Compost Delivery

Weeds

Weeds are opportunistic plants that develop in disturbed environments. Their action can bring balance to the topsoil mining nutrients from below and making it available. However some species in some conditions are so invasive they can slow the natural succession phasing of growth. In these situations, a small, considerate and deliberate intervention can restore health to the ecology.

The most effective means to control invasive species has to be taken on a case by case basis. The use of herbicide was quoted by a local bush regenerator as amplifying the effect of human interaction one hundred fold.

A person working with the health of the system in mind can effect a huge change, this is sometimes necessary when an over dominant species has halted the natural phasing of the forest. However; Indiscriminate spraying of herbicides has a massive environmental cost it can destroy fertility in the soils and undermines the natural processes. Persistent herbicides remain and are concentrated up the food chain. Run off can pollute water ways. Particular products and additives, such as the surfactant used to stick round-up to plants has known toxic effects on frogs.

Plant identification and understanding are the greatest of assets. Knowledge of the land and its history can give a clear perspective on whether the regrowth is beneficial for soil re-balancing or if needs intervention.

This was the focus of our ABT. Plant identification is an art that notes the features. Many plants do not differentiate enough when young (and most easily controlled). Leaf shape and colour, flower, fruit, structure, smell, root system and location are all used to make a positive identification.

If you are unable to identify a species, a pressing is made, details are noted and can then be sent to a herbarium for them to catalog.

A very effective and efficient way of identifying plants is to find someone that already knows a great deal. Plant varieties and species can be very localized, so the more experience your assistant has in the same area, the more likely you are to get a positive identification.

Some Jargon Native : These are plants that are indigenous to the country Endemic : This is more specific, plants that are indigenous to a particular area. Naturalised : These are species from elsewhere that have adapted to a new area and made it home. Successional Phasing : A forest develops in phases, first come the grasses, then fast growing woodier, taller species. Then pioneer trees.

One of the critiques of Permaculture is that it encourages the introduction of new species to an ecology. The ramifications of bringing in new species are often far-reaching and little known. Many out of control species are garden escapees.

This is Yarrow, used as a superb compost activator.

Some topsoil was bought and trucked in to the trust without seeing the source with it came a whole soil seedbank that contained some of the most noxious weeds to the area.

Nutgrass and Castor oil plant are two that once established will run and are next to impossible to fully eradicate. We heard stories of nutgrass seed being introduced in the tracks of hired machinery.

This is a native tobacco bush, often regarded as a weedy species it actually acts as a nursery plant for the next phase of successional growth.

There are many different grass species in the area. The local rule tends to be if the cows, roo’s or horses won’t eat it, it is a weed.

One of the techniques for plant control taught to us was the cut, scrape and paint.

The Cut!

The outer layer of bark is quickly scraped away revealing the green layer where the plant transports the nutrients around

It is then painted with the herbicide. Once the plant is cut, the vascular system shuts down very quickly. It is in this time that poison must be painted on to be effective.

This particular species is on a government list that controls the most noxious weeds. Land owners are obligated by law to control it on their property.

The permaforest trust is on a 100 acre title, only the top 10 acres are certified organic where plants are controlled by hand. The remaining 90 acres are controlled with the use of Round-up (Glycosulphate) a relatively benign, short lived and extremely widespread herbicide produced by Monsanto.

Organic Gardening Training

Organic Gardening at the Permaforest Trust in Barkers Vale

The trust maintains two main gardens; the commercial garden and the kitchen garden. These are both located on northerly slopes in the top ten “certified organic acres”. The soil is a heavy clay. They are both well fenced to keep out kangaroos and the bandicoots.

There are extensive systems in place for their management.

We worked on the top bed of the commercial garden; a green manure crop of lab lab had begun to flower and now was the time to turn it into the soils to prepare them for garlic which is to be planted in shortly. It was raining very heavily, but after just hearing the importance of sticking to a crop schedule we weren’t going to let that stop us.

We worked three pitchforks until the clay got too much for one of them and slowed our pace to just two.

