Planting trees from Seed

(This is from a presentation I was asked to do for our local Seed Savers chapter. I have been sitting on this for a few months and it is time to release it. It is tree planting time!)

Apple and Black Locust seedlings. Tap Roots!

Hi I am Blayne Prowse. I am a local family man with a passion for sustainability, and food security. I am sick and tired of eating Round Up, and seeing our resources depleted as an astonishing way. We have so much opportunity as a species to live a complete. right life. Mother Nature can provide all we need, for eternity, if we work with the natural cycles of her. As a Permaculture designer, I have learned how to do just this, wishing to help our species transition to a system of utmost abundance and to break free of the cycles of control leashed upon us by those with the most to gain. Air, water, food, fire and shelter are the five elements that we need to survive, and a wise Permaculture design can create all of these in perpetuity, for generations, if we can break free as a society from the convenience of our normalcy bias. Planting trees from seed are key, in my opinion, to creating these systems. Seeds are less expensive, they can be gleaned for free and make for healthier specimens. We can keep control of our food security by planting perennial systems that only need one time installation and can last for decades with little care and attention. I will explain all this as we carry along.

Deforestation is a huge problem. HUGE. Humans are chopping trees down at a blazing pace. We are scraping the forests away in the boreal regions for tar sands and natural gas extraction, burning down rainforests for palm oil, soy beans and corn, which products are sold as commodity to the processed and fast food industries. Several places in the developing world are destroying the rain forests, which have sustained man for centuries, to grow GMO crops for animal feed in CAFO operations. Still in other areas, such as arid desert regions, the slow growing trees are being removed for cooking fuel. The Wests interference in many African countries have thrown their traditional herdsman lifestyle into one where they rely on conventional cropped annuals, and created a more “in place” lifestyle. The land can’t maintain this type of settlement.

Following along with deforestation we find erosion by wind and rain, stripping once deep fertile topsoil. De-nuded slopes have nothing to hold precipitation. Rain quickly following gravity down slope, creating silted water ways(ring a bell), mud slides, and eventually, without new trees to quickly pioneer the area, will contribute to desertification. Deforestation removes vital habitat for all plants and animals, and often removes bio-diversity. Most re-forestation plans follow a conventional farming model, mono-cultures of the most economically viable crop, that doesn't follow Her plan. Ever wonder why there are pest problems, like pine beetle? That has little to do with climate, and more to do with mono-cultures and un-healthy ecosystems(if you could call it that)

So what can we do? I am in the processes of re-foresting my small lot in Cumberland. A dozen and a half alder trees, two Douglas fir, three nut trees, a couple maples, a dozen fruit trees, 18 nitrogen fixing, food producing trees and bushes as well as many fruiting shrubs and ground covers. A huge diversity of species, stacking time and function into the design. Nitrogen fixing tree, like Black Locust, will support an apple tree, eventually successing out and becoming fire wood, or fence pole material. The nut trees will not have a yield for a decade or more, but the blueberries and huckleberry produce in the first year. This is a design of a food forest. I am not re-foresting in a the native species of my biome, however, I am using the design of Nature to mimic a system that will produce the five elements that humans need to thrive. Add in some mixed annuals a small lot can, in time, produce a huge amount of food, with little need for maintenance and care. Weeding sucks, eat your weeds!

That brings me to my main topic of this talk. Trees from seed. I am no expert at this process, but I have listened to many pod casts on the subject, watched videos on You Tube, as well as taken 2 Permaculture Design certificates, so I feel like I am knowledgeable enough to share some of this information with you.

I have heard over and over again when I tell people about starting trees from seed, especially apples. I cringe every time waiting for the response….”but your not going to know what kind your going to get, it isn't worth it” I am so tired of hearing that. My response it “So what!” Yes, it is true, an apple doesn't prove true to type. A Gravenstein apple seed probably would not grow a graven stein apple tree. I don’t care! One of my mentors, the always out spoken Paul Wheaton, states “20% of apples from seed will be spitters, 20% will be awesome, and 60% will be just fine to eat” Apples have gone the way of every other crop. We have removed diversity from the varieties for conformity and grocery store displays. I would love to see more diversity brought back to the apple world. The best way we can find new, exciting varieties is to grow from seed. Let it happen naturally, and see what appears. In my mind, any apple tree that produces fruit is a keeper. Even if the fruit is not great for eating off the tree, it could make decent preserves, cider, vinegar or animal feed. If nothing else, the fruit makes great food for worms and wild bird in the winter. And if the fruit is that horrible and you would rather make space for more trees, chop the offensive tree down, using it for heating, meat smoking or Huglekulture. The hesitation to grow apple trees from seed needs to disappear. This is basically a free method for producing root stock, to be grafted with known varieties of apples. A tree from seed will send down deep roots, and will produce a tap root, and that is a good thing. Bare root, or root bound potted grafted trees have a root crown that it close to the surface when transplanted. These trees are susceptible to drought, low nutrient accumulation, and less strength in the wind. This fact is true with all trees, not just apples. Since apples are the most widely orchard grow and sprayed fruit tree, these are a great species to get into a more home scale, organic model that all people can produce. Plus the seeds are free! In my opinion, we should be filling parks, parking lots, and other decorative landscapes with edible trees and shrubs, at least with some inclusion of them. Food security issues would quickly drop, and our reliance on mono-cultured conventional, annual grain crops would recede as well.

