Ideas? Moving there, to El Sobrante (near Richmond, but in the hills, not right on the coast). I'll have 2/3 of an area and want to start out right and slowly create a food forest.

Hey all! I'm currently in the process of moving up to north Wales to the old family home, and was wondering about water management and food growing in water-saturated soil. Water generally flows from east to west downhill towards the sea on this land (which is about a mile or so away). Annoyingly, the person renting the field uphill from our house has not maintained the historical drainage ditches, and so has allowed a large area of stagnant water and marshland to develop about 10 metres uphill of our home, which is now causing severe rising damp. I was wondering if there was anything I should plant between this marsh and the home to reduce how waterlogged the soil might be? I've read that the best way to deal with flooding is to create wetlands, and was hoping to create a food forest in a waterlogged area which could then act as a sponge during downpours - any hints and tips about what I could plant?

Hey people!

I'm not sure if this is the right sub for my question. I'm 32 and i have a university degree in software engineering and have worked as a software developer for over 12 years. I live in egypt and I'm currently recovering from a medical issue that has prevented me from working full time for about a year and a half ,I've been doing some freelance gigs when i have the chance but I've grown sick of what i do and i think it is pointless other than to make money and the market isn't that great anymore due to AI.

I used to work for an agritech company that works in hydroponics for a while and this got me interested in agriculture and ecology. during my break time i've started becoming very interested in permaculture and soil regeneration, I've been learning a lot from youtube and the internet about permaculture and desert reforestation. Unfortunately i don't own any farm land and i live in an apartment so i have no land to try to apply what i'm learning but i have started experimenting with some food waste recycling techniques like different types of composting, bokashi and vermicomposting to try to building soil fertility and biology in potting soil atleast for my house plants. I'm also trying to learn more about traditional organic farming philosophies like KNF JADAM and the soil food web(i know that isn't scientific but i csn still gain some insight from a practical method that has been used for a while for farming even if i'll not follow it exactly) , i've also been learning about permaculture design from youtube channels like andrew millson and geoff lawton's channels but have no place to try to apply what i'm learning. I have a pretty big concrete patio and i'm currently trying to merge all of what i'm learning to try to make a small potted vegetable and fruit garden according to the principles and methods i've been learning(getting a very slow start).

i would love to switch careers and work in this but i'm not sure where to start. I'm aware of permaculture design courses but due to inflation where i live most of the courses i've checked are outrageously expensive when converted to EGP.

I'm open to suggestions on where to start!

Sorry for the very long post.

Thanks.

I've been an advocate for leaving the leaves, letting them mulch and feed the soil and plants. As well as the help it gives to our insects friends. However, the tick population in my suburban set up is exploding. Due in part to being organic as well as increased wildlife that has set up their lives here.We know that leaves shelter them as well.

It's become a dilemma as our health is at stake. There are a huge amount of lone stars in my yard. We refuse to spray and also cannot have chickens or guinea fowl due to town ordinances. I'd love your advice.

Bonjour, je me permets de vous solliciter dans le cadre d’un projet. En effet, je suis étudiante en master entrepreneuriat et j'ai besoin de vous afin de réaliser une étude approfondie pour un travail de groupe. Pouvez-vous m'aider en m'accordant un peu de votre temps et compléter ce questionnaire. Nous souhaitons viser les passionnés de jardinage.

Ce lien est un formulaire destiné aux personnes possédant un système d'irrigation :

https://forms.gle/Gjqnhu9C3gTv4E1n6

Ce lien est un formulaire destiné à ce qui ne possède pas de système d'irrigation pour l'arrosage de leurs plantes :

https://forms.gle/jQDJp5p2YnTD3WVE6

Hello, I'd like to ask you to help me with a project. I'm a master's student in entrepreneurship and I need your help to carry out an in-depth study for a group project. Could you help me by giving me some of your time and completing this questionnaire? We'd like to target people with a passion for gardening.

This link is a form for people with irrigation systems:

https://forms.gle/Dx6ZihCj8Cy5omCA6

This link is a form for people who don't have an irrigation system for watering their plants:

https://forms.gle/Sfuzvs8qDuPxx9YH7

Hey probably been asked a million times on here, but would love to hear which yt channels you all think are the most quality.

Cheers!

Permaculture Design Course recommendations sought. something in-person for January - Open to Considering any location, but don’t want to stay for 2 weeks in a primative thatch hut in the jungle. My aim is to understand the systems and get closer to the earth, but I don’t have any ambitions to turn this into work / income. Just for my own enrichment and curiosity. thanks in advance!

I'm working on a design around two peach trees. I have sandy clay soil type and I'm looking to improve the soil quality by adding a nitrogen fixer along with amendments like worm castings and cover cropping. I have a lot of space to work with plus I've wanted to add a tree to the backyard anyway. I planted the trees two years ago and have seen a few flowers early in spring but to significant growth in size. The trees are a few feet away from my garden which attracts A LOT of pollinators over the spring and summer. My goals are to nurture the trees long enough to bare fruit.

