all its glory.
No, they don't need to be lectured to about, as Bill says, 'fairies, devas, elves, after-life, apparitions or phenomena not verifiable by every person from their own experience.'
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

Addendum:
Just to add that within Permaculture there are quite a few christians and by there not being an emphasis on "New Age" material it means there are no points of contention between advocates. Also most farmers are pragmatists who don't give a damn about my, your or winnie-the-poohs beliefs. They want a solution to a problem. Not lectures on metaphysics.

[Cjay]

Here is am Excellent article (In my opinion)
Permaculture and Metaphysics
People Systems, Society, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/08/permaculture-and-metaphysics/


I agree that spirituality and mystical concepts should NOT be mixed with permaculture courses for the reasons discussed in that article.

[nomadguy]

Can Australia grow Teak?
11800

And here is another Thread that has quite a few reference cross overs,
Foresting Strategies for Drylands: Slope
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?29278-Foresting-Strategies-for-Drylands-Slope

[panopticon]

G'day nomadguy,

Thanks for the link to the other thread.
Looks very similar to what I'm putting off doing. :rolleyes:

Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[nomadguy]

Save the spirits of nature.
lWKTPKiZD0g
Frankensense is in trouble, I wonder how it could be intertwined into a food forest?
Boswellia sacra
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Boswellia_sacra.jpg/250px-Boswellia_sacra.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswellia_sacra

[nomadguy]

Where to start?
The premise we live by has to change ~ in order for us to begin.
What if our so-called currency was measured by how much effort we put towards cleaning the planet? And investment was backed by the development of new ideas and technologies that are renewable and leave less a footprint than the previous.

H8xj1BGXUu8

[wolf_rt]

...continued from previous post


Companion Planting Guide


http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/companion_planting_guide.jpg

IDEP’s Companion Planting Guide
Click here for full PDF (http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf)
(Includes natural insect repellent tips)


Sometimes you end up wishing you had a resource at hand to make it easier to apply Permaculture principles. This was the case for myself when it came time to start thinking about beneficial groupings of plants and those groupings that do not go well together.

This is what I often find lacking with the current publications on offer from PRI and from those in the community. There is a lot of good knowledge locked up that could benefit so many of us in applying permaculture principles.

A simple A3 or A4 information sheet or booklet of a small number of pages is easy to mentally digest and take in and very handy to have as a reference, either printed out and hung up on the wall or on the computer when we sit down and start thinking about designing our gardens or food systems.

Full details: http://permaculture.org.au/2010/07/30/companion-planting-guide/

IDEP A3 Poster Chart (external pdf): http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf


these links seem to be broked, you dont have a full size copy of that chart by any chance do you?

[albativo]

Looks like they have moved the link on their site:

http://permaculture.org.au/2010/07/30/companion-planting-guide/

[panopticon]

Frankensense is in trouble, I wonder how it could be intertwined into a food forest?
Boswellia sacra
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Boswellia_sacra.jpg/250px-Boswellia_sacra.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswellia_sacra

G'day nomadguy,

Interesting question...

I didn't know anything about Boswellia sacra so went a looking.
Its natural environment is in Africa (Somalia), Arabia (Yemen and Oman) and India at an elevation of around 750 - 1250 metres.
It requires little water (a semi-arid environment) and is not frost tolerant.
It also seems to need a very alkaline soil as it grows naturally in limestone outcrops and is also reported 'to grow out of polished marble rocks without soil' (Crow (http://www.naha.org/articles/frankincense%20and%20myrrh.htm)).

So if you have the rock on site, live in a semi-arid region and are at altitude (though altitude doesn't seem that important) then maybe you're in luck... Otherwise it appears to be a bit temperamental and needy for a food forest. Jason Eslamieh (http://jason-eslamieh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NY-Times-Frankencense_img_41.jpg) reports that 'a fast-draining mixture of one-third mulch and two-thirds decomposed granite' works well. I suppose you could try it on an edge but its pH requirement really makes it a problem plant that I would think is more a special (hothouse succulent) case then a plant that can be integrated easily. Even looking at a hothouse environment it grows to 7.5 metres so you'd need to train it in a smaller house.

So I reckon it's probably not the best selection for a food forest. To needy for my liking. I came across quite a few reports while searching that it is good as a container plant that can moved around to suit the weather though its germination rate, from what I've read, is very low (around 5%) so better off trying cuttings if you can find them. If you live in a suitable region it might make a nice separator between field zones or even as a driveway tree as it grows in rock and needs little water...

All that having been said, experience really is the best teacher. If you have some seed, space, lots of time and are willing to create a free draining micro-climate for it, you never can tell.
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

Sources:
http://www.naha.org/articles/frankincense%20and%20myrrh.htm
http://jason-eslamieh.com/blog/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/136756/#b
http://www.plantsasmedicine.com/~cleanen2/index.php?title=Boswellia_sacra
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Burseraceae/Boswellia_sacra.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4911412_grow-frankincense-seeds.html
http://healingspiritplants.com/plant-list/cultivation-requirements/
http://homeharvest.com/plantphpreference.htm

[nomadguy]

"So I reckon it's probably not the best selection for a food forest. So I reckon it's probably not the best selection for a food forest".

True, unless your environment encourages it in a "field" pattern or something. Then perhaps it is right for your environment. I am in a cool temp dry desert land, so I am considering a solarium to grow this and others that are not-so cold tolerant.

Thanks for the post! good info

[spiritwind]

My first real post here at Avalon and I want to thank EVERYONE HERE FOR SUCH FABULOUS INFO! I currently work the night shift and have a lot of spare time on my hands in the middle of the night. Now I will have something to dive into for some time. I can always appreciate/use new info in this area. Definitely food for thought, ha ha. Thanks again.

[nomadguy]

ejORESoyN9I

[nomadguy]

from the permaculture AU site,

4wLaSQGyuIA
- eThe Biochar Miracle by Sunny Soleil February 3, 2012/ (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/03/the-biochar-miracle/)
Kg95KYrH8PI
---
Composting,
How to Prepare a Beneficial Microorganism Mixture by Niva Kay February 4, 2012 (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/04/how-to-prepare-a-beneficial-microorganism-mixture/)

Harvesting,
Making Miso (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/04/making-miso/)

Note: (I am thinking that this could also make other bean curds, it does not have to be soy, it could even be peanut for example)

Gaiacraft Workbook: Global Release (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/03/gaiacraft-workbook-global-release/) http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/gaiacraft_workbook.jpg
purchase link -http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/gaiacraft-workbook/18826462

[nomadguy]

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/bees_dance_2_06.jpg
The Dance with Bees Continues
http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/06/the-dance-with-bees-continues/

[panopticon]

G'day nomadguy,

I am just curious if you have any experience with the top bar hive method.
The research I've done into this method (Tanzanian in particular) involves destroying the hive to harvest the honey (for many that is the aim of having hives as opposed to having them for pollination) and I find this somewhat self defeating.
I am interested in your (or those of anyone else for that matter) thoughts and experience/corrections on this?
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[nomadguy]

G'day nomadguy,

I am just curious if you have any experience with the top bar hive method.
The research I've done into this method (Tanzanian in particular) involves destroying the hive to harvest the honey (for many that is the aim of having hives as opposed to having them for pollination) and I find this somewhat self defeating.
I am interested in your (or those of anyone else for that matter) thoughts and experience/corrections on this?
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

hmm that does sounds destructive, I have done bee's personally, though I plan on it.
I would not consider killing any hives. I know a few bee-people~ I will get back to you on this one. Cheers!

[nomadguy]

http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/25/perennial-staple-crops-of-the-world/ < these guys are really on a roll!

"Perennial Staple Crops are basic foodstuffs that grow on perennial plants. These plant sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fats can be harvested non-destructively – that is, harvest does not kill the plant or prevent future harvests. This group of crops includes grains, pulses (dry beans), nuts, dry pods, starchy fruits, oilseeds, high-protein leaves, and some more exotic products like starch-filled trunks, sugary palm saps, and aerial tubers.

