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April 29, 2008 moon 13- Aquarius 4th quarter.
Posted on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:22:19 by Aaron
Should Wait until May 1,2 for Pisces to trans-plant the rest of the medicinal herbs.
In bed above peach tree.
Transplanted Marsh Mallow and Valerian that Wind dug for me.
Also dug and transplanted 2 Comfreys and 1 Volunteer garlic.
(Cut the comfrey from a large plant, dug the whole bunch of garlic.)
Planted one Current Bush.
Researched Moon phases and signs for planting.
Watered various plants.
Transplant technique: Dig small hole, add small amount of old manure/sawdust mix. Place plant, fill with dirt (adding small amount of ½ way composted material from chicken coop. Sprinkle 12 -20 inch diameter around plant on surface with dry chicken manure. Punch hole in newspaper, put over plant. Cover newspaper with old manure/sawdust mix. Cover that with 2-4 inches of wood chips. Water thoroughly. Protect with wire mesh from chickens.
Added some marigolds and calendula from seed on edges of newspaper mulch.
Design Notes: planting on a slope that goes downhill to the east. About 7 foot drop in elevation from the grass of the yard to flat field. The plan is to create a medicinal/culinary herb bed. All planting has begun in the North sector bordering path.
There are already many plants established in this bed. So far I do not know what they are. Except the mullein.
put in an order for seeds:
Seeds from seedman:
Alder
Siberian pea
Hawthorne
Burr Oak
Gambel Oak
Xerescape Mix
Anise Hyssop
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May 08 08
Posted on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:23:54 by Aaron
Moon in first quater
Well, my intention to journal regularly so far hasn’t happened. So much work since the last entry.
Starting with today. Planted native xerescape grass on the dry bank facing the road. The seed was from last year so hopefully will germinate. Its function is aesthetic and to help control erosion. Not sure how else it will contribute to the system, but it seems good to have native grass on that hill instead of bare clay. I suppose I could have researched a more “useful” thing to plant there, but I had the grass so in it goes. It was rainy all night andinto the morning and remains cloudy, so it seemed like a good time to get the grass going. I also put in some native red clover and prarie coneflower in between the nanking cherry and golden current in the south east corner of the garden area.
I also divided an entire comfrey plant from the east hillside between the peach and nectarine (under globe willow) and planted it near the water spigot. I got about 9 strong divisions, and put them in a circle with a deep hole in the middle with a big bone in the bottom covered in gravel . The concept is to be able to fill the hole with water and let the comfreys feed on the drips/etc from the water spigot. Also am thinking that the bone will provide calcium over time as well as a large quantity of gravel for the comfrey to extract minerals from. On top of the gravel I have started a pile of “green manure” and some worm food. The idea similar to a banana circle to feed the plants, compost material and also gather the fallen leaves from the comfrey. The circle is surrounded by several alfalfa plants which I intend to cut back and toss in the center of the comfrey. Down the road it may make a great tree planting spot, but mostly just seeking to get a lot more comfrey going.
Yesterday I put in another bed on the west side of the peach, next to the previous bed I installed. This one I double dug and fertilized with some chicken and sawdust compost. It’s a rainbow shaped bed with large alfalfa in the center of the arch… to be used for green manure on the bed. I planted Nasturtium in each corner and calendula along the south side. Even though I covered it with some fencing, the chickens manged to get in and rip up all the straw mulch I applied… Today I cut a piece of fence with smaller gaps and layed it over the top… which has so far thwarted the chickens.
The chickens definitely are an interesting element to deal with. They are sort of pet to my mom who likes to let them roam free, but they pretty much destroy in a few minutes anything that is mulched. It is obvious that either they must be fenced out, or fenced in to a smaller area. It is definitely a design flaw in the current set up where the chicken coop is placed. But the thought of moving it at this point is daunting. It was built by the previous owner and is totally fox and raccoon proof into the ground, a great building all in all. Though as I write I don’t know that the chickens need such a luxurous space. But I am considering fencing an area around the coop to keep the chickens more contained and let them free range only occasionally. They are spoiled! Could put them to work in a chicken tractor for a little while so they can really appreciate their current complete free range.