To start growing trees, first we need seed. I generally pull all the seeds from any organic apple that has plump, healthy looks seeds in the core. I store them in a small open container for a few days so they dry, them move them into a sealed vessel, to avoid a spill. That would be a big mess! I have found apple seeds in very good shape most of the time. Pears are different story. I find most pear seeds to be very small and skinny. I have saved some, and mixed them in with apple seeds, so there could be a few pear trees in the mix, and I am OK with that. My grandpa once grafted pear to apple and created an interesting flavoured pear, so I doesn't really matter.

Cold stratifying is something that has to happen with all tree seeds, from my research. This mimics the natural cycle of the dormant season. Either we can use a fridge or plant the seeds directly outside in the fall. All seeds have various cold chilling times. Apples I stratify for thirty days in the fridge, wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a zip lock bag. I did this with the Black Locust seeds as well, after soaking them in hot water for a little while. I am not going into specifics on each seed in this talk, as there is mountains for information in the internet about this topic.

This year I plant in experimenting with more apple seeds, Black Locust, white mulberry, Russian olive, hazelnut, peach, nectarine, and seaberry. Seaberry is a shrub rather then a tree, but it can grow very tall and produces bright orange berries, high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants.

Along with planting trees from seed we can also grow shrubs and some trees by cloning and rooting. Cultivating more and more edible species for free is a tremendous way to slow the issues facing us. It costs basically nothing and can be done by anyone!

I urge you to stop listening to the negative Nellies! I don’t care what kind of tree you plant. I prefer it to have some function for the eco-system, food for us, food for animals, forage for bees or livestock. Regardless put trees in the ground. Your home, your rental, a park, a vacant lot, a beautifully manicure commercial parking lot. Gorilla some trees, its free and it beautiful. Leave a legacy. Get started today! Go do it!

Merino Wool, Permaculture fiber

Cascadia is a beautiful, lush bio-region of North America. More this area is know by the proper names British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The areas commonalities with climate, geography, flora, fauna, culture and history are all shared, regardless of Nationality. People of Cascadia have more in common with each other than with the folk is the more eastern parts of the our respective countries. There is a more free, liberty mindset here, as well as a general deep connection with the earth, the ocean and the skies. Big trees, snow capped peaks and clean, cold ocean waters border our towns, and that creates a symbiosis with us and the land. One element that is ever present in this climatic zone, and for the most part, all year round, is precipitation. Whether it is rain, snow, fog, or condensation drip, moisture is what allows for the lush bio-diversity of our region. Being an outdoors person, dealing with moisture is the number one factor with being comfortable during our outdoor pursuits.

A number of years ago I was introduced to Merino wool by a friend. I was blown away by the softness of the material, the comfort against the skin, and how light weight the garments were. Never experiencing this before, having always worn rag wool type sweaters for work and play. While warm, and durable, this material is much heavier, bulky, and quite itchy at times. Although this natural material is better than synthetics in breath ability, fire resistance and sustainability, it has nothing to Merino. That introduction was a game changer, and created a passion for the most comfortable clothing I had experienced.

Merino has a wonderful ability to regulate your body temperature. Wearing a t-shirt made from it in the summer when it is 25 degrees or more allows the skin to breathe really well, complimenting your bodies natural ability to self regulate. Merino also has a high SPF rating. Combine these two qualities and you have a perfect garment for summer sports. Hard hikes, bicycle rides, runs, even water sports like SUP and snorkeling all work well with Merino.

Layering systems, such as the one by First Lite, allow for fine tuning of the bodies temperature in the winter time too. Layer up heavy for the early morning as you prepare for the day climbing a peak, or riding a chairlift, then open zippers or remove layers as needed to keep you from over heating. If you do end up perspiring, another key to Merino, like all wool, is its inherit ability to keep you warm, even when wet. Unlike cotton that pulls heat out of your body when it gets wet, Merino maintains the insulating ability when wet. This fact has, in my opinion, saved more than one lost hiker from not making it home alive. The insulating quality of Merino, for the weight, is the number one reason this should make up the bulk of your kit in the outdoors.