These trees, palms, grasses, and other long-lived crops offer the unique possibility of crops grown for basic human food that can simultaneously sequester carbon, stabilize slopes, and build soils as part of no-till perennial agricultural systems. Such production models seem the most likely of all regenerative farming practices to approach the carbon sequestering capacity of natural forest, because they can mimic the structure of a forest most closely.

Perennial staple crop systems are resilient in the face of extreme weather, surviving drought, flooding, and storms better than most annuals. These food forests can be long-lived, no-till, and low-maintenance – which sounds like a rather utopian base of subsistence. They do however have harvesting and processing challenges – for example most peach palm varieties have tall, very spiny trunks that must be climbed for harvest (both dwarf and spineless forms have been selected, but not yet one with both qualities).

Note that these benefits apply particularly to polycultures (multi-species systems) of perennial staple crops. Monocultures (single-species plantations) appear to sequester less carbon, are more fragile in the face of pests and extreme weather events, and certainly provide less additional social and ecological benefits.

Most of the species profiled here are still under development. Though they may have been grown for millennia, almost none have received the kind of breeding attention that annual staples like corn, rice, and wheat have received. Nonetheless, many actually outyield annual staple crops even in their neglected state. Others, notably perennial grains, are part of active breeding efforts and are showing great promise. Globally, a massive effort to fund breeding work, particularly providing additional resources to individuals and organizations already at work on perennial crops, should be an important component of climate change prevention.

Perennial Crop Candidates by Climate Type

The lowland humid tropics are rich in productive starchy perennial staples. Crops like bananas, breadfruit, sago palm, peach palm, air potato, and Tahitian chestnut are very high-yielding. The region is also well-supplied with perennial oilseeds like oil palms, Brazil nuts, and avocados. Perennial proteins are less available, with the few ready for prime time including breadnut and some other tropical nuts.

For arid and semi-arid tropical zones, the situation is also fairly promising. Carbohydrate crops include date palms and mesquite pods. Perennial protein crops include: perennial lima beans; buffalo gourd seeds; moringa, baobab, and chaya leaves; and extremely drought-tolerant edible-seeded acacias.

In the highland tropics, several unique crops offer great promise. Carbohydrate crops include lucuma fruit, mesquite pods, and the starchy trunks of enset. The remarkable chachafruto tree is a perennial bean with phenomenal production. Several other perennial beans including runner beans are suited to the highland tropics.

Mediterranean climates can feature carbohydrate crops like carob, dates, and chestnuts. Protein sources include avocado, almond, and pistachio. The olive is of course among the world’s finest oil crops. This is also the only region with an oak (Quercus ilex) that is functioning as a proper crop.

Cold temperate climates are in an interesting situation. We have the least number of staples ready for prime time, but by far the most breeding work being done. Chestnut and hazel are perhaps the best carbohydrate and protein crops (respectively) we have at present, with pecan our best oilseed. Edible leaf mulberry is also a fascinating and productive candidate. However, perennial grain development is moving ahead rapidly and the outlook for cold climates looks excellent. These grains may someday join mesquite in cold arid regions as the basis of human sustenance.

Barriers to Adoption of Perennial Staple Crops

Why are these crops not better known and more widely grown? Our global food system focuses primarily on annual grains, beans, oilseeds and tubers. These crops provide a yield quickly. Converting to perennial staple crops means facing many challenges.

For one, these crops are difficult to get your hands on. In any given region, few are available. Access to improved varieties is even harder to come by. A network of nurseries is an essential component of getting this plant material in the right hands. This will include navigating lots of permits and paperwork in bringing seeds and cuttings across national lines.

For any individual farmer, getting over the hump of establishment time is a major barrier. Waiting 3-5 years after planting for food or income is difficult for farmers everywhere, particularly where farmers must subsist on what they grow. Climate change funds could and should be targeted on a massive scale to make it possible for farmers to get these crops established. Lack of long-term land tenure is also an obstacle – who wants to plant and care for trees on rented or otherwise insecure land?

Adoption of new crops is also a barrier. People like to eat what they are accustomed to, and won’t necessarily eat something new just because it is good for them, grows easily, or helps fight climate change. Fortunately, many perennial staples taste excellent. This obstacle can also be partially overcome by replacing annual livestock feed crops with perennial ones. Hogs and cattle are a lot less picky about their foods than people!

Perennial staple crops, like corn and wheat, often require specialized equipment or infrastructure for harvesting, processing, and storage. This can be low- or high-tech. To implement a mass conversion to perennial staple crops will require development and distribution of the necessary equipment to make utilization possible.

Much research is also called for. Even in cases where selection and breeding work is relatively complete, which species and varieties are suited to a given region? What agronomic practices work best? How can perennial staples be integrated with nitrogen fixing species, livestock, and annual crops? This kind of research should be funded and prioritized as part of global and regional carbon sequestration efforts.

Perennial vs. Annual Crop Yields Compared

The yield figures used to compile these tables do not give a terribly accurate comparison, for several reasons: a) some are measured in fresh weight while others are dry weight, b) some, mostly the annual comparison crops, are fertilized and cared for while others are virtually unmanaged and could have substantially higher yields, c) the crops are grown in different climates with humid tropical species dominating the charts, d) some of these crops are fully domesticated, others virtually not at all, and many are in between, e) some yields include nutshells or inedible pits, and f) yield data on a few of the perennials is extrapolated from smaller land units. Some of these variables favor annuals and others favor perennials, but these tables at least give us somewhere to work from. Yields are in tons per hectare. One ton per hectare is equivalent to 892 pounds per acre.

A brief review of the tables will show that clearly many perennial staple crops are powerful food producers. Particularly in the tropics where candidates abound, these species should be central to carbon sequestration efforts.

Perennial carbohydrate crop yields

Perennial carbohydrates come in the forms of starchy fruits, seeds, nuts, dry pods, aerial tubers, dried fruits, and starchy trunks. These species are ranked by productivity and compared with annual crops. Annual crops for comparison are marked with an asterisk (note that cassava is really a perennial grown as an annual over a 1-2 year period)."

Perennial protein crop yields

Perennial protein is somewhat rare, particularly in colder climates, and often comes in the form of nuts, which are not ideal because of the frequency of food allergies. Perennial beans are wonderful, and some areas of the world have good ones, though most of us have only limited perennial beans options in serious need of breeding work. Annual protein crops are provided for comparison and are marked with an asterisk.

High-protein perennial nuts and beans
Latin Name Common Name Climate Yield t/ha Product
Erythrina edulis chachafruto highland tropics 13 beans
Artocarpus camansii breadnut humid tropics 11 nuts
Phaseolus coccineus runner bean tropical highlands 3-5 beans
Phaseolus lunatus lima bean tropics 3-5 beans
*Cajanus cajan pigeon pea (as annual) tropics 1-5 beans
*Glycine max soybean cold temperate, tropical 1-5 beans
Juglans regia walnut cold temperate, Mediterranean 4.5 nuts
Prunus dulcis almond Mediterranean 4 nuts
Corylus spp. hazel cold temperate, Mediterranean 2-4 nuts
Cucurbita foetidissima buffalo gourd arid cold to tropical 0.5-3.4 seeds
Carya illinoiensis pecan cold temperate, subtropics 3 nuts
Pistacea vera pistachio Mediterranean 3 nuts
*Arachis hypogaea peanut cold temperate, tropical 1-3 peanuts
Sclerocarya birrea marula arid tropics 2 nuts
*Phaseolus vulgaris common bean cold temperate, tropical 1-2 beans
Acacia spp. edible acacias arid tropics 1.2 beans

High-protein perennial leaf crops

This chart compares protein yield per hectare, not total crop yields, as comparing leaves to beans and nuts is not very helpful. Annual crops soybean and spinach are provided for comparison and are marked with an asterisk – note that perennial leaf crop protein/hectare is very competitive.
Latin Name Common Name Leaf Yield t/ha % Protein Protein Yield t/ha
Crotolaria longirostrata Chipilin 5-11 dry 38% dry 2-4.2
Morus alba Mulberry 16-52 fresh, 8-13 dry 15-27% dry 1.2-3.8
Moringa oleifera Moringa 10-50 fresh 5.5% fresh 0.5-2.7
*Glycine max Soybean 1-5 dry beans 35% dry 0.3-1.8
Cnidoscolus chayamansa Chaya 20-30 fresh 5.7% fresh 1.1-1.7
*Spinacea oleracea Spinach 10-35 fresh 2.5% fresh 0.2-0.9