Two days ago I started a compost heap inside the chicken yard. Harvisting the largest comfrey, an entire lovage plant and mowing the yard and raking to get a full sized pile. The placement of the chicken coop though is definitely not in the flow, and it would probably make more sense to put the next pile closer to the gardening area. It definitely illustrates a design flaw, the chicken coop and the garden do not share a boundary with each other, requiring a lot of excess wheelbarrow work hauling stuff to the coop and manure/compost from the coop back to the garden.
Yesterday and the previous day I continued the play project on the wild irrigation stream that comes down the hill. I am engaged in making it “musical” with waterfalls and rocks place to make the most sound and different “notes” this fun project also creates a good amount of aeration and a very pleasant place to sit in the cottonwood grove and meditate/nap. It’s the only part of the property that is a thriving mostly wild environment, the irrigation stream is strictly seasonal, but in its middle portion feels relatively wild. I also dug some shallow pools next to the waterfalls and put in some watercress which I gathered from a large patch of it in the ditch at the bottom of the mesa. I am curious to see if there is enough water long enough to keep it coming back each year.
I also began cleaning up the south facing rock herb garden under the peach tree. The mint had gone out of control, only the oregano seemed to stand up to it. I pulled out as much mint as possible and am thinking to put in thyme, winter savery and fennel. All of which seem like plants that can stand up to the mint…. And eventually contain it I hope. The oregano is certainly a good example of something that can stand up to mint and keep it back. Though the oregano is also spreading, but at a much slower rate.
Several days ago I set up irrigation for the hackberry trees in the middle of the property, and in the process discovered another honey locust that had been pretty much abandoned and eaten by deer. It got some water and protective fence. The deer seem to love it , but leave the hackberries completely alone.
Ordered Seed:
Oryzopsis hymenoides quarter pound - Indian Ricegrass
Atriplex canescens ounce -Saltbush
Yucca glauca quarter ounce - Yucca
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May 09 2008
Posted on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:24:50 by Aaron
Moon first quarter
Astrology = notable grand trine Saturn in Virgo, 1:43 /Pluto Cap 0:49/ Venus Taurus 10:14--- Moon is cancer 6:07!!! Best time for planting.- It is sextile to venus and Saturn at 3:00 pm.
Tomorrow the moon will still be in Cancer 16:58 . sextile the sun at 9 am… a good time for planting. With a conjunction approaching with mars… could be intense weather, but also quick germination. Wait!! Mars is in detriment in Cancer, so the seeds might have a bit of trouble breaking out. But at the very end, so when it moves to Leo in a few days everything should sprout like crazy! So the moon will definitely dominate it. As it is in its ruler. Venus is notable in its rular and Taurus and sextile the moon as well. Should be a great time for earthly activity with sun in Taurus.
Today, my seeds arrived – Indian Rice grass, Salt bush, and yucca. I Started them soaking and then some stratification for salt bush (5 days) and just over a month for the Rice Grass. I was intending to put the yucca in the deserty area to the north, but am feeling like a row of it along the road in front of what will be the hedge row will be nice to, I will add in some salt bush and lots of xerescape flowers and grasses to make that area look good/ be a good break from the road and as low maintenance as possible.
Im not fully decided on the location for the rice grass, probably all over the property, its native, nitrogen fixing, not invasive, pretty, edible and low maintenance.
Plus all this astrological analysis has me all amped up for planting… its such a great time, But as ever surrender to the great spirit, Ill get done what gets done.
I dug up some sun chokes invading my moms flower bed and put them on the edge of the shade behind the wood shed. A nice wet spot where they can grow up into the sun. I fenced that are off from the chickens, and had some inspirations for a wall of oyster mushrooms, and some kind of great tree in that little sheltered nook.
