Tag Archives: permaculture

Adventures in Biochar – Part II

It worked! I ran into significant challenges specifically related to the design of my retort (as detailed here), but when I opened the barrel last night (in the dark, with a flashlight), I was greeted by a barrel full of … Continue reading

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Adventures in Biochar – Part I

Saturday last I drove into town to try to procure two 30 gallon metal barrels for my biochar retort kiln project.  I had in mind a two-barrel system similar to this one only larger, with a 30-gallon drum nestled inside … Continue reading

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“How about not doing that?” A Lesson from Fukuoka

To the north of the garden proper and the food forest is a nearly pure stand of Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menzeisii)  Very little sunlight reaches the ground here, and the forest floor is piled high with generations of madrone leaves, … Continue reading

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Hügelkultur Fruit Tree Mound

In a previous post, I described preparing a future planting site by burying horse food.  This weekend, I created an actual, official hügelkultur mound, using a big old rotten log, as well as two other mounds, one filled with forest … Continue reading

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Hügelkultur for the Older Horse

I’ve been reading up on hügelkultur, which is the process of creating raised beds over decaying wood.  As the wood breaks down, it provides warmth, and increases the water holding capacity of the soil.  There’s no shortage of decaying wood … Continue reading

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The Food Forest Concept

I’m in the early stages of a long-term food forest garden project on my property, starting with a wooded area adjacent to the garden proper.  Forest gardening is a system that involves planting communities of food plants to exploit various … Continue reading

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