Edible perennial oilseed yields

In the tropics perennial oil plants already dominate. In colder zones, pecan oil yields 150% of rapeseed, the highest-yielding annual oilseed in the table. Note in particular the high number of palms. Annuals are provided for comparison and are marked with an asterisk.
Latin Name Common Name Climate Oil yield t/ha
Elaeis guineensis African oil palm humid tropics 5.0
Acrocomia aculeata macauba palm semi-arid tropics 3.7
Caryocar brasiliense pequi semi-arid tropics 3.1
Caryodendron orinocense inche semi-arid to humid tropics 3.0
Mauritia flexuosa buriti palm humid tropics 2.7
Cocos nucifera coconut palm humid tropics 2.2
Persea americana avocado humid, semi-arid, highland tropics 2.2
Bertholletia excelsa Brazil nut humid tropics 2.0
Macadamia ternifolia macadamia humid tropics and subtropics 1.8
Attalea speciosa babassu palm humid tropics 1.5
Carya illinoiensis pecan temperate to subtropics 1.5
Attalea funifera piassava palm humid tropics 1.1
Olea europea olive Mediterranean 1.0
*Brassica napus rapeseed cold temperate 1.0
*Papaver somniferum poppy cold temperate, Mediterranean 0.9
*Arachis hypogaea peanut worldwide 0.8
*Helianthus annuus sunflower worldwide 0.8
*Oryza sativa rice humid worldwide 0.6
Cucurbita foetidissima buffalo gourd cold to tropical arid 0.6
Corylus spp. hazel cold temperate 0.4

Perennial Staple Crop Profiles

Perennial staple crop profiles are grouped by family or in other clusters. This listing represents the “fruit” of several years of research, but represents just a sampling of the great diversity that is out there.

PALM FAMILY (Arecaceae)

The palms contain some of the world’s best-developed perennial staples. Indeed they rank among the most useful plants of the world. Palms as a group are very versatile multipurpose species, many producing structural materials like thatch, fibers, fodder, and non-edible fuel and industrial oils.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is among the most useful plants in the world. The nuts alone have dozens of uses. As a staple food they are very high in oil and provide important food energy to hundreds of millions of people around the coastal and humid lowlands tropics. Its tolerance of extreme winds and salty water make the coconut ideally suited to our changing climate. In addition to high oil yields, coconuts can produce 3-4 tons per hectare of copra (nutmeat) and over two tons of oil.

Date (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit has been a staple for millennia. Dates are very high yielding and store well. They provide a very high food energy value and are also high in vitamins and minerals. Though somewhat picky about climate, dates can be grown in many arid to semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions. Yields range from 11-17 tons per hectare.

Oilseed Palms. Many palms produce edible oils. In fact, according to my research five of the top ten edible oil crops in the world are palms. This elite group includes the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata), buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa), coconut, and babassu (Attalea speciosa). These species grow in a range of humid to semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions. These species yield from 1.5-5 tons per hectare of oil.

Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes). Peach palm was once a major staple in the Americas and has tremendous worldwide potential. The cooked fruits are an important food, high in beta carotene and carbohydrates much like orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. They can be dried into flour and stored for long periods. Yields are outstanding, from 20-30 tone per hectare. Peach palm should be much more widely grown in the humid tropics. Breeding work has resulted in some dwarf, spineless forms with superior ease of harvest.

Sago. This phenomenal group of palms, with Metroxylon sagu the most developed, represent a perennial staple crop that has already far exceeded the potential of most annual crops. Sagos are multi-stemmed palms. When a given trunk has matured to the proper stage, it is cut down and harvested without damaging the future productivity of the clump. Sago trunks are composed of carbohydrates and fibers. Processing (from stone age to modern techniques) removes the fibers and results in sustained harvests of no-till perennial starch. Once established (5-7 years), a sago stand can produce 25 tons or more of edible starch per hectare indefinitely.

Sugar Palms. The “official” sugar palm, Arenga pinnata, is a remarkable food producer. Of the world’s many sugar-producing palms, it is perhaps the highest yielder and is grown commercially on a large scale. Flowerstalks are cut, and the sugary sap is collected, in a manner analogous to sugar maple but with much higher sugar yields, up to 25 tons per hectare.

LEGUME FAMILY (Fabaceae)

Annual dry beans and pulses (like lentils) are essential staple crops around the world. Though there are a few standout perennials like runner and lima beans, few efforts have been made to domesticate or improve promising perennial legume food crops. Most species profiled under this family also fix nitrogen, a major contribution to agroecosystem productivity. Mesquite, chachafruto, Tahitian chestnut and pigeon pea stand out as particularly promising. Many other trees with edible seeds and pods await development, notably Leucaena edulis and Acacia, Parkia, and Pentaclethra species.

Acacias (Acacia spp.). For the world’s driest climates and poorest soils, these trees and shrubs offer a high-protein seed crop. Though yields are not fantastic (1.2 tons per hectare), they surely compare with most other crops that could be grown under similar conditions. And they have received little research and breeding attention. Note that though many acacias are toxic, these particular species have been eaten for thousands for years. Edible acacia species include A. holosericea, A. murrayana, and A. victoriae.

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is a traditional Mediterranean tree crop which has never reached its full potential. It is grown mostly as a livestock food. When I was a child, carob bars were promoted as a substitute for chocolate. I was not convinced. However, as an adult I have come to appreciate both the raw, whole pods and the flour as a very fine foods on their own merits. Carob prefers semi-arid subtropics and Mediterranean climates. It can be quite productive, up to 2-12 tons of pods per hectare. Unfortunately carob does not fix nitrogen.

Chachafruto (Erythrina edulis) is a phenomenal food plant. A nitrogen-fixing tree, easily propagated by live stakes, it produces enormous pods full of edible beans. Yields are very high – 13 tons per hectare (three to four times higher than soybeans), yet chachafruto has received little breeding attention and is difficult to even acquire for testing outside of its native Andes. This species should be in every backyard in the highland tropics. A stunning example of the potential of perennial beans.

Chipilin (Crotolaria longirostrata) is a Mesoamerican nitrogen-fixing shrub. The cooked leaves are a popular vegetable. They have a remarkable 38% protein dry weight and can produce 5-11 tons per hectare dry weight. Chipilin grows in semi-arid to humid tropics and subtropics, including highlands. This species should be much more widely grown.
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Chipilin grew nine feet tall as an annual in my Massachusetts garden

Honey Locust (Gleditsia tricanthos) was proposed by J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture in 1927 as a tree fodder for livestock and potential sugar or flour crop for people. Though little has been done to develop this crop, it remains the potential carob of the cold-winter world. Like carob, honey locust does not fix nitrogen. Honey locust pods are large and full of sugars in good varieties. They yield 3-15 tons per hectare though reports vary widely. It casts very light shade making it an excellent overstory crop for pastures or food forests. At least one nursery (Hidden Springs) offers grafted superior varieties.

Illinois Bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis). This native US prairie herb has been the subject of domestication efforts by the Land Institute for decades. Land Institute breeders have had substantial gains towards developing non-shattering (seeds held in pod until harvest), higher-yielding, large-seeded varieties. The challenge they are currently facing is the poor flavor of the cooked beans, with several processing techniques under investigation.

Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) is among the finest of the world’s perennial staple crops. These nitrogen-fixing species of arid regions are true desert survivors. Some species are quite cold-hardy and others are truly tropical. For millennia, people and livestock have consumed their sweet pods. The pods are nutritionally similar to wheat. Mesquite pods are utilized in many arid regions as fodder, though in the US they are destroyed to make way for pasture. Mesquite pods as human food are undergoing a resurgence. Dr. Richard Felger, a researcher associated with the Sky Island Alliance and the University of Arizona herbarium, has spent decades investigating the potential of this important and high-yielding desert food crop. He feels that within it will become a major world crop in the near future, and notes its tolerance of salt as well as drought. Tropical species yield up to 10 tons per hectare, with cold-hardy forms more like 2-4.

Perennial Phaseolus Beans. Several beans of world importance are perennials, notably lima (P. lunatus) and runner (P. coccineus) beans. In both cases vining pole types are perennial while bush forms are annual. Yields range from 3-5 tons per hectare. Both species are tender to frost, though Ken Fern of Plants for a Future reports that runner beans re-sprout and yield for twenty years or more in England. Tropical crop experts at ECHO have been distributing seed of the long-lived “7 Year” lima variety, which is adapted to very dry regions. Both runners and limas have potential to cross with the cold-hardy perennial US native P. polystachios, forming the basis of a perennial pole bean for the rest of us.

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) is already a legume crop of world importance, in humid to quite arid tropical and subtropical regions. However most varieties are grown as annuals, and most breeding work has focused on annual forms. Yields tend to be high the first year (1-5 tons per hectare), with plants persisting as shrubs for 3-5 years after with low yields if not plowed under. There is no reason not to focus breeding work on varieties that will continue to yield well for multiple seasons. Perennial types are already widely used in agroforestry and homegardens, and the ideal sustained-yield pigeon peas may already be out there in a hedgerow somewhere waiting to be put to use.

Tahitian Chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer) is a large nitrogen-fixing tree from the Pacific. It produces edible nuts, which can yield a remarkable 4-30 t/ha, and was apparently more intensively cultivated in the past. Of great interest to multistory polyculture enthusiasts, it is somewhat shade tolerant. Tahitian chestnut requires a lowland humid tropical climate with year-round rainfall.

MULBERRY FAMILY (Moraceae)

Many of our best perennial staples come from this family, particularly in the humid tropics and subtropics. These include species from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and are grown for nuts, starchy fruits, sweet fruits, and vegetables. One species even produces an edible milk!

Breadfruit & Breadnut (Artocarpus altilis & A. camansii). Breadfruit is one of the few perennial staple crops to have reached it potential. It is widely grown in the Pacific but could and should become commonplace in humid tropical lowlands throughout the world. The large starchy fruits can be used in many ways, with a mix of varieties (Dr. Diane Ragone of the Breadfruit Institute has collected 120) fruit can be produced year round. Yields range from 16-30 tons per hectare. However, only 2-5 varieties ever made it out of the Pacific, so the world’s perception of this fruit is limited. Breadnut is a seeded form of breadfruit with large, protein-rich nuts and outstanding yields (11 tons per hectare). We need a Breadfruit Institute for every one of the crops profiled here! The related African breadnut (Treculia africana) yields 5-10 tons per hectare.

Jakfruit (A. heterophylla) is a breadfruit relative with truly enormous fruits. When ripe, they are a first-class dessert fruit. When green (and already huge), they can be eaten as a starchy fruit much like breadfruit. The ripe fruits have large, high-protein edible nuts as well. Jakfruit is one of the highest-yielding foods in the world. It is more flexible than breadfruit as to climate, tolerating drier and more subtropical zones as well as lowland humid tropics. Yields are high, from 6-12 tons per hectare or more.

Ramon or Mayan Breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum). The ramon was once a staple crop of the Maya in Mesoamerica, complementing the corn harvest. The fruits are edible and enclose an edible starchy nut. Ramon is adapted to semi-arid to humid lowland tropics and yields 7-8 tons per hectare. The related “cow tree” B. utile produces a tasty milk-like sap that has been tapped and consumed for centuries.

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The Mayan breadnut is a former staple being
championed by the Maya Nut Institute

Fig (Ficus carica)

The fig, along with dates, raisins, and dried mulberries, represents a class of dried fruits consumed as staple carbohydrates for centuries. Figs are productive, easily grown, and adapted to a wide range of subtropical and temperate climates. Note that there are many other edible Ficus species in the tropics and subtropics, including the sycamore fig (F. sycamorus), grown in Egypt for 5,000 years.

White Mulberry (Morus alba). White mulberry leaves are cooked and eaten in at least several areas of Latin America. They are very high in protein, and selected varieties have very good flavor and texture. Fresh leaf yields can reach an astonishing 53 tons per hectare. Much is known about coppiced mulberry leaf production as it is a critical fodder for silkworm production and also widely used as a fodder for other livestock. Now perhaps it will take its place as a human fodder as well. Some reports also indicate that dried mulberry fruit, along with hazelnuts, are or were the staple food of some Himalayan regions. They are delicious and filling, though information on nutrition and yields is hard to come by.

Coppiced mulberry leaf on contour at Las Cañadas for human food and
goat fodder. Overstory of nitrogen-fixing acacias.

HARDY NUT CROPS

Cold-hardy nut trees and shrubs may yet not compare with tropical gems like breadnut and peach palm, but their sheer ability to survive vicious winters counts for a lot. I wrote in my previous article about Badgersett Research Corp’s work to develop sophisticated new “woody agriculture” systems based on chestnut and hazel. It should be noted that a drawback to heavy reliance on nuts as food is the prevalence of nut allergies (though in their favor, nut consumption has been linked to reduced incidence of heart disease). These species, along with perennial grains and honey locust, offer a respectable place to start for a perennial carbon-sequestering staple crop system for the cold world.

Chestnut (Castanea spp.) is a top-ranked cold-climate perennial staple with 3-5 tons per hectare yields. People in Asia, Europe, and North America consumed chestnuts as a staple for millennia. Yields today are higher than any other cold-climate nut crop. Chestnuts are high in carbohydrates and make wonderful flour for baked goods. This species, along with hazel (below) is the subject of intense breeding work by Badgersett Research Corp with the goal of replacing Iowa’s corn and soybeans with woody agriculture.

Hazel (Corylus spp.) is the other strongest candidate for a cold-climate nut crop. Quick-yielding, high in protein and oil, hazels have made great progress under the Badgersett breeding program. Among the many species and hybrids are forms that thrive in very cold and semi-arid to humid climates as well as Mediterranean regions. Nut yields range from 2-4 tons per hectare. Hazels also have promise as oilseed for cold areas yielding 0.4 tons per hectare.

Nut Pines (Pinus spp). Many species of pines from Europe, Asia, and the Americas produce edible nuts. Though yields are not high and are often not consistent from year to year, many nut pines, particularly the American and Mexican pinyons (P. edulis, P. monophylla, P. cembroides) tolerate terrible soils, very dry conditions, and extremes of heat and cold that would shrivel almost any other crop. Though slow to come into mature bearing, nut pines have been the staff of life for many peoples for thousands of years.

Oaks (Quercus spp.). Acorns served as a staple human food for millennia. Challenges to oak domestication include bitter tannins in acorns and a strong tendency to bear heavily one year and then very lightly for several years. On the other hand oaks hybridize readily and can be propagated by grafting once a new variety is developed. In Europe and the Mediterranean, ancient selection has provided us with low-tannin forms of Q. ilex, which however do not yield terribly well (1-2 tons per hectare). Efforts at oak breeding in the US go back to the first parts of the 20th century. Oikos Tree Crops leads the pack today in developing and offering higher-yielding, lower-tannin, more regularly-bearing hybrid oaks. Though the perfect oaks for human food have not yet been developed, we are on our way there.

Pecan and Hickories (Carya spp.). Pecans are native from Michigan to Mexico and yield well in warmer cold temperate regions as well as some subtropical areas. These long-lived and enormous trees are excellent for carbon sequestration. Though pecans are only moderately high yielders (3 tons per hectare), due to their high oil content they are among the best cold-climate oilseeds (1.5 tons per hectare).