Along with being safer in cold temperatures, Merino is also much safer around fire. Wool doesn't burn well. A spark landing on it will not ignite or melt. Synthetics and cotton will ignite rapidly, potentially creating a serious, maybe deadly situation. I find this to be like not wearing a life jacket in a boat. Being around a campfire in anything but wool, aside from maybe thick denim, is not worth the risk.

For the hunter, especially those who choose to stalk their quarry, silence is golden. Merino wool is as quiet as your own skin. It doesn't make a whisper of noise, unlike other outerwear made from nylon, and polyesters. The swishing noise made from those carry great distances in the woods, and are a very un-natural sound to animals. Trying hard to keep your feet quiet while stalking, only to be busted by your arm dragging loudly against a branch.

On the sustainability front, Cascadians are quite conscious of our environmental footprint, nothing beats wool. Sheep are a key species in a holistic grazing system, turning grass into wool, which is made into clothing for humans. Truly renewable, sheep can be sheared season after season, and building topsoil as they graze and manure the range. Cotton, unless organic, is generally all Genetically Modified, and doused in herbicide and pesticide. An annual crop, the tilling of fields destroys soils and allows for erosion. Bamboo, hemp, and silk are also natural materials, and have their strong points, but I feel like Merino can  fill many different niches. Weights of fabrics are variable, from ultra light weight, to heavy weight outer layers. Because it is a natural fiber, Merino is compostable. No need to landfill Merino that is past its useful life. Toss it in the compost, into the attic for insulation, or stuff pillows with it. We have used Merino t- shirts as pillow cases while camping from garments that we no longer favour. Very nice! Plus Merino is safe for our waterways. Increasing awareness of plastic micro-fibers in our water ways is making the rounds on social media. These tiny fibers, largely from the lofty fleeces that outdoors people wear like Polar Fleece, are making their way through waste water treatment facilities and into our lakes, rivers and oceans. Aquatic species are incidentally ingesting these particles and being poisoned. I am certainly not comfortable with anymore plastics being released into our environment.

The one missing link of a Merino wool kit is a waterproof layer. I don’t know of any brand who makes a waterproof wool garment. If there is one, I would be of the assumption that it would be very heavy, an oiled, or waxed wool. This would be incredibly bulky and not breathable. To combat this issue, wearing the most breathable rain wear available is the best choice. My pick would be the First Lite Stormtight pieces. The most breathable on the market, it is made to layer over Merino base and mid-layers to create the perfect system of comfort for the Cascadian region. While First Lite is largely a hunting focused brand, I would venture to say that many other outdoor pursuits would benefit from their wares. Hikers, fisherman, skiers, dog walkers, bird watchers or any other hobby in Cascadia that entails hours outside in the elements would appreciate this system.

Water

(A series of blog posts on the 5 basic human needs and how we can transition away from our current model of exploitation, extraction, and fossil fuel based systems.)

Water is the element that connects all living beings on the planet. Everything needs water. Water is a beautiful thing, hydrating, cleansing, hypnotic, carrier of energies and nutrient. The trickle sound of a creek or raindrops on a metal roof sending our minds into a peaceful place. As a society our access to clean water is under attack. Corporations wishing to control the one thing that we all need, pollution from farms and factories, mismanagement of the resource by cities, states and countries. These problems have very simple solutions that can be met, only if we the people choose to break free of the system that dictates how we live, and take control of our resource, at a micro-level.

The largest issue to water management is the massive scale that current models use to transport water to areas that are naturally very dry.  Currently, energy used to push water up hill, is the single largest draw on a municipal electrical grid. Millions of gallons of water are needed to keep cities operating, and for high elevation, arid areas. This is a not an appropriate use of energy. As energy gets more expensive, so will the cost of delivering water to these cities, raising taxes and lowering the citizens standard of living. This will eventually cause the decline of said cities, Bad design, bad outcome. Even grid water systems that rely on gravity are not ideal. Often these systems, such as in California, are open air canals that move the water in man made rivers of concrete or earth. Exposed to the sun, evaporation takes place. Because of this, the water becomes higher in minerals, by volume and adds to the salting of irrigated agricultural land. Salted soil quickly becomes inhospitable to plants. This leads to desertified landscapes, unable to support any living creatures.

To reduce the energy consumption in moving water, we need to reduce usage dramatically. Low flow shower heads, toilets, faucets and washing machines designed to use less water are green washing marketing techniques by the manufactures. A ten minute shower is still a ten minute shower, regardless of how much water is used. I believe we need to drastically change our perception and expectations of water, especially in areas that are prone to drought, and where the water must come from pipes hundreds, if not thousands of kilometers away. Flushing clean drinking water down a pipe is absurd. We could encourage the use of composting toilets. Poop, sawdust and time makes soil. Big win for all. There is no reason that our waste can't be turned into a resource. Instead of showering or bathing, a better model would be either sponge bathing, or using natural water ways if available. A living pond in the backyard would be a perfect option for bathing in the warmer months. We are much to concerned with cleanliness in the west. Afraid to smell like a human. I hear of people having multiple showers a day makes me ill. Why?  If you work hard, get sweaty, and dirty, it is very possible to clean well using only a fraction of the water. I have given up using shampoo in my hair, and guess what? My hair doesn't smell! A little soap on my pits and bits, a quick rinse in the shower is all I need. I believe that if we all embraced our humaness, we would be less worried about being so clean all the time.