While someone was turning it in, others with hoes pulled the beds back together. They have a tendency to want to slide down the slope. Terraces have been built in the kitchen garden to stop this and allow the topsoil to build without being washed away.

Once this was done, some dynamic lifter was added in the form of chook poo.

This raised an interesting point of disconnection for me. In the theory classroom we were told that the true store of enduring wealth is in the soil. To then actually go in the field and spread the cheapest, battery hen sourced, uncertified manure around felt a little out of touch.

As with all the things I hear, I pick out the gems, the bits that I know are special and apply them. We faced a similar issue on my own share when we had the opportunity to buy very cheap, high quality compost from the Lismore tip to build up some beds the caveat was that it had plastic through it.

I made the choice then to stick to my gut and not jump at the cheap fixes and lures along the way. We have been building our soils at home slowly, from natural organic, happy and healthy inputs. We know that the food that grows has its foundation that, which to us is priceless.

Update: Tryton Waste Services has been improving it’s processes and is now delivering excellent compost that is virtually free from plastics. We have bought some to try on our place.

After the beds were prepared we were shown the irrigation technique used. Three cut dripper pipes are run along the bed and mulched over. The cut faces up so the water spills over the sides. This is attached to a tap so each bed can be watered independently along the main line based on its needs. The new plants need shallow, regular watering. As they reach maturity, less frequent but deeper soaks are needed.

There are several other growth experiments going on at the trust. One that seems very successful is the banana guilds. They are a working model of sustainable companion polycultures. A large hole is dug in the ground.

Around it an arrowroot boarder is planted and banana plants and papayas. The bananas only do one season before suckering off a new baby.

These are all big biomass producers and their output is thrown into the middle where it breaks down into premium, soft, fertile soil. Here you can plant watermelons, pumpkins, warrigal greens or other similar ground crops. After 10 years when the hole is full a fruit tree is planted and thrives.

They form a beautiful protected and lush microclimate.

Lismore

Composting for 30,000 people.

Here at the largest worm farm in the southern hemisphere. It is a trial joint-project between the Lismore city council and Triton. The council implemented a system of green bins, Recyclables and landfill. They then deliver the green waste collection to the complex.

The project started 15 years ago.

There are problems with some contamination. In the first year 12% of the input was contaminated. People were throwing moldy veg from the supermarket, plastic bag and all into the bins and into the system. Others were putting everything everywhere once the landfill bins were full.

Through a system of feedback, public education and integration of new biodegradable starch bags this has been reduced to 2% in the highest grade 4mm product that is sold today.

And it is rich!

This operation is large scale. We didn’t get to see it under a microscope.

That was the domain of a smaller scale business called Soil Food Web. Working with composting teas brewed on site they were doing research into the life forms that can number in the millions in a single teaspoon of soil.

They are off the grid. A stand alone solar system powers the lab and the pumping equipment.

When analysing healthy soils biology is intimately connected with the chemistry.

With the decline in availability of abundant oil and its family of products; the culture emerges that encourages a return to biological resources.

They zoom to up to 400x and count, by hand and eye the levels of three key families that live in healthy soils.

This level of work gives measurable information on the nature of what we do when developing soil health. Then give vital feedback when determining what to do next when healing land.

The cure-all is compost. Through a process of continuos aeration of a compost starter, molasses, oats and many other experimental ingredients that feed bacteria and fungus levels a super rich life juice is created that can inoculate large areas of land with benifitial soil organisms that balance the system.

To bring all this home; the marketplace.

Every Tuesday the Tweed Regional Organic Producers Organisaion (TROPO) holds an organic farmers market in the Lismore Showgrounds.

It is a friendly co-operative with a place to openly communicate the needs of the market amongst the growers.

There are two retail distributors allowed in the marker. One is there with the understanding he brings what the local market cannot provide, the other to take excess food at the end of the markets to be resold at another regional market up the coast.

Food is fresh, the greens picked only hours ago.

All store holders are certified, and display that at the stall. Questions about the produce can be asked directly to the person that grew it. They were happy to answer and told us about their gardens and their life as a grower.

Wholistically balanced soil is fertile and healthy. Healthy soils grow healthy food.