Walnut (Juglans spp.). Many species of walnuts are cultivated, from the tropical highlands to cold and Mediterranean climates. Juglans regia is the main walnut of commerce. The nuts are high in fat with respectable protein. For centuries yields of 2.5 t/ha were close to the limit. The development of new, precocious, lateral-bearing varieties adapted to intensive production has permitted yields as high as 4.5 tons per hectare.

PERENNIAL GRASSES (Poaceae)

Perennial grains are still a decade or more in the future, though thanks to the visionary work of the Land Institute and others, we are already decades closer to achieving that goal. Both perennializing annual grains and domesticating wild perennials present serious breeding challenges. However, perennial grains have multiple benefits – they are widely adaptable to climates and soils, and their harvest, processing, and consumption are familiar to millions.

Corn (Zea mays) has perennial relatives and can also be crossed with hardy perennials including Eastern gammagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides). Work at the Land Institute has made substantial progress towards developing perennial corn. Land Institute breeders report that with sufficient funding a perennial corn could be ready for field tests in as little as ten years. One challenge is that the perennial rhizomes that overwinter the plants are not cold hardy, so breeding is focused on deeper rhizomes that survive below the frost line. Of course this consideration is not important in the tropics where millions of people rely on corn as a staple.

Indian Ricegrass. This perennial North American native (Oryzopsis hymenoides) was a major staple to indigenous peoples of the west. Discovery of a non-shattering clone allows it to be grown today on a commercial scale in Montana, producing a specialty gluten-free flour. High prices make up for low yields. Little breeding work has been done of this drought- and cold-tolerant perennial grain.

Intermediate Wheatgrass. The Land Institute has been working for several decades to domesticate this perennial wild grain (Thinopyron intermedium). They have had relatively rapid success, and intermediate wheatgrass is currently undergoing a 30-acre field trial. The research fields are burned annually to control weeds, and apparently the crop can also be grazed to provide a non-seed yield. Production is still low, though researchers aim to see it reach one ton per acre.

Nypa (Distichlis palmeri) is a perennial salt-tolerant grass of the Sonoran desert deltas. Nypa grain flavor is apparently excellent. Once a staple of the Cocopa people, this species became virtually extinct. Dr. Richard Felger, a researcher associated with the University of Arizona herbarium and the Sky Island Alliance, has worked on developing nypa as a salt-tolerant perennial grain for decades. Though there were some efforts to commercialize the crop too early, Felger feels that it will become a major world crop comparable to short grain rice in grain size and flavor.

Rice (Oryza sativa). Rice has several perennial relatives, one an African perennial rice and the other actually a strain of the wild ancestor of annual rice. Under some conditions, some annual rice plants will “rattoon” (re-sprout) for several years. Perennial rice breeding work was carried out at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines in the 1990s, and was picked up by the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Kunming, China in 2007. Perennial rice breeding is very challenging and many factors need to be overcome before field testable material is available. The current focus is on replacing annual upland rice, which is grown on steep slopes, as opposed to irrigated paddy rice, which is grown in terraces or level fields.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is weakly perennial in the tropics and “rattoons” or re-sprouts for several years in ideal conditions. Perennial sorghum breeding at the Land Institute has focused on crosses with the perennial weed Johnsongrass (S. halipense). Like corn, there are challenges in overwintering tender rhizomes, which would not be an issue in the tropics. Perennial sorghum is farther along than most of the other perennial versions of major grains but is not yet ready for prime time. Perennial sorghum could be bred not just for grain but also for syrup, which was once made from the stalks across the American Midwest. Sorghum is very versatile in terms of climates to which it is suited, but it is particularly appropriate to dry regions where it can outperform corn.

Sugarcane. This perennial (Saccharum officinale) is the source of more than half of the world’s refined sugar. Though conventional monocultures of sugar cane are environmentally undesirable, and most producers manage it as a short-lived perennial, this species has a place in responsibly designed and managed perennial polyculture systems.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum). Perennial wheat breeding efforts began in the Soviet Union almost one hundred years ago. Only with recently developed techniques is perennial wheat breeding beginning to show results. Several universities are working alongside the Land Institute on perennial wheat breeding including Washington State. One variety has yielded as high as 5.8 t/ha (a commercial annual variety yielded 9 t/ha in the same trial) in eastern Washington. The Land Institute has had no success in perennial wheat survival in Kanasas (nor have I in Massachusetts). In Australia some perennial wheats, despite low grain yields, have been shown economically feasible when sheep are grazed on the wheat fields in the off season.

BANANA FAMILY (Musaceae)

This family currently provides staple fruits for hundreds of millions of people, and with wider utilization of enset these numbers could increase. Though heavy feeders and drinkers, bananas and plantains can be incredibly productive starch sources. The plants themselves are also multipurpose sources of fodder, biomass, paper, fiber, and wrapping materials.

Bananas & Plantains (Musa acuminata & M. paradisica) are perennial staples that hundreds of millions of people rely on for their daily food. With sufficient fertility and water bananas and plantains can outyield almost any other crop. Though thousands of varieties are grown, commercial production is focused on a handful of clones. Industrial banana production has been a major contributor to social and ecological problems, but in integrated agroecosystems these staple fruits can play a very positive role. In ideal conditions they are among the highest-yielding starch crops at up to 60 tons per hectare.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum). Domesticated enset, distinct from ornamental cultivars, is an important staple in the Ethiopian highlands, where 10 million people rely on it. Outside of Ethiopia it is little known. Enset is a banana-like plant, with huge (1m x1m) starchy tubers and enormous (1m x 3m) starch-filled trunks. This starch is processed into many products including fermented injira bread. Harvest of the whole trunk results in several hundred sprouts from the base. Families manage enset patches with plants of different ages. A single plant can feed a family of five for a month. Processing the starch is labor intensive and work is needed on appropriate technologies for enset processing. Yields are around 5 tons per hectare dry starch.

YAM FAMILY (Dioscoreaceae)

The species profiled here (along with some other species and varieties of Dioscorea) is almost unique among tubers in that they are produced above ground, on the vines. This allows no-till production and harvesting of storable tuber crops, giving this species unique potential in carbon-sequestering agriculture. Though air potato is the only species profiled from this family, it is worthy of a prominent place in the perennial staples palette.

Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is a tropical and subtropical supercrop, with select forms producing large edible aerial tubers at rates of up to 19 tons per hectare. At the Las Cañadas permaculture center in Mexico, air potato is proving itself to be productive, delicious, and well behaved when trellised on established nitrogen fixing trees. Though opportunistic toxic forms have naturalized widely, earning the species a poor reputation, edible forms are less aggressive. The native range of air potato stretches from Australia to Africa, thus even if serious efforts at air potato production were confined to that area it could make a tremendous positive impact. The day may soon come when a web search on air potato mostly turns up the environmental costs of not growing air potato.

Air potato: a virtually unique category of perennial staple crop.

TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL NUTS

This is just a selection of the many potential species. These species may only stand out because yield data is available. Like cold-climate nuts, these have the drawbacks of nut allergies and processing issues. Some tropical nuts are remarkably productive. See also Tahitian chestnut and breadnut and its relatives (above) and Brazil nut (below).

Almond (Prunus dulcis). This Mediterranean nut crop is high in oil and protein, and widely enjoyed. It is one of the most widely grown nut crops, with large-scale production techniques worked out. Almonds have been cultivated for at least six thousand years. Yield are high at up to 4 tons per hectare.

Canarium Nuts (Canarium spp.). This genus of underutilized nut trees from Asia and the Pacific produce good yields of high-fat nuts. They are adapted to the lowland tropics, and are a component of ancient agroforestry systems in Melanesia. Canarum nuts have received little research attention but have great promise.

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) is a recently domesticated Australian species that has become globally popular. Macadamias prefer humid subtropics but are fairly adaptable. The nuts are very high in fat, in fact they are an excellent oilseed. Nut yields are very high in the right conditions, 4-6 tons per acre and 1.8 tons of oil.