Also had some inspiration for altering the design of the property. Rather than move the chicken coop, the area to the north of the house could become the major gardening area. Add more orchard/ fruit trees to the north and east of the Chicken coop and fence the chickens into that quadrant and the wild cottonwood grove right behind the coop. Then just in front of the coop could become the main zone 1 garden, there is already a natural terrace running east to west in front of the coop, with another step just down from it. The wood shed is right there and the root cellar too. Its got great vehicle access, and is also zone 1 for the sustainable house we are planning. The only issue is eventual shade from the hackberry and the ash trees in front of that area. But they are both very slow in putting on leaves in the spring, so there wouldn’t be any problem with extra light and heat then, and maybe a little shade later in the summer would be useful. There is already a peach, pear and cherry on the edges of that zone, and good acess to water.
I know there are two cisterns currently unused to the north of that area with probably 2000 gallon capacity each. With some patching and piping those cisterns could provide water in the fall and spring when the ditch is shut off, and maybe in the winter for a greenhouse that could get attached to the chicken coop. I also imagine getting Bernie’s 1000 gallon stainless steel tank up there for rain and snow water catchment for drinking.
The chicken coop is really a mansion for those 7 chickens, so I am thinking of adding goats, or more chickens eventually.
As I gather a number of seeds I realize the need for a tree/shrub nursery somewhere. I have been using the peach tree of late, but need a good established area. Dappled sun would be great. Perhaps under the hackberry and ash trees, boarding the garden. That’s perfect zone 1 spot to nurture the baby plants. Ill have to do a lot of wood clean up, but was planning that anyway as soon as I set up my teepee in that zone.
I can already tell that if Im living there it will be much easier and more inspiring to do the necessary changes to the landscape there. The more I think about it the more sense it makes, it feels much more like the heart of the land there, central and much more sheltered than other areas. It doesn’t boarder the main paved road, which I really don’t like working by, but would get a little less sun in the afternoons because of the rim of the mesa. However that may be offset by an increase in ambient temperature from its sheltered nature, unless it is a trap for cold air. Probably much less wind too.
There is going to be a lot of soil building needed in that area as it has never been worked and is mostly clay dust. Thorough sheet mulching would be a great approach. Something to accomplish this spring if possible, with some ground cover plantings as well. There is already a small shrub established with day lilies and garlic under the peach tree. There are also some other flowers that come up in that zone, so Ill want to wait for them before mulching everything under.
Will have to do some design to integrate a greenhouse with the chicken coop.
The area I’m currently prepping for a garden will still be a great zone 2/3 spot for larger crops.
Time for some design work in Photoshop!
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May 12, 2008
Posted on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:34:13 by Aaron
Moon in Virgo Conjunct Saturn at 11:00 am. 1st quarter.
Synchronicity! My shipment of seeds arrived today, a perfect day to plant perennials. The Oaks were already sprouted in transit, so I was psyched to get them in the ground. All the other seeds went immediately into a 24 hr soak, so tomorrow at 1 its time to put them in for germination.
Three burr oaks went in the field to the east and one gamble. The ground was a lot tougher than I was expecting, super dried out clay, rock shale. I dug two holes about 3’ deep hoping to give the tap root a head start for the Burrs. On one I was planning to put in a Burr, but never got through the hardpan, so will try a Gamble oak in that spot. The farthest east tree, I did a much shallower hole, and basically . The basic technique was one from the tree guy in New Mexico. Dig a fairly large hole, apply hydrogen peroxide to the sides to amend the glazing that happens from shoveling across the clay. Then add the dirt back in un-amended. After planting the tree adding topsoil, compost, and then sheet mulch with newspaper and straw. I didn’t have enough material to mulch more than a couple feet around the tree.