We have options for gaining control of our own water resources. Rainwater capture is the best one. A proper design, with first flush diverters, wise use of gravity, appropriate roofing materials, and strict conservation, most areas of the world could be water independent. The governments of this planet do not want this to happen however, since that takes away their control of the machine. Many places have rules about rainwater capture, which is ludicrous. Millions of acres of roofing on this planet that could all be transitioned to rainwater capturing systems. The idea of water piped to faucets and toilets on demand needs to be re-thought. Walking outside and filling a vessel with water from your backyard wouldn't be that bad of a thing.

Running rainwater away from the earth it lands on is also leading to desertification and making fragile lands more brittle. De-forestation also contributes to this problem. Rainwater, as well as grey water should be soaked into the soil, to recharge aquifers and allow for proper trans-expiration. Trees are water pumps, sucking water from the soil and releasing it to the air in the dry times. This is natures way of cycling water in a closed loop. Without a balanced lens of water in the soil, the water is sucked from the trees, causing the tree much distress, and can kill the tree. New streets and neighborhoods could be designed on contour with an emphasis on slowing and soaking the rainfall, rather than running it directly to a larger body of water. If rainwater was captured and stored on site, that would greatly reduce the impact on municipal storm water systems, lengthening their lives and cutting cost of utilities improvements. Slowing and soaking rainwater is a wise technique for all farmers as well. The pumping of fossil waters from aquifers will cause major issues with our food security in the future. Farmers using appropriate water smart designs, like Key-Line, no till, mulching, heavy compost, and bio-char can reduce their water input needs immensely.

We are rapidly approaching a time when our resource exploitation can not be ignored any longer. We must transition to a regenerative system to avoid devastating effects of climate shifts, growing police states, income inequality, corporate control of our food and medicine, and a reliance on a debt based economic system that makes financial slaves of us all. Collectively our society has been led on path of lies and destruction, fueled by dis-satisfaction, boredom, addiction, and indoctrination. We can mulch our own way to a future where we all live in abundance, regeneration and simplicity, with smart design and paradigm shifts.

Permaculture Technique #2: Mulching

Fall has come upon us. The weather was stormy and wet for a month, and now a "Polar Vertex" has appeared, bringing forth un-seasonably fridgid temperatures to begin November. With such a mild first half of autumn, the trees were holding tightly to their leaves, gathering the last precious bits of photosynthesis. Once the weather turns colder, and days shorter, the trees give up the fight. They pull the starches created in their leaves via photosynthesis to the root system. Over winter is when the tree concentrates it's energies to seek out underground niches to grow its root mass. With leaves gone, the tree has to expend less energy to fight the forces of nature upon the foliage. Wind exerts a great amount of stress on all trees, the deciduos species have an easier time of it during the dormant seasons.

Now nature teaches us a valuable lesson during the fall season. Leaves from trees falling to the soil are mulch. They create a layer of carbon that is full of nutrient for the microbes in the soil. A layer that holds moisture and covers any bare earth. Bare soil is bad news. Un-covered soil will quickly dry out, be succeptable to erosion and wind drift. Mother Nature always wants the soil to be covered in some medium, either a live or dead one. Permaculture teaches mimicry of Mother Nature and indiginous peoples methods of living with nature, not perpetually battling the systems presented to us. Observing a forest, we see bio-mass accumulation over decades. Natural succession, leaf and fruit drop, wind or fire disturbances, and animal interactions all aid in soil building. Humus is the stuff of life, holding moisture and the microbes for healthy soil.

Mulch can be applied anytime of the year, not just in the fall. I prefer to cover the beds in the fall, as winter will help to decompose the material. The mulch will also stop erosion during winter rains, and snow melt. Water will percolate into the beds under the mulch, and the mulch will help it from evaporating when the sun returns. If you mow a lawn, the grass clippings in the spring work wonders as mulch. Worms love to live in the wet, decomposing, nitrogen rich mass. Wood chips from a tree service, sawdust from your own cord wood harvest, rocks, straw, seaweed, and shredded newspaper all make great non-living mulchs.

Mulch gives a place for seeds to germinate, similar to a reproduction in nature, sprouting in the mulch of the deceased mother plant. Mulch helps the soil warm quicker in the spring and delay hard freeze late in the fall. We love mulch because it can keep pioneer weeds from wanting to colonize bare soil, and smothers grasses and other un-wanted species. Covered soils are more inviting to earthworms too! Underground tillers de-compacting soil, no back breaking labour for us, and they leave valuable castings to feed our plants.