I'm open to any suggestion generally too so please give pointers.

Also this is my first Reddit post ever so be kind!

Hey guys,

Looking to get my soil tested before I lay down mulch and compost for my no dig garden. I’m in a cold climate and the local university says that general soil quality testing must be performed in the warm months. I was just going to get it tested for heavy metals for now. Is there anything else to consider? Also, I’m planning on having some compost trucked in from a local place. Should I have that tested as well or ask them if they test it?

I live in Northeast OH in zone 6b. I have had a vegetable garden the past 2 years and am slowly becoming obsessed with living as self-sustainably as possible and am creating a food forest. I decided to use the James Prigioni method and covered roughly 1,000 sq ft. in layer of wood chips 6-8in deep. I ordered 3 apple trees, a cherry, a peach, 2 blueberries, and 2 raspberries. The trees are dwarfs, except for the peach, which is a semi-dwarf. All bare-root which will be shipped in early March. 

I have heavy clay soil. I dugout where the peach tree is going and backfilled with half native soil/half compost, and plan on doing that with the other 4 trees when the rest of my compost is finished For the blueberries I plan on working some peat moss in the soil  to increase the acidity. 

I am looking for some advice in planting and if there is anything you would change with the design I created? I spaced the dwarf fruit trees with a 4ft. radius from center, and the peach with a 7ft radius. I plan on fencing in the entire area, so would 4ft be enough space for a dwarf tree next to a cattle fence, or should I move them out a little bit? I plan on planting milkweed, purple coneflower, and other perennials throughout the garden, what else would you recommend flower wise?  Moving forward what else would you add to the garden?

P.S. I plan on installing a rain water catchment system in the spring, and would like to build a slow sand/biofilter in the future for potable water, if anyone has experience with that!

Thanks,

Brendan

https://preview.redd.it/o4yh92q7ev3e1.jpg?width=2100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=208243de831c222d8ed3314081a5de7cda69d303

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https://preview.redd.it/v7r27rp7ev3e1.jpg?width=2100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9fe3fd36f464623cf51ad871f8910f59e9a807d

https://preview.redd.it/f64vo4q7ev3e1.jpg?width=2100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=611e6703d87d0b41a2c837a3a96da6260ad79bfa

Any ideas/projects that have worked for you? Big or small- taking all ideas.

Hi! I’m brand new to gardening and permaculture in every way but would like to start making plans for a low-maintenance, all-native forest garden in my backyard in northern Illinois. Does anyone have ideas for what plants I should start with? I’d love to have as many as possible be things I can also eat in order to reduce dependence on non-local foods. I do have a decent amount of space but I’m wary of getting in over my head. There’s a lot of info out there and it’s very hard to sort through and figure out how to actually begin! Also trying to be budget conscious, which makes things even trickier.

I’m also curious folks’ thoughts on starting a small indoor winter garden with growth lights?

Hi all,

I recently purchased the book in the title. However, I'm a bit confused about the recommended planting distances. Initially, it looks like the distances from Square Foot Gardening are used for the annuals, but somewhere else it looks like Grow Biointensive distances are used. I suppose I am completely overthinking this, but what distancing is recommended?

Hey all, I’m interested in living and working part-time on a farm until March.

I work on my family’s small organic market garden farm in Northern Washington State during our growing season and I’m looking for somewhere that is growing year round.

I would contribute 15-20 hours of work each week and be willing to pay rent on top of that. Only requirement would be that I’d need to do the farm work around my 9-5pm remote job and have good internet (I could bring Starlink)

Would you or anyone you know be interested in this arrangement? Let me know, would love to connect

Hi, recently got into this subject after watching one too many PlanetWild, JustDiggIt, Andrew Millison, Leaf of Life Etc. videos but it had me seriously considering the following idea:

Why not buy dirt cheap (relatively, <$5k per acre) desert land out in SoCal/Mojave desert somewhat close to civilization that is on a gentle gradient, not too far down the watershed to prevent flash floods, and then restore the land to productivity? Using bunds, swales, and seeds. It seems land prices are less afflicted by being remote and moreso their lack of water/vegetation.

I would imagine that if it was this easy, some would have already done it, but it seems all of these land restoration projects are done in areas that are outside of the US. I can imagine if this goes right then in the future, investment companies and funds would be buying up unproductive land and valleys to turn them into income producers or selling the land? So why not do it myself now?

Like it seems too simple to be true? Any hill billy with a tractor and a modified farming plow could do hundreds of acres per day and turn nearly the desert entire green.

We are hooking up to sewer, and the old septic field is ideal flat land for planting. How long for bacteria to break down and be safe for edible plants? Is there anything to speed up the process? If we remove as much topsoil as possible and backfill, is that likely safe for edibles?