I also found what I thought to be a dead Locust tree but on closer inspection it was living, barely, so did some mulching for it too. 4 years of complete neglect, but still hanging on…
Yesterday I planted some of the beans I got from Umpetu. Cool to have a resource here for a lot of seeds. Though I find that planting annuals is not nearly as interesting at this point, especially with the giant annual garden my Dad is putting in across the road.
I do find that I am not doing a lot of serious Permaculture design. There is a lot of intuition, inspiration and experimentation, which seems to follow in the footsteps of David and Ruthie. However, it feels that things will slowly take form. Planting oak is a long term commitment, and without a lot of planning beforehand there could be a point down the road where I wish that space could be something else. Interesting to notice as I was planting them and looking at the unused field I watched my mind look at the land and feel like it should be planted--- like standard style. That oak trees weren’t’
”useful enough” , but somehow it is super important to think 200-500 years down the road when these trees will be glorious. So now that I am going to be tending to these trees, there is the opportunity to put in other layers around them as they mature, some fruit and shrubs etc.
As I think about the overall design for that field, I keep imagining a small scale edible forest. There are already hackberries in the middle of the hill. It will be necessary to put in some ponds and a swale or two, and start filling in the area with shrubs. IT will be good to talk to wind and see what he suggests. I want to put the alders at the top of the hill and down along the stream, maybe interplant some with the oaks.
It is an interesting challenge to put together guilds and communities of plants that are drought tolerant, because that is one of my primary requirements for most of the positions on this land. There is plenty of irrigation water, but the landscape itself and environment is highland arid and it seems the the responsible thing to do is send as much water down the river as possible to others who would need it… and at the same time work in harmony with the land, to support the people that live here and the people that may live here in the future.
It also occurs to me that restoring balance and harmony to the land, requires strengthening it to be able to cope with the surrounding land that is already out of balance. Even to the point that minus the human influence to continue the disharmony a healthy “pod” of land could hold its own, or even in time spread its influence to the surrounding areas. In essence not just using pioneer species, but a whole system that can pioneer other areas. Obviously this is the original design of nature, and left to its own will come to balance with whatever condition is present.
But the balance that arrives “naturally” may not support human life.
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May 14, 2008
Posted on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:35:45 by Aaron
Moon in Virgo, 2nd quarter.
Wind came over today and walked over the whole land with me. Giving his advise and insight. It was great to have a knowledgeable persons view on the evolution. For the most part he affirmed and expanded upon the ideas I was already working with. His insight on the east field with Ponderosa and Cedar hedge was great. (zone 6) He talked about putting in good ground cover, and starting some bushes and shrubs in that area. He suggested adding mini swales in front and behind the pines to help water stay and penetrate can’t remember exactly the placements that he was talking about, so will have to get back to him on those. Continuing the hedge so the whole area is sheltered from the road. But lilacs in places that I wouldn’t have thought are a good start like near the Cedar tow. As well as western sand cherries and Choke Berries and elderberries -Sambucus pubens is the native species- and Sambucus nigra rates better for edibility and medicinal. Maybe adding some Austrian pine and Pinion pine into the area as they like to grow here a bit more than ponderosa. He suggested adding a cover crop like red clover hairy vetch, daikon astragalus and comfrey, with an annual rye grass. Mow after it seeds if you want it to continue, mow before it seeds to shut it down.
Behind the Ponderosa make a zone 3 use area with a few more fruit trees and edible berries, shaping the land to make a more terraced flat structure for water retention. 3-4 shelf like steps through out with a bit of stone work.
He liked my idea to turn the central area into the main zone one, adding terraces, rock walls, building slowly into a nice landscaped area with nooks and the potential for bringing the stream in and through. He suggested starting and focusing my effort on this area while I continue to care for and plant trees in the outer areas.