Living mulches are another option for gardeners and farmers alike. Cover crops like white clover, alfalfa, field peas and vetch are wonderful as biomass accumulators and they also fix nitrogen. Seeds of these plants can be broadcast over a bed at various times of the year. Once they established you can remove patches of it and plant starts into it, leaving most of the mass intact. I love buckwheat for a mulch. Buckwheat grows quickly, self-seeds, and is frost killed. The flowers are a favorite forage for bees and other insects. It's leaves are edible, and the foliage makes a great mulch once "chopped and dropped". I also have a high regard for comfrey for a mulch. It is a bio-accumulator, with it's huge tap root that will bring nutrient and minerals up from the sub-soil, accumulating in the leaves. I can then chop those leave several times a season, without harming the plant. Comfrey also has great flowers for bees, and most varieties only spread from root cuttings, not seed. On small sliver of root with grow back as a full plant within a few months during growing season. Chickens love to eat it too. Comfrey is a magic plant!

If you are tired of weeding and watering constantly, look into mulch. People ask me what my number one suggestion is for implementing Permaculture in to their systems, and I always tell them "mulch, mulch, mulch!".

Early Summer Update

Beautiful Raspberries

Holy cow, where does the time pass! I was just browsing the blog and realized that there were no updates since March 17th. That is far too long for my liking! With the season of camping, fishing, harvesting and preserving upon us, it was time to post something. If I didn't get back to this, the snow would be flying!

Baby apple trees

Black Locust seedlings

Things have been moving along well with the plantings that occurred on my property over the past two seasons. There have been some surprises so far this year including the ease in which I was able to sprout and grow seeds from grocery store apples. Talk about a game changer when it comes to propagating many trees on the cheap. I am out of space for them to find a home in the soil, and get out of pots, so I am going to offer these guys up for anyone who wishes to help my experiment with home grown apple trees. I have about two dozen, so if you are at all interested, let me know! I also have several Black locust, Russian olive, Sea berry and Gogi berries that were started from seed, with a variety of results.

Fuzzy bums

Another surprises has been the appearance of peaches on the tree I planted last spring. Hoping that I placed the young bare root tree in a good micro climate, south facing yard, close to the driveway to help warm the air around it, it would put some good roots down. To our delight, it has fruit on it! About ten little "fuzzy bums" have been slowly growing and we are waiting patiently to feast on them. One of the apple trees I placed in last year also has two apples growing on its limbs. Great surprise, very exciting ones for sure.

June bearing goodness

Wild Blackcap Raspberries

Our strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries are all producing well, while not giving us enough for preserving, plenty of fruit for after dinner snacking. The large, plump, June bearing strawberries are from the ASHberry Farms lineage, so you know they are very good producers and have fantastic fruit.

Zucchini, clover, buckwheat, Heartnut

Heartnut tree

In the back yard, the new installation went smoothly. It started with a fence that was mostly build from poles and drift wood we harvested, with the addition of some 1x4, to keep my pal Marshall out. I wouldn't want him running over my baby trees. I have four beds, all with trees as the main plantings , and have placed support species around them. Three apples, a multi-graft plum, walnut, pecan and heart nut trees round out the list of the over story. All the trees are quite small and will take sometime to produce, but we are doing this for the future, not for instant gratification. With these trees I also have squashes, peas, radishes, herbs, dandelion, plantain, buckwheat, black locust, sunflower, gogi berry, tomato, clovers, comfrey and alder. All of these plantings have multi functions, such as bee forage, shade, bio-mass producer, nitrogen fixers, nutrient accumulators, food, and beauty. Stacking functions is so important in a healthy eco-system. We even used some creative driftwood placement for a predator safe bird feeder. Right now it has a hummingbird feeder, and in the winter we will change to a seed feeder. Bringing in nitrogen and pest control, plus the volunteers that come with the seed spread.

Zucchini and Buckwheat

Dinosaur head bird feeder

I put in my first rain barrel this spring. I have been wanting to buy one for years, several in fact. Upon pricing them, I decided that building one would be much more affordable, and cool as well. A quick chat with a pal at a plumbing wholesaler, I had the parts I needed for $20, and a 20 gallon trash can from Canadian Tire on sale for $10. I wished the can was a little bigger, and my next one will be at least 30 gallon, but it is a start, and has been wonderful for watering things on the deck. I have ideas for a small fish pond, fed by the over flow. I just didn't get it together this year. Had the tank set up, but it grew bugs. I deleted it for now, and will revisit in the spring again.