Marula. This African tree (Sclerocarya birrea) is a remarkable food plant from tropical and subtropical arid lands. A mango relative, marula produces a tart edible fruit with a remarkably nutritious nut inside. Fruit yields of 4.5 tons have been reported from a single superior tree, though the nut yield is much less due to thick shell and small kernel size (extrapolated to 2 tons per hectare). The macadamia-like nuts are high in protein and an oil of very high quality. This species is virtually untouched by modern plant breeders, and is in need of development of simple processing technology to facilitate the difficult removal of the nuts from their shells.

Oyster Nut (Telfairia pedata) is a tropical African perennial cucurbit. Oyster nut vines produce football-sized fruits full of edible nuts. The yield of these nuts is high, 3-7 tons perhectare. Oyster nuts are high in oil and protein, taste excellent, and can be stored up to eight years. This species is quite weedy but should at the very least be developed and utilized in its native range. It is grown in sophisticated agroforestry systems in east African highlands.

Pandanus or screwpine is a widespread tropical genus, including species grown for edible nuts, fruits (“keys”), and as a culinary herb. New Guinea highland people domesticated karuka (P. jiulianettii) perhaps thousands of years ago – New Guinea is one of the independent centers of plant domestication and farming there may date back more than 9,000 years. Karuka nuts are a very important food in the highlands from 1800-2500m altitude.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera) is an important commercial nut for hot, dry areas with some winter chilling hours. Though yields are not extremely high and trees alternate heavy and light bearing years, pistachios are high in fat and a good food energy value, especially given their ability to thrive in difficult climates. Yields can reach 3 tons per hectare.

PERENNIAL OILSEEDS

Many excellent oilseeds are also profiled in the palm, hardy nut, and tropical nut sections above (and avocado below). Fats from oilseeds are an important part of a healthy human diet, though some are much healthier than others – African oil palm oil being on the low end and olive oil on the high end. See the table of comparative oilseed yields to see that perennials generally far outproduce annuals. This is one category where, at least in the tropics, perennials are already in “prime time.”

Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa) is a Amazon rainforest canopy tree. The nuts are harvested commercially from wild stands, but yields in plantations are poor, reportedly due to the lack of diverse pollinators in monoculture systems. The nuts are high in oil – up to 70%. Thus though yields of nuts per hectare are not extraordinary, this is among the highest-yielding oilseeds on the planet (2 tons per hectare)– and perhaps completely undomesticated.

Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) is a perennial squash of arid lands in North America. It is tolerant of both intense cold and heat. Though the fruit is hard and bitter, the seeds are edible much like cultivated pumpkin seeds. The seeds are the source of an edible oil and are high in protein. Buffalo gourd domestication and cultivation efforts have been under way for several decades. Seed yields reach up to 3.4 tons per hectare, with 0.6 tons of oil.

Buffalo gourd is under development for perennial oil, protein,
and carbohydrate production in difficult climates.

Inche (Caryodendron orinocense). Yet another Brazilian oil tree with dazzling potential and little domestication attention, inche is a tree of semi-arid to wet tropics. Oil yields are very high (3 tons per hectare), and may someday compete with African oil palm. The nuts are also edible.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). While okra is primarily grown as a pod vegetable, it has many other food and industrial uses. The seeds are analogous to soybeans in that they are high oil (40%) and high protein (though the seeds may need some processing to remove toxins before the protein is fully available). A team led by Dr. Frank Martin made a high-protein and delicious tofu from okra seeds in the 1970s. The oil is of high quality similar to olive oil, and yields are about half those of oilseed sunflower even without any breeding work for oil production. Perennial forms up to 15’ high are found in the African tropics and could be the basis of a multipurpose perennial soybean analog.

Olive. Olives (Olea europea) are the standard against which other oil crops are measured. Quality is excellent, and yields are fairly good (1 ton per hectare). Olives can grow in dry, infertile soils. Trees can live a thousand years or more – a great example of “permanent agriculture.” Primarily adapted to Mediterranean climates, though a few varieties can be grown in cool maritime temperate regions.

Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) is a multipurpose Brazilian savannah tree. It is widely grown for its edible fruit and nuts. An edible oil is pressed from the nuts. Pequi is one of the highest-producing oilseeds in the world (3.1 tons per hectare). Little if any modern breeding or crop development work has focused on this species.

Sunflower. Annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are a very important world oilseed crop. The genus Helianthus is large and has many perennial species that can cross with H. annuus. Breeder David van Tassel has been working at the Land Institute to develop perennial grain sunflowers for several decades, using Maximilian sunflower (H. maximiliani) as a component of their blend. This perennial species is particularly interesting as it has wide adaptability and is allelopathic (produces natural herbicide to prevent weed germination).

NUTRITIOUS FRUITS

Many fruits provide nourishing, high-energy staple foods. This is an area I am just beginning to explore. Only a few promising species are profiled here. Persimmons, raisins and other dried fruits, and the many rich, filling fruits of the Sapotaceae are all potentially candidates. See also date and peach palm, breadfruit and its relatives, and bananas and plantains (above).

Avocado (Persea americana) is very productive and has a high food value. The fruits are very high in oil and high in protein for a fruit. In fact avocado ranks very high globally as an oil crop. Fruit yields have reached 32 tons per hectare in ideal conditions with 2.2 tons per hectare of oil. Between the different races of avocados are forms adapted to high and lowland tropics, from semi-arid to humid regions.

Butterfruit (Dacryodes edulis) has been billed as the African answer to the avocado. High in protein and fat, this tree grows from semi-arid savannahs to rainforest understories. Fruits must be briefly heated before eating, and have a sour and slippery taste experience that takes getting used to. This species has been getting a bit of development attention in recent decades and has great potential to address food security particularly where low-protein starchy staples like cassava and corn dominate the diet.

Chayote (Sechium edule). This perennial squash is a common vegetable throughout the tropics and subtropics. The varieties sold in the US are watery and not terribly nutritious. However, in Guatemala (where chayotes were originally domesticated), there are a great variety of forms. Some, including spiny-fruited types and white peruleros are very filling, almost like potatoes. These varieties should be investigated for staple crop potential and distributed more widely.

Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma). This Andean native tree, though it has received little attention from scientists, is a productive (1,000 lbs/tree and an extrapolated 14-16 tons per hectare) and low-maintenance crop. The fruits taste something like sweet potato with maple syrup, and are filling and nutritious. Fruits are borne year-round and are essential in years that annual crops fail. Lucuma fruits can be processed into flour that lasts for years. The trees are somewhat picky about climate, preferring mesic or semi-arid tropical highlands or other cool tropical climates like some coastal areas.

HIGH PROTEIN LEAF CROPS

This is a category of perennial staple crop little exploited as a food resource, but with great potential. Though they are of value fresh or cooked, often these leaves are dried to make a storable, high-protein concentrate. Note that not all protein in these crops may be digestible. Most of these species are coppiced for intensive production. See also mulberry and chipilin profiled above.

Coppiced moringa and chaya for leaf production at ECHO in Florida,
a world leader in perennial foods promotion.

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is an undersung hero of arid Africa. This multipurpose species has edible high-protein leaves, with a nearly perfect amino acid balance. Perhaps we have been eating baobab since we were Australopithecus. Baobab also produces nutritious nuts and a dry fruit that can be made into flour and stored for several years. The trees have dozens of other non-food uses as well.

Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa), or Mayan spinach, is a shrub of the tropics and subtropics. It tolerates arid to humid conditions, in lowlands and highlands. Though raw leaves contain cyanide, the cooked leaves are very nutritious. Yields are very high, 20-30 tons per hectare fresh.

