Every year at this time we go through the orchard clear big areas around the trees fertilize and mulch and then prune. We started this project today and got a long ways towards completion working with our new friend Zeb from green goose farm . -- Sent from Fast notepad
12:30 pm -- Saturday February 7 at Oasis
Project work includes stacking urbanite and a traditional method for mixing cob by hand, forming Cobs to be passed along the line and placed on the bench. Brief talk on rocket stove design
Pictured below, dry run on rocket stove base and the location below the gardens for the cob bench (retained heat battery.) Attached to the rocket stove bench will be a 100 square foot wood deck and gazebo that can serve as a pleasant meditative retreat in the spring , summer and fall . It transforms into a tent cabin in the winter that will allow Farm stays in the rough year round. Camping is available in this area all summer, when the area is shrouded by lovely fruit trees . Amenities include running water and a primitive compost toilet seen in the back ground.
Elizabeth and I cleared favas out of the kale row leaving the root mass. Next theGarlic and favas. These were direct seeded at the same ttime, allowing the fava to shade and protect and enrich the soil while the young garlics strengthened got a little bigger and winter over. Now with early spring sunshine the garlic wants to grow so we have removed the tops leaving the root mass which is full of nitrogen fixing nodules. The stalks will sprout from the cut stems to continue to protect the soil and shade out weeds. Garlic hate competition, so by cutting back they get more sun and a less aggressive companion. this method conserves water and although the garlics may develop a wee bit slower the soil will be happier. a side dressing of compost may be applied later in the spring -- Sent from Fast notepad
Especially when talking with others about political realism we all agree to buck up and write our congress people and try to influence the political process. Truthfully, whether talking about liberalization of law water rights or organic standards, there is a dark side to politics we should recognize reflected in the comment below. "The tragic reality is that very few sustainable systems are designed or applied by those who hold power, and the reason for this is obvious and simple: to let people arrange their own food, energy and shelter is to lose economic and political control over them. We should cease to look to power structures, hierarchical systems, or governments to help us, and devise ways to help ourselves." - Bill Mollison. This is certainly not to suggest hiding from the political process, however given the gravity of our situation we should be realistic about actively finding solutions -- Sent from Fast notepad
