Sustainable Gardening, Terra Preta and more!

As part of my home remodeling project, I had all of the water-intensive, purely decorative and useless landscaping in both the front and back yards removed. There is absolutely no landscaping at all anymore. The front "yard" is covered with mulch to inhibit weed growth. I got the mulch for free when a neighbor's tree was removed and ground up. The back "yard" has nothing covering the soil. Our lot is huge but our home is very small. I would like to landscape for a little more privacy, if possible.

I have been thinking about re-landscaping now for three years. My first idea was to put in a blue garden since the summers here get so hot, and I thought a blue garden would be deliciously cool. I was going to plant California native, drought-tolerant perennials.

But having worked as a graphic designer in the grocery industry for many years, I've since re-thought my landscaping project and have now decided to plant a sustainable organic garden of fruits, vegetables, herbs and nuts. I would like to espalier the fruit and nut trees if possible since I am very short (5' 3/4" tall) and am no spring chicken age-wise.

I grew up in the family carnation nursery business so I am no slouch when it comes to hard work and no stranger to farming since we had apricot and walnut orchards. HOWEVER, I recognize that I need a plan. I have been searching for a sustainable landscaping designer in my area (Northern California's Central Valley). I have written to three asking for a price on design but have so far not received a reply from any of them.

I intend for this landscaping to be permanent except for of course, the constant re-planting of vegetables and herbs, which is why I need a landscape designer. I'm on a highly visible corner with four-way stop signs. There's light exhaust fumes from morning and afternoon traffic because of the elementary school, which is two blocks away. We experience mild winters, with average temperatures between 50 degrees F and 60 degrees F. Summers can be very extreme with some periods of 100 degree F and above not uncommon. The average summer temperature here is about 90 degrees. There is relatively no humidity. We get lots of wind.

I do not have the finances to start landscaping immediately, but want to start soil preparation. I intend to buy a rotating compost unit. I am also interested in preparing the soil with Terra Preta, which I read about in a NationalGeographic magazine a couple of years ago, but have not been able to find a "recipe" for it.

My questions:

1. Does anybody have a "recipe" for Terra Preta?
2. Should I rototil the soil seasonally until I am able to start landscaping?
3. Should compost be top dressed on the ground or worked in until I am ready to start landscaping?
4. Should I get worms to add to my compost machine or wait until I am ready to start landscaping?

I realize that this is a very long post, but I've been unable to find anybody to answer my questions. Any help, recommendations of a landscape designer in my area, or tips would be greatly appreciated. I would like to get started soon, since I've finally made up my mind about what type of landscaping I want.

Thanks!
joanne8777

What's a sustainable garden? Similarly, what's an unsustainable one?

Frank

In a nutshell, and quoting directly from http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm:

"Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

I interpret this as a personal responsibility to not deplete the soil, pollute with pesticides, share with others the fruits of one's labors and to pass on to the next generation a lasting, viable way to produce healthy, pure, food free of contaminants.

Hi Tracy !!

I'm new here and before I say anything I'll tell you that I don't have the answers for all your questions; but I have been reading a lot of articles in Permaculture and I'm certain you can find some answers to your questions by doing a Google search on permaculture / design, and perhaps adding your specific area.
I've never heard about terra preta (I know it means black dirt / soil in Portuguese) but for what you said about not been quite ready to start; I think you'll be better off amending your soil than buying a lot of dirt to fill or mix in your garden. Amending your soil to a rich fertile base might take a couple of seasons (unless you go the chemical way, but I don't think that's what you have in mind), and for what you said, that just might work for you.
Again I'll do a google search on amending soil and see what comes up. I've done it and read all about it but it didn't stick; I guess if I don't put it in practice soon after reading I forget.
I wish you good luck with your sustainable garden..... I'll be following your foot steps in the near future when we move back to our old house.

Willy

Found this about terra preta.
They call it biochar or bio-carbon; I think you might be able to make your own...
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=taxonomy/term/38/1%22

I do the Dave Wilson Nursery forums for my fruit trees. http://www.davewilsonforums.com/index.php/index.php They have some very good articles on the main site about backyard orchard culture as well that might help you plan for the fruit trees.

I've had my little orchard in for about two years now and had very little trouble with it. The big thing for me has been remembering to spray a couple times a month and pruning every summer for size. I can honestly say that it has been far less work than my roses and potted veggies tend to be.

I wish you lots of luck and hope you'll be fully satisfied with the design you put in.