Katuk (Sauropus androgynous) is an Asian shrub with delicious leaves. Unlike most woody leaf crops it can be eaten raw. It likes humid tropical lowlands and thrives in the shade of fruit and nut crops. The protein content of fresh leaves is 6-10%.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera, M. stenopetala) is a small tree of the tropics, thriving in arid and humid climates. The dried leaf is incredible nutritious, and used by nursing mothers in much of the tropics. If allowed to grow to tree form moringa produces nutritious pods, but for leaf production it is coppiced. Yields of moringa leaf are very high, 10-50 tons per hectare..."


to view the FULL ARTICLE > (click here) (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/02/25/perennial-staple-crops-of-the-world/)
More photos, and the Perennial Yield Charts which did not copy over so well.
The http://permaculture.org.au website is loaded with food foresting goodies. ~ As to say they are Truly on the breaking edge of the wave.
:ear: :horn: :drum: :target: :violin: :rap: :note:

[panopticon]

G'day nomadguy,

I think that's Geoff Lawton's site from memory.
He's someone I respect because of his depth of knowledge and practical experience.
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[nomadguy]

G'day nomadguy,

I think that's Geoff Lawton's site from memory.
He's someone I respect because of his depth of knowledge and practical experience.
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

Why yes it is from his site, and many people contribute to that website quite often.
Here is one of their latest:

Innovative New Irrigation System Could Help Solve Problems for Isolated Communities - link (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/03/02/innovative-new-irrigation-system-could-help-solve-problems-for-isolated-communities/)
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dvCZZAp3QTU
PsnvPpTjqeM
tJB9XMhC8Uk
4A2I-U2HG4g
8YrD3dxLbBI
:target:

[gypsybutterflykiss]

I'm making this dream into my reality :)


Although it's only a small (teeny tiny ) forest right now... Time will tell! :):panda:


Lets get busy folks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6w-QsYPGg&feature=autoplay&list=ULiojAPPDgv8E&index=9&playnext=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqWwyQsIRiU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTUaqfpAQA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09qn2Mn2UHE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdy-4gbtrkY&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHOQ7Cu3FE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgwEgzIjIXU&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRiTrF1xuWo&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEMpCNe6_JM&NR=1

Good solid info for Deserts and over plowed land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hp_iTmCTmM&playnext=1&list=PL5CC935BD22E09F74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rwVxfmMaIE&feature=autoplay&list=PL5CC935BD22E09F74&index=4&playnext=2

Introduction to Premaculture


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6aA7e9BZEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qJ9k67z-KE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWRtJpu2laE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fipxmLBepo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyXrAYgNDgA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irFdKzGu6JE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2P0l_meVjE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evhYruGwDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVizkF_Bpoo

Cheers! :horn:

[panopticon]

I'm making this dream into my reality :)
Although it's only a small (teeny tiny ) forest right now... Time will tell! :):panda:


G'day gypsybutterflykiss,

I applaud you on starting a food forest!

In this case size really doesn't matter. It's about knowledge, garnering a harvest, connecting to the natural cycles and sharing. Tell friends about what you're doing, show them how easy it is and, most importantly, share your harvest. Sit with them and have a salad that you picked with them. Get them to grow their own and share with you things you haven't planted. Create a circle of friends who share and help. When the combined harvest gets too much (and it will) visit and help others who are less fortunate, go to farmers markets and share what you've learnt from your experiences. Meet people who have chickens (if you or your friends don't) and trade produce with them if possible (eg manure, eggs and meat [if you're not vegetarian] for herbs, fruit and vegetables).

That, in my opinion anyway, is the beginning of the development of a community that is less reliant on outside resources and has a close connection with each other. When I say "close connection" I'm not talking about being busy bodies and always intruding into other peoples lives, I'm saying that there is the development of a reciprocal trust between individuals that, again in my opinion, is more important than anything else.
Kind Regards, :yo:
Panopticon

[Peace of Mind]

As long as we stay disconnected from each other we all will suffer...it doesn't matter if you have your own or not. The truly sad thing is that many people don't seem to realize this. If only they ponder on it for a honest amount of time they will heed the warning signs displayed everywhere they look. Our dependancy on corrupt governments will never end well unless we do something before they get total control.

Peace

[Maria Stade]

Peace of Mind the thing is that one can tear down the system by not giving it energy !
And of course help people to se the world as it is, and that dose not exlude starting to build the future that dose not need the support of money or gowerments.

Be at peace we are all doing what we can do wherever we are.
The system will go down but people will not.


As long as we stay disconnected from each other we all will suffer...it doesn't matter if you have your own or not. The truly sad thing is that many people don't seem to realize this. If only they ponder on it for a honest amount of time they will heed the warning signs displayed everywhere they look. Our dependancy on corrupt governments will never end well unless we do something before they get total control.

Peace

[heyokah]

I posted this on another thread, but I think it belongs here.

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/7194/foresti.jpg

It’s Not a Fairytale: Seattle to Build Nation’s First Food Forest

http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/02/21/its-not-fairytale-seattle-build-nations-first-food-forest


So just who gets to harvest all that low-hanging fruit when the time comes?

“Anyone and everyone,” says Harrison. “There was major discussion about it. People worried, ‘What if someone comes and takes all the blueberries?’ That could very well happen, but maybe someone needed those blueberries. We look at it this way—if we have none at the end of blueberry season, then it means we’re successful.”

[nomadguy]

This might seem a bit high-tech at first but I assure you it is not as a basis,

I have been studying an idea call "The Theory of Process" -
http://www.arthuryoung.com/theory.html
And within I found this,
http://www.arthuryoung.com/sibbetarc.jpg
http://www.arthuryoung.com/sibbet2.html

After reading this material an idea struck me,

Could this process be applied to "Food Foresting" or forestry in general?

>>>
http://www.arthuryoung.com/sibbetarc.jpg
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To apply The Theory of Process to Permaculture.

1 - seed>
2 - soil>
3 - water>
4 - forestry>
5 - gardening>
6 - trade>
7 - recycle ---->>>----<<<seed> - closed loop.

-----


The best way to understand any part of the seemingly complex "Theory of Process" is to hear it of from Arthur Young,
fU-SOHWl5PI
~ a few more clips , I find relative.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSEfVyEWvgM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKzHGGk0xo&feature=relmfu

carry on ~ :note:

[Conaire]

Great thread. I've just spent over an hour reading and watching videos and I enjoyed each and every post. I'm very excited indeed, my dream (one of them at least) is to buy a few acres and plant a food forest so this tread is right up my alley. :) Thanks to all that posted.

[nomadguy]

keep dreaming!... and dream of it closer and closer as you go.

[nomadguy]

V2j6xIGlsgs

--
http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/gabriela_Ash1.jpg
Domestic uses for wood ash - permaculture.org.au (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/04/21/domestic-uses-for-wood-ash/)

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/Opening-picture-of-part-of-the-young-food-forest.jpg
Food forests part 3 closing-the-loop - permaculture.org.au (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/05/04/food-forests-part-3-closing-the-loop/)

ref - http://permaculture.org.au/

-----

Ni1Jat86jIM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpKr9fXa9cg - part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3AclFaj6sY - part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znF__qkkx8k - part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qi82Hujwj0 - part 5

[Cjay]

...continued from previous post


Companion Planting Guide


http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/companion_planting_guide.jpg

IDEP’s Companion Planting Guide
Click here for full PDF (http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf)
(Includes natural insect repellent tips)


Sometimes you end up wishing you had a resource at hand to make it easier to apply Permaculture principles. This was the case for myself when it came time to start thinking about beneficial groupings of plants and those groupings that do not go well together.

This is what I often find lacking with the current publications on offer from PRI and from those in the community. There is a lot of good knowledge locked up that could benefit so many of us in applying permaculture principles.

A simple A3 or A4 information sheet or booklet of a small number of pages is easy to mentally digest and take in and very handy to have as a reference, either printed out and hung up on the wall or on the computer when we sit down and start thinking about designing our gardens or food systems.

Full details: http://permaculture.org.au/2010/07/30/companion-planting-guide/

IDEP A3 Poster Chart (external pdf): http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf


these links seem to be broked, you dont have a full size copy of that chart by any chance do you?

Sorry for the very slow reply. It's here now: http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources_files/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf (http://www.permaculture.org.au/resources_files/Poster_GDN_Com_Plant.pdf)

[nomadguy]

"Weston A Price discovered that all the indigenous people he studied were getting 10 x the fat soluble vitamins and 4 x the minerals compared to a Western diet of the same time (1930’s). He also discovered that although they all ate very differently, they all followed the same principles in their diets, and all of them were extremely healthy. They knew how to eat to maintain their DNA so that they were extremely healthy and they passed on strong genes.