Home built rain barrel

I continue to "chop and drop" every chance I get. Comfrey is everywhere in my yard, it is such a great bio-mass producer, that accumulates nutrient from the sub-soil and makes bees very happy. It is also a food source for us and livestock(with caution) I love this plant. I would encourage all to have a few around. It makes an especially good "chop and drop" plant, breaking down quickly and creating a wonderful mulch. I am also "chop and dropping" dandelion, vetch, horsetail, and creeping buttercup. Yes I have to weed, but it does not concern me to the degree that I did in the past, knowing that these plants are giving me signs about how to make my gardens better, and are doing it for me.

Bee foraging in Comfrey flowers

Four days after "chop and drop" Comfrey

One more exciting bit of info. I have signed up for another Permaculture Design Certificate course starting soon. It is the initial fundraising venture for a Permaculture Farm in West Virginia. PermaEthos is the over seeing company, and I am one of the 1000 founding members in this course. It will be filmed in a new way, on the ground, not in a class room, as the farm is being established. I am looking forward to this and the possibilities it holds. I am also pondering the idea of a market garden on some leased land. I think that I have a spot for this. I am hoping to raise some laying hens, meat chickens, and various vegetables. Hopefully there will be interest in this type of thing, Permaculture food is the best type, bar none!

Second year Blueberry

Abundance of Kale

Thanks for reading this post. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Permaculture Garden Techniques: No Till

Spring is in the air. With a little less than a week to go until the actual equinox, signaling the official arrival of the ever lengthening days of the season, on Vancouver Island it feels like it has already arrived. Albeit early still for sure, but the signs are here. Buds have formed and are beginning to open on some trees and shrubs, surely it will not be long for the cherry blossoms will be out in their full glory. It will be time to get vegetable starts happening, and prep the garden for anticipation of receiving those baby plants. But before you break ground, please hear me out. Sell your tiller!

I have become a firm believer in No-Till gardening. In previous years it was what was accepted at general practice with home gardeners and farmers alike. Violently grinding the soil, almost as if punishing it for being dormant over the winter, with an abusive, ear-shattering torture device that punished the handler as much as the landscape. Having only operated a tiller a couple of times over the years, I can not see why anyone wouldn't have looked for a better solution to the process of getting a bed ready for planting. In a way I could see how it was accepted. The soil was left bare in most cases over the winter, compacted by snow and heavy rainfall. Loose particles were washed away from the top, creating a hardscape that needed to be opened up. Compost or chemical fertilizers could then be amended into the soil, instead of just top dressing it. Winter hardy "weeds" would be growing in the soil, where they were least welcome by the land owner, and they could be punished as well. The tines on the tiller would break up the soil to allow the hairlike roots of the new plants to easily penetrate and get a good grab on the soil, allowing for fast growth with the least energy output.

On the broad acre, Chemical Agriculture has been spouting the benefits of "No-Till" to the public, and farmers. They claim to save tons of topsoil by creating special planting machines that put seeds directly into a small hole, created by another part of the attachment. What they fail to mention is the amount of herbicide that is used in this method of "No-Till". The field is first passed over with a herbicide, to kill off any "weeds" that happened to propagate since that previous growing season, and an environment of absolutely no competition for the seedling when they emerge. After the seedling are several inches tall as are the new growth of un-desirable species, the field in sprayed again, giving the commodity crop a jump start on growth and they will consequently shade out the pioneer species. This method of "No Till" is still not a better option in the least, just a marketing campaign to try to green wash consumers about how G.E. plants are better, and to sell the farmers on less work per bushel. There is not benefit what so ever, in my opinion, for the reasons we don't till are mostly absent in these sprayed fields.

There are so many reasons that "No Till" works so well. Firstly, we are not killing the microbes, nematodes, mycilium, insects, and worms that live in the soil. These are the composters of the system, turning organic matter into soil. We MUST protect our tiny soil creatures. They are the cornerstones of healthy earth, and we need them to thrive in a world where we can eat nutrient dense food that is free of chemical inputs. These beneficial beings help make mineral available for us to ingest that are deep in the sub soil. Tap rooted plants such as dandelions and comfrey will "mine" these minerals from the depths. If we "chop and drop" these weeds, their foliage will be consumed by the composting animals, allowing the minerals to become available to the plants. If the soil is protected at all times either by cover crop or mulch, ideally both, we allow these microscopic community to work for us. They will till the soil in a minute way, manuring and dying, leaving a path of fertility in their wake. Plant roots left in the soil will also rot, creating compost in-situ, and allowing air, water, and new plant roots an easy route into the soil. It is imperative to leave the roots of your annual crop in the beds, and plant around them. They will break down after one or two seasons, and will give plenty of availability for new plants to succeed.

