back to eden project for folks interested in gardening.

[rockriver]

I posted a recommended video in "basics"
backtoedenfilm.com

it probably should have been here or homesteading..

I've recently taken a gov't course on gardening and this process is not officially endorsed!! just fyi.

I've decided to try it out...
the general idea is use wood chips in garden and orchard. layer after layer. year after year until very thick base is achieved. and "do not" till them into soil.
first year or two plant just a small distance under chips in the soil.
then as chips begin to breakdown plant in the chips!!!

and do not till the soil..
here's where the name came from..
God had forests and gardens before we started tilling... the land and the gardens prospered... go look in the woods nearby.
tree leaves and limbs fell to the ground. they "covered" the soil. everything needs a cover in nature.
seeds fell to the ground and fell in the cover and grew! no cultivation.

step 1 in my project.
I've covered my garden area with about 2" of shredded leaves, chipped branches and whatever else I could get off the ground.
somewhere I posted about getting my chipper/shredder to work... I used this for many hours chipping up trash piles and leaves/branches.
the chipper was placed in various parts of the garden and I chipped away, letting the results spray out over the garden.

I kept looking for additional sources of chipped material... local tree trimmers were slow to cooperate. I finally got a truckload! I tipped the two guys
4$ each. their eyes lit up!
they have now brought about 6 loads!! yee hah.. I give the two men (one works the big high lift. the other feeds the trimmings into the shredder)
a few bucks each time they come..
chips can be had at the neighboring counties landfill. it's free.. but you do your own loading. and there are fuel costs in getting there and back.
my tips to the shredding guys are cheaper than the fuel costs!


step 2.
the chips are still coming...
I'm placing their chips/mulch around fruit trees, grape vines, nut trees. anything that makes food.
for now, I'm placing one loader (front end loader on 40 hp tractor) around each tree/vine..
each dump is as close to plant as I can get it without damaging plant with the machine.
then coming back and encircling the plant. once I get done with all plants. I'm giving them a second dump load each!
I'm trying to leave a few inches from tree trunk to chip pile...

the theory...
tilling the mulch into the soil affects the nitrogen level negatively (I don't understand this point. golng on faith!) I will Not be tilling this mulch into the soil.

the nutrients from the decaying mulch will penetrate the soil giving the roots just what God meant for them to have. (no harmful chemicals is the plan)

our soil is high %clay. water falls and runs off. the mulch will grab the water and hold it still to allow some to soak in..
sort of like a sponge... the mulch will also hold water itself allowing a little to seep into ground as it is needed.

the mulch will "cover" the ground... allowing earthworms, fungus and all sorts of natural things to prosper in the covered ground. the way God meant for it to be. I've been cutting the grass right up to the vines/plants/trees in the past... uncovering the soil... not the way God meant!

I will be expanding the size of the chips/mulch around the plants as supply is obtained. I'm pretty sure those roots go way beyond the tree limbs!

I'm considering letting garden "layout" this year.

as mulch gardening medium depth is increased the plants roots can dig deeper and more thoroughly. root plants (carrots and potatoes) will have an easier time growing in a loose medium rather than my compacted clay.

if you take the time to watch the videos you will hear concern about the country and the need to provide your own food. it's not shouted. just a few calm comments. we talk about what if's....
what if I can't get fuel or a part for the tractor. what if there is no fertilizer or pesticide available. what if wally world is closed. or wally world is open but no
trucks are bringing add'l food for whatever reason.
if I start the ground prepping now... maybe I have time before the shtf.
if the s never htf, maybe my veggies and fruits will be super easy to grow and healthier than wally worlds..
young or old, if I/you put good quality food in our bodies, maybe they will be healthier and better able to fight off disease and stress!

whew.. the hard part is getting all this done with no one else in the condo complex knowing what I'm doing! I think i'll go close the gate!

happy gardening!



rr

[protus]

I've started covering mine..as a test for the spring. Mixing mulched leaves /grass with chicken bedding (been composting for a year now ) and compost...
Hopefully it works...

[rockriver]

pruning trees

folks, I hope this guy is right... because he's my hero gardener now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakMpMy9xQ4

the video is on pruning. not just on when and how, but why!

[Benn Gleck]

Double R, Could you do me a favor?

I'd appreciate it if you could give me regular updates on how well the Back To Eden philosophy is working at your "condo".

[rockriver]

lol.
benn
a month or so ago I put a lot of chips from the tree clean up company, around a lot of fruit trees.
(abandoned trees no one else is taking care of. I'm quietly claiming them since they are down the road from the condo!!)
in the last couple of days I've gone back and cleaned up a little... at first I just piled chips up around the trees..
I pulled the piles back to make a rough 6' diameter circle and leaving about 5" space between trunk and chips.

here's the interesting thing that is very encouraging...
when I dumped the chips in the beginning, in a lot of areas the chips were left 5 to 10 feet from the tree. this area was only about 1/2 to 1" deep... when I raked this area and moved these chips closer to the trees, I was amazed at how moist the soil was under the thin layer of chips... they were helping hold water/moisture under them...
great prospects for this cover/mulching system to work well!

reference garden... I've added several layers of chips to the garden. it is now very soft/spongy to walk on...
and the chips are doing a great job of holding moisture there also.
in connection with a Christian principle of letting the land lay out every 7 years, it is my current plan to let this garden
"lay out" in 2015.. I've had this garden 3 years, and have no idea how long it has been in production is one reason I'm leaving it out of production this year.. this year is a significant year for other reasons to honor Jesus..

I'm also preparing a few areas for citrus and other trees that will be moved from containers to ground this year... putting down the chips now to get a head start in soil prep. later this year.

one goof I did in garden opening post was I did not put down a layer of newspapers before I started adding chips...
I wish I had... it would be very time consuming to rake back the chips and add paper, then rake the chips back over the paper.. I suspect I will have added weeds because of this neglect. hmm.... I could put down newspapers now! and then add another 1/2 to 1" in chips.... that's the plan... but will have to wait for a few weeks... other items on the schedule...

all,
bottom line of this whole post is... if we think/believe that a hard time is coming, (whatever the peril!) we should be
prepping the soil and getting our gardens going
I'm just looking for the most efficient way to get fresh sustainable nutrition...
======
I've got a few associates who are clear believers of very hard times coming and soon.
however, they aren't storing food and they aren't interested in gardening.
this only leaves one choice... they plan to be raiders... they don't admit it, but...
======
if there are hard times, we will need "help from above" as some would put it, or help from The Lord, as others would say,
so prepping in that area also!! He speaks of seeds, food, prepping, gardens, protecting, planning, harvesting a pretty good bit. I haven't taken these scriptures as literally as I should.