These were the principles he discovered they each followed:

no refined or denatured foods
all traditional cultures consumed some sort of animal protein and fat
all diets contains 4 x the minerals and 10 x the fat soluble vitamins ( A, D and K and E)
in all traditional cultures some animal products were eaten raw
total fat content of all traditional diets varied from 30 – 80% of daily calorie intake and only around 4 % of that was polyunsaturated oil. The balance was saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids
traditional diets had a high food-enzyme content from raw meat and dairy and also fermented fruit vegetables and meat/fish
seeds grains and nuts were soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened in order to neutralize antinutrients in these foods such as phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates
traditional diets contained nearly equal amounts of omega -6 and omega -3
all primitive diets contained salt
traditional cultures consumed animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin rich bone broths
traditional cultures made provisions for the health of future generations by providing special nutrient rich foods for parents to be, pregnant women and growing children."

Ref-
Urban design designing for health (http://permaculture.org.au/2012/05/28/urban-design-designing-for-health/)

[nomadguy]

I feel this is an excellent documentary to show us how WE can indeed change things... and quickly
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[Feren]

This is a great thread. Thank you so much for your contribution, Nomadguy. The art of growing our own food is of major importance for the evolution of human beings.
Cheers!
Ferén

[sandy]

Wow nomadguy!!

What a great documentary that needs to go viral in my opinion. I'm not to computer savvy but I'm going to try and put it on my face book page and hope others pick it up and pass it on over and over again :)

[nomadguy]

Here is a nice video on Rocket Stoves,
1oDpmmsqHwQ

[eva08]

Nomadguy, thank you for everything -- I am trying to create an edible garden for my climate by planting various plants close together that will help create micro climates and dappled shade, lots of straw mulch and allowing weeds (at least THEY grow here) and supposedly weeds help bring nutrients into the soil.

Could you please, repost the links or videos from your first post, the ones I clicked on say, Video unavailable -- and that's a shame for all this fantastic information.

[nomadguy]

Nomadguy, thank you for everything -- I am trying to create an edible garden for my climate by planting various plants close together that will help create micro climates and dappled shade, lots of straw mulch and allowing weeds (at least THEY grow here) and supposedly weeds help bring nutrients into the soil.

Could you please, repost the links or videos from your first post, the ones I clicked on say, Video unavailable -- and that's a shame for all this fantastic information.

Will do, though it may take me a few days to gather them.

[Corncrake]

Really enjoying this thread - especially as I have just started my own little allotment. I also enjoy foraging for food and have just got a copy of Richard Mabey's Food for Free. Have been using nettles and ramsons (wild garlic) for the last month though it is almost over now.

Thanks for posting Green Cold - wonderful uplifting documentary. So important to watch films like this when there is so much doom and gloom around.

[nomadguy]

It has come to my attention that some of the videos posted in this thread were only available
for free ~ for a limited time.
I posted the videos I found immediately after I found them and they have long since expired. Some of the other videos posted by other members have also been removed as free viewing.

For a small investment you can get all the videos posted by Geoff Lawton from Ecofilms - http://www.ecofilms.com.au/introduction-to-permaculture-design-dvd/
I am sorry I could not find or relocate all of the videos posted on this thread.
Here are the videos I did find that are still available on Youtube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6juUcYsLAYw
Establishing A Food Forest with Geoff Lawton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG_vRG66wkA
7 Food Forests in 7 Minutes with Geoff Lawton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZgzwoQ-ao
300 Year Old Food Forest in Vietnam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftgWcD-1Nw
2,000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vJdZP_FMi4
Bill Mollison Global Gardener 2 Dry lands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwTtbSYf68
Farming with Nature - A Case Study of Successful Temperate Permaculture
Sepp Holzer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiHQU_p8rCY
Permaculture own root fruit trees and the Coppice Orchard P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WL58i5QbZQ
Permaculture own root fruit trees and the Coppice Orchard P2

Carry On ~ (new information and videos to be posted here soon!)

[Delight]

I want to bump this thread as it has some great information. It made me think about the drought happening in the far west US and about the way we might choose to retool our way of geoforming in line with nature's principles. This is exciting...in only 80 years an oasis self created in the Sonoran desert with the proper assistance from people.

I just saw this article:


Discovering an Oasis in the American Desert (http://permaculturenews.org/2014/10/11/discovering-oasis-american-desert/)

http://www.permaculturenews.org/images/Swale-System-near-Tucson-Arizona_01.jpg
http://www.permaculturenews.org/images/Swale-System-near-Tucson-Arizona.jpg

We’re out in the hot Sonoran Desert, somewhere near Tucson, Arizona. It’s hot. Very hot. I’m down to a small amount of water in my bottle and it’s disappearing fast. I’m starting to think one could go crazy and possibly die of thirst out here filming this stuff. Luckily I’m with Geoff Lawton and Brad Lancaster, both experts in water harvesting. Geoff, however, has abandoned me under the shade of a desert tree with my camera gear to go wandering off with Brad into the desert, searching for something rumored to be out there.

A mythical Moby Dick for a permaculture enthusiast – a big mother swale. It was meant to support an oasis but very few people had ever seen it. Untouched and eighty years old, it was supposed to have been built by men with carts and horses during the Roosevelt years in the 1930s.

Bill Mollison visited these swales in the Global Gardner TV series twenty years ago. He thought they were superb and should have been extended everywhere in drylands. But they’ve been now largely forgotten and abandoned.

Until now, that is. Geoff was on a mission to track them down.

Various Permaculture students had reported online to have photographed a few of these swales and said it was all over-hyped. The growth spindly and sparse and nothing looked too extraordinary, in their view, from the rest of the desert environment.

Looking at the harsh surrounding desert environment, I was beginning to believe they were right.

I crawled up onto the ridge of a big swale, it was the size of a small hill, to get a better view, looking for Geoff. In the distance, dust devils swirled in the afternoon sun. Above me, a buzzard circled. It was only a matter of time before they would pick through my bones, I thought.

Then in a spot of green spiky scrub I saw Geoff’s hat bobbing up and down. He was returning. I can still hear his excited voice, calling out to me.

“I found a diamond!” he yelled.

“What?”

“The big swale is out there. About a kilometer away!” he said.

I grabbed my camera. Renewed with energy. Geoff’s face looked flushed and red. But his eyes were shining bright.

“I never doubted you’d find it Geoff!” I lied.

I now know how explorers feel to have discovered something new.

Geoff explained that he had seen this larger oasis on his laptop, using Google Earth software. It’s just that nobody had picked up on it before.

Geoff led the way and in minutes we were scrambling over the edge of the mother swale and down into a majestic field of green lush grass. A microclimate of cool, shady, trees and a field of open grass lay before us. It was untouched. A magnificent thing to view. The contrast between the outside blistering desert and this cool calm environment was extraordinary.

We took a moment to let it all sink in. The soil was springy and spongy when you walked on it. Like an uncompacted garden bed it was full of mulch captured by rain water. Eighty years of humus was deposited here during flash floods, without any help from mankind.

The trees were all self seeded.

I asked Geoff, how come it was a rich verdant grassland in the centre? He explained it was a water basin. Any tree that took hold here would be uprooted in the next downfall of rain.

But the potential was amazing.

Geoff plunged his hands into the soil and went down 8 inches of moist, black, rich, composted soil. It was still damp.

“You couldn’t make better soil than this.” he said. “You could plant all sorts of fruiting trees here on the swale mound.”

It was pretty impressive as a natural oasis.

“No one will believe this is for real.” I said to Geoff.

“Thats why we’re filming it.” he smiled.

It’s all there — done before by our grandfathers. We just have to have the will and the training to do these kind of things again.

Trailer
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Full video here:
An Oasis in the American Desert (http://www.geofflawton.com/fe/73485-an-oasis-in-the-american-desert)

[Delight]

This link has several great videos along the right margin.

How to Survive the Coming Crises (http://www.geofflawton.com/fe/32461-surviving-the-coming-crises)