A conventional tiller has several draw backs. They actually compact the soil. Not on the surface, but down in the bed, where the tiller tines bottom out. The action of the tines pushes soil down and compaction occurs. This is not visible. However the mechanical action and common sense dictated this is the case. This fact is detrimental to root crops such as carrots, parsnips and potatoes. It will also result in the growth of compaction busting "weeds". Dandelion will love the loose soil and it's niche is a compaction buster. Suddenly your garden bed will be flush with such species, you will be cursing and creating much more work for yourself. A Permaculture principle is "do the least amount of work, for the greatest amount of change", so adding mulch and cover crop seed is much less work than running a tiller, in my opinion. Another huge downside to the tiller is the noise, smoke, and fuel used in tilling. Loud internal combustion noises drive me nuts, I don't know about you. These types of machines, along with lawn mowers, motor cycles, and weed eaters, all grate my nerves. When I get my wish of a Rocket Mass Heater in my house, I will be very happy to only use a chainsaw in a limited roll. Fueling these machines is a drag too, it always spills, making a stinky mess. Emissions from these yard tools are some of the worst on the planet, per cubic inch. A big diesel tractor has cleaner exhaust than a little tiller or mower. In the words of Paul Wheaton, "That's damn nasty!"


"No Till" does not mean no dig. Dig a hole with a spade, a hand trowel, your fingers, which ever you choose. There is no problem with that. Many people(myself included) were led astray by the definition of the words, and were afraid to take any soil out of place. We should only move the soil as little as we need to create a hole for our plants. If starting seed directly, try adding compost on the top of the bed and planting into that, building up the top soil, and protecting your little friends. I would also suggest to never walk on your grow bed. This creates the compaction that we are trying to avoid.

So what do we do now that the tiller has been sold, or retired? First off, if your soil is very compact, you have a few options. The first one, as bad as it sounds, is to actually till the soil. This will be the last time though, I promise. Once the bed is tilled and raked, bring in straw, leaves, seaweed, or wood mulch, and cover the bed in four inches of this top cover. You could alternate straw for the grow beds and wood chips for the paths, which ever you desire. Another option that could work with the mulch is cover cropping it, to grow mulch in place. Buckwheat and field pea work wonders for this. I would avoid any grass based cover, like fall rye or barley. This will be tough to remove without mechanical means, unless you want to try to scythe around you plants. Not very much fun! The buckwheat grows quickly, creating a pile of biomass, beautiful flowers and will self seed. Frost will knock it back too, so it is a fresh start every spring. Paths could be planted in clover or vetch, low ground covers that fix nitrogen too. I would also highly recommend the majority of your planting be polycultured, a highly diverse mix of crops. Mono-crops are subject to many problems. With the right guilds we can fix nitrogen, grow ground cover and food all with a few plants. Stacking functions!

Another great option for opening up new beds is a method called "Sheet Mulching" also known as "Lasagna Gardening" The process of sheet mulching has the advantage of not needing to dig, however one will most likely bring in elements like soil, compost, mulch, and wood for a core if they so choose. This is how I turned my lawn into a food forest, and would be the preferred option for most urban lots. First the area is decided upon based on sun exposure, distance from the house(zone), and ease of maintenance. The bed would be marked out and materials calculated. The first layer of the system would be cardboard. This helps to smother the existing plantings, most often grass. Secondly would be soil, then compost and lastly mulch. We can assemble these beds as double reach(reach the center from both sides) and make them as high off the ground as the owner desires. My beds are about 30 inches tall, since I piled up punky alder and maple wood, to create a wood core. Similar to a Huglekultur bed. The bed could now be planted and a near instantaneous transformation has occurred in your yard!

In Permaculture we mimic Mother Natures designs as best we can. The earth will always succeed, no matter how much cutting, burning, or poison we throw at her. She will always bounce back, if we are a part of it or not. I have never seen nature use a tiller to prep the growing season, allowing the natural tillers under the soil to do the work, while they go about their short existence. She has it right, and we must follow her lead! What do you think? I would love to hear your comments on "No Till" or any other subject in this Permaculture space.Thanks for reading.

Scotch Broom: Problem or Solution

Problem or Solution?

Scotch broom has been the bane of most folks at one time or another. Readily occupying newly cleared land, gardens or cultivated fields, with massive yellow blooms that are beautiful and torturous to those with allergies to its abundant pollen. A huge amount of foliage that rapidly springs forward, clogging industrial sites, and roadways, seemingly impossible to eradicate or even control. I used to think along these lines, that the introduced species was to be destroyed, almost purchasing a Scotch Broom removing tool and going into business trying to help people get rid of this beastly plant from Europe. Now, with Permaculture, I see the problem as the solution, and have some concepts how this plant can help speed succession and create abundance in the place of spraying this plant to control it.