The hill behind the chicken coop where the recent road work disturbed it he suggested small swales in the wall of it and a planting of tough covers like fescue, grama, buffalo and rice grass, the more the better to fill niches and make sure something can survive. He liked the placement of the nettles back in there and suggested maybe the addition of burdock to help break open the soil. We observed the curly dock and he mentioned its usefulness as a soil breaker. As I researched it a little it looks to contain high amounts of oxalic acid which can be “perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-up other nutrients in the food, especially calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies.” And “he leaves are very rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron and the vitamins A and C” It makes me wonder if it is a good tonic plant for the plants that Wind informs me are suffering iron deficiency. The raspberries and Texas red flowering quince.- A favorite of humming birds, both of those species are showing yellowing in the new leaves, am iron deficiency, caused by the micronutrients in the soil being bound up by too much calcium. Thereby leading me to wonder if the curly dock is the perfect companion for them, with its high oxylic acid (calcium binding) and high iron content, it could lend a big hand in bringing those other plants to health. There is nothing to loose, so I am going to give it a try. The soil for those deficient plants cold also be amended with plenty of compost, planting sulfur, fish emulsion, and cotton bur compost.
He helped me identify the Hoarhound, three leaf sumac, magnolia, forsythia, cotoneaster viburnum, and Virginia creeper. He suggested planting wild 4oclocks as they are extremely tough and native, adding to the oak grove plants that commonly grow with oaks, including creeping mahonia, service berry, and currents. He also suggested Catalpa for a super flowering drought tolerant shade tree. I researched Catalpa and they are one of my favorite trees with super deep lush shade. I could imagine a big catalpa to the west of the chicken coop in that nook, where it can get plenty of sun but is very sheltered too. Wind suggested that I top the cottonwoods growing in that area to encourage more lateral growth, creating a thicker barrier to the road. They do tend to shoot up tall, and aren’t’ really thriving there except the ones directly behind the coop which get all the water run-off from the roof. So shifting to more drought tolerant species seems the way to go. Maybe the chickens will like the seeds any way. I should put a pea shrub by the chickens too, because I think they will like to eat the seeds.
There was also talk of black walnut going into the ‘Oak grove’ area at the bottom of the slope. Instead of trying to spread the oaks all over the place, I am now thinking of focusing on that area and planting them heavy and thick, to create as much shade as quickly as possible. Then start to pull them out to use in 20-30 years when they start to interfere with each other. Still not sure of the gamble oaks, as they are a native and will certainly flourish where I put them, have to look for places that might do with hedge, or just plant them into the Oaks.
Ill talk to the Gambles about that…
The area due south of the trailer is pretty much wasteland and Wind liked the idea of adding terraces and key line swales as well as the two ponds that I am considering. It will be fun then also to play with the ponds and learn about how to make them useful and functional. I think the best thing is to start with the one to the east and just shoot for a simple thing as a learning ground, and then put in the one to the west as a more developed and well thought out addition.
The alders are going to go in the north east corner and across the top to pioneer the land for some interplanted pines like pinion and Austrian. In fact I think a couple alders are going to be planted with the oaks and cottonwoods to see where they like to be. They need a lot of water, so the north east corner, the south east corner and the cottonwood grove area are good possibilities. But they can subsist on nutritionally poor soil, so they could be a perfect fit. Lets hope they germinate!!! I have 50 of them in the greenhouse. Associated plant species include Chokecherry, Arrowleaf balsamroot, Bigtooth Maple, Mountain-mahogany, Ponderosa Pine and Serviceberry.(aka, juneberry, Saskatoon.) Associated birds and mammals include Western Scrub Jay, Black-billed Magpie, grouse, deer, chipmunks and squirrels.
Im off to Boulder in a couple of days to rehearse for some Kan’Nal shows this summer. Its hard to step away from everything going on here, but only for 3 days, and probably good for me to have some perspective and though at this point it isn’t necessary build some more enthusiasm! Ill be starting a new phase when I return, as the design and plan coalesces, it is clear what needs to be done.
… And it should be time to set up my teepee soon, so I can start living in it. Right in the midst of my zone 1 garden project!
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