Thanks so much for your suggestions, sevseasail! I'll go look at the info today. When I did a search on terra preta last year, there was very little information on it. I am planning to do a total soil work up before I plant anything, including planting hairy vetch and tilling it into the soil and doing the terra preta if I can find a viable recipe. Thank you so much for the link!

telosphilos, Dave Wilson Nursery is one of the places I contacted about landscape design. I haven't heard from anybody yet, but am planning to visit their nursery in Modesto, since it's relatively close to where I live, about 25 miles.

I did read the Dave Wilson forums and found them inspirational as well as practical. I was impressed, which is why I am planning to visit them and probably buy fruit and nut trees according to their recommendations.

Your orchard sounds GREAT! May I ask what you planted and whether or not you espaliered any of the trees? (I am planning to espalier so I can have more trees in the space I have and also because I'm short and am at an age where climbing up and down ladders is not the safest.) I'm not planning to spray at all unless with biodegradable, non-chemical stuff like Safer's Soap, etc.

I had to laugh when you said that the trees are less work than your roses. I had 28 rose bushes in my front and back yards. (They came with the house when I bought it.) Talk about labor intensive! My hands would ache for over a week when I did the year-end pruning for winter. I was not sad when I had them eliminated. IF I plant a rose, it will be containerized and I will limit myself to no more than 4 bushes!

I expect the veggies to be a lot of work, but we grew veggies when I was a kid in San Jose, CA. I know what it takes and am up for the challenge! Thanks for the information and the encouragement. I will need it as I start my gardening odyssey.

Oooh! I just found a great you-tube video on biochar. If any of you are interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzmpWR6JUZQ

OMG! After watching the you tube video, I followed other links and time just slipped away. I can't believe how many articles, research and information has been done on terra preta since I last investigated it. I'm pumped!

I'm thinking that I may have to start a worm farm too in my quest for soil improvement.

Wow .... !!!
Time flies when you're learning. Just spent almost two hours watching related videos on youtube.
Thanks for the link !!!! awesome......

It is really fascinating and I'm impressed with all of the information now available. A plan for soil preparation is now forming in my mind. Since I don't have a landscape designer or the funds to start planting yet, I'm going to do more research and start prepping the soil in the front and back yards.

good luck !!!
Please report back and let us know how did it go.... I'll be following your steps soon, so I'm interested in the outcome of your plan.

Willy.

Hi Willy!

So far, I'm in the research stage of my garden plan. I know that soil prep is vital to growing good quality veggies and fruits so right now, my plan is to start prepping the soil. I live in the Central Valley in California, so I'm already blessed with pretty good quality soil, but I'm looking at this with the future in mind. IF I prepare the soil NOW, the right way, I should have less problems in the future.

With this goal in mind, I'm thinking Terra Preta, vermiculture, composting and organic soil amendments as well as cover crops that can be tilled into the dirt as "green fertilizer" are the way to go.

I have my eye on the Mantis rotating composter. It's pricey but because I sustained neck and back injuries after being rear-ended in an auto accident several years ago, I want to minimize the impact on my body. I remember turning compost piles from gardening experiments years ago and the mind is willing but my body just isn't up to the challenge. I assume, since your name is Willy, that you are a man. You can probably manage a compost pile easily.

I was also thinking of starting a worm farm to incorporate the castings into my compost making but I need to do more research into it since summers here can frequently hit temperatures of over 100 degrees for long periods of time. I don't want the poor worms to cook!

If you have a journal started, I'd love to read up on your progress too! I estimate that I won't be ready to start planting anything for 1-2 years, after I have the soil in planting condition.

Good luck to you too sweetie!

Jo

Well, my little orchard doesn't quite follow the backyard orchard culture the way the Dave Wilson people do it. I have a really large back yard, 78' by 30' and a good 19' on one side of the house and 12' on the other for space to work with. So, I have the space to really play with and a dire need of shade here in the Texas heat. I like their ideas for how to do things, but I wasn't ready to try them and I needed the shade more than the fruit.

What I did was put in a widely spaced double hedgerow along the backyard fence. That fence is my southern exposure so everything gets good light. At the closest any of the trees comes to each other is about six feet from trunk to trunk. I did a single hedge row going north along the sides of the yard and a berry bramble section along the western fence.

My intention is not to let the trees get taller than I can reach with a two-step step-ladder. I haven't espaliered anything yet, although I am considering it for my citrus. What's going on is a bad case of loving my trees and irritating the husband. He doesn't like overwintering the citrus inside so I need to build a small greenhouse for them.

My orchard is organic mostly because it is a lot easier to do for me and I have small children. I use Organicide and citrus oil for bugs and a bit of basic compost and other organic fertilizers as needed. The only trees I've lost were to drainage issues with my clay soil.