Scotch Broom is native to Northern Africa and parts of Europe, and was introduced to Virginia in the United States in the early 1800's for use as fodder for domestic sheep. I was considered invasive in that area by 1860. From there it has spread rapidly across the coasts of America, not hardy enough to tolerate the cold climates of the North American interior. Scotch Broom was introduced to Vancouver Island in 1850 as an ornamental, and from three surviving plants, has spread over most of the island in that short time. However deliberate planting of Scotch broom by the British Columbia Ministry of Highways have accelerated the spread of this "weed" during the last 60 years. Because of its deep tap root Scotch broom is great at loosening soil, "mining" nutrient deep with in the sub-soil. It can grow prostrate(laying down") or upright, depending on light conditions. When prostrate it takes the niche of ground cover, protecting the soil from direct sunlight and wind, assisting with preserving moisture.

Scotch Broom, while "introduced", is a pioneer species. Most "weeds" are pioneer species, the plants that work for Mother Nature. They are the first to germinate, from seeds that may lay dormant in the soil for decades. Mother Nature abhors bare soil, nearly instantaneously sprouting fresh growth in newly tilled soil. The bane of conventional gardeners, if we understand these cycles, we can harness this power to create abundance and slow the growth of undesirable species. Dandelion, chickweed, comfrey, clover, and alder are some that come to mind. Many of these species fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil via bacteria located in nodules on their roots, mine deep minerals, create biomass(think mulch), act as ground cover, and attract insects and other wildlife with food and flowers. Mimicking the characteristics of "weeds" can be a wonderful technique to home gardeners.

I became aware of the power of Scotch broom from reading Miles Olson's book "Unlearn, Rewild". He has a chapter called Succession, and in this section he describes a slope that was destabilized and slid to the valley bottom. Within a few years that slope was covered in vigorous Scotch broom, holding the slope, nutrient loading the soil and creating a habitat for other species to succeed in. This information was a little mind altering to myself. Newly grasping Permaculture concepts at the time, I could finally understand the "Problem is the Solution" principle. Just because a plant is introduced and "invasive" it is only filling a niche, because mankind has done something to alter Mother Natures perfect design.

How do we attempt to utilize a problem and turn it into a solution. While I have not attempted the following techniques, the concept is based on science and natural succession. We can easily speed it up with a little technology, a wise use of fossil fuels and manpower to create a low maintenance, abundant system.

The simplest, least energy involving technique, in my mind, is called "Slash". Slash involves the chopping of biomass, laying it down as it was cut. The pile of dead shrub will protect the soil from evaporation, and smothering the new broom from springing up. Roots of the old plants acting to maintain soil stability, and rotting in time, building topsoil. The key to using a pioneer species to succeed wanted plantings, is to quickly add the plants that will fill the role of the removed one, or the cycle will repeat again. Cover cropping with clovers and legumes will fix nitrogen. Trees like Alder and Black Locust fix nitrogen too, also creating biomass and fuel wood. Along side these supporting plants we also put in the main crop of food producing trees and shrubs. Running animal through the disturbed land before and after slash would also aid in the fertility of the soil, creating a yield of meat, eggs and milk. Pigs, goats, sheep, cows, and chickens would have a variety of impacts on a Scotch broom field, disturbing soil, eating seeds and stomping the slash along with manuring the site.

There is another technique in Permaculture similar to slash called "chop and drop" which is using support species, bolted annuals, or weeds as mulch. We take the unwanted biomass and chop it into small particles, with pruning shears, lawnmowers or tree chippers, and place it around the plants we want to keep, our main crop species. This protects the soil, hold moisture, slows weed growth, add nutrient and creates habitat, plus many other micro relationships. This mimics leaf drop and branch fall after a wind storm in a true forest. We can take an area infested with Scotch broom, chop it down, and using a tree chipper, turn it into a large pile of mulch, that can be then used as a mulch once the main species are planted. I would add that doing this in the winter, or spring would be advantageous, keeping the spread of seeds down. I also would not recommend taking this mulch away to another site, unless perhaps, it could be hot composted to kill any remnant of seed. We don't want to spread this plant on purpose.

Another idea I had would be to use the biomass of broom for the base of Huglekultur mounds. Burying it deep under soil and compost to keep any seeds dormant. Again tractoring chickens through the slashed piles would be an asset to seed removal and manuring. A pioneer species is quick to break down into loam, to create fertility and water retention. Placing the chopped broom on contour would add to its water slowing abilities on damaged landscapes. Most grounds we find Scotch broom on were subject to erosion, so we must make sure that removing the plant does not re-create this wash. This will just cause the broom to come back.

I love conceptualizing different land healing techniques. While I have no proof that this works personally, the use of Mother Natures cycles will work. There is no need, in my opinion, to use noxious chemicals on this planet for anything, since we have a perfect model just outside our door. Mankind just needs to get out of the way, or we will be rolled over by it. I would love to help someone who has a broom problem to restore vitality to the land and turn it into a productive landscape.

Permaculture is a gift to humanity from Bill Mollison, who took observations of true natural systems and created a blueprint for us to harness this power to create truly sustainable and healing culture. We can do this!