As far as what I have? Well, a Celeste Fig and a Brown Turkey fig will likely be pleached at some point since I want a pair of Asian pears. There is the Moonglow and Keiffer pears that I chose specifically for fireblight resistance. There are a pair of apple trees, Golden Delicious and a Pink Lady. Two out of my three plums set fruit this year. The Methley and the Santa Rosa set fruit, the greengage didn't. There are two peaches growing nicely on opposite sides of the yard, a HaleHaven and a White Lady which appears to be setting fruit this year. I also have a Fuyu persimmon to make for some winter treats. In honor of my grandmother, I put in a pie cherry in the back yard. My family was giving me some ribbing about not having one when I had everything else.

The sweet cherries are in the side yard where they can put on a show for the neighborhood. I had to do some extra work to get them to attempt to play nice with my soil. Those cherries are a Lapin, a Royal Rainier and a Tulare. I honestly don't recommend sweet cherries for Texas as they haven't been proven to grow well here.

The side yard has the roses under the children's windows and the strawberry patch with the pomegranates. The pomegranates come out of dormancy really late in the season, but are really pretty when they are in bloom. There is a White, an Eversweet, and a Sharp Velvet pomegranate. Only the Eversweet is in a tree form, the other two are just bushes.

In big pots, I keep my collection of citrus. There is a Meyer Lemon which has been rather tricky about it's watering over the winter. There is a Mexican Lime which doesn't have a specific cultivar name, but has grown with very little fuss or trouble. The satsuma mandarins are a total taste treat, mine are Seto and Owari. The Owari gave me about a dozen fruit the first year and looks to be going for an every other year production.

The only fruits I've gotten so far are berries, figs and some of the potted citrus. The thing with fruit trees is that they are really a long term exercise in patience and care. I might get some grapes, plums, citrus and more berries this year, but most of the trees won't produce yet.

Sorry for the long reply. I hope you chose several trees you really like. The staff at Dave Wilson seem pretty personable, so you might find yourself going back several times for the tasting trials. :)

Hi Jo !! (I don't know why I thought your name was Tracy; that's where you live, right?)

I'm in the research stages myself; don't have a really big garden to plant but at about 90 ft x 50 ft is a lot bigger than I ever worked with.
You are truly blessed with the soil..... here in GA all I have is red clay and more red clay.....
I like the idea of a nice composter too but money seem to be always the deciding factor for many things around here. For now I will stick to turn the composting pile by hand...... I'm also interested in having a vermiculture; and doing some reaserch on the subject I found a nice project to house the worms in a 55 Gls drum that can be fed all the organic garbage from the kitchen and will give you organic compost in as little as three weeks.

I like your idea of a garden journal..... I don't have one but now plan on starting one.......

Willy.

Good idea on the journal. If you want to, DG has one you can set up in My Tools at the top of the page. You can even add photos and that would be great for before/after illustrations and comparisons. I do not believe you have to subscribe to access that tool. Good luck!

YAY! I bought a compost bin from COSTCO today. It's a lot less expensive than the Mantis I'd been ogling and looks sturdy. I have decided that I'm going to make compost AND worm castings. My next research project is vermiculture and worm farms. I really want my soil in good shape before I start planting.

I am going to start a garden journal. Thanks podster!

You are welcome. We all feel like we learn here and I think another forum you might enjoy reading and participating in is the Sustainable Alternatives http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/gogreen/all/ Again, you do not need to subscribe.

The great thing about Costco is if you decide down the road you don't like it you can return it pretty much no questions asked;o) Hope the compost bin works out well for you!

YAY!!! Thank you so much for the link to Sustainable Forums, podster! I am really pumped. There's even a thread on biochar! I can't wait for my compost bin to arrive. I've been collecting vegetable parings and other organic materials forever and need to start cooking up that compost.

I'm going to start making worm castings as soon as I save up enough money for worms.

Last week, Breege from MM Builders came by to give me some advice on getting started. MM Builders carries Dave Wilson trees and I went there to check out the products. Breege gave me great advice and if I can get a large swatch of ground conditioned by fall, I'm going to plant pomegranates.

This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait!

Thanks again, podster!

Jo

Again ~ you are more than welcome. I know you will have much to contribute. Enjoy!

My first batch of compost is cooking. WHEW! It's over 90F already and I can't stand to go outside in this heat.

I just finished reading some excellent books and highly recommend them to anybody who's interested in home-scale permaculture.

1. GAIA'S GARDEN by Toby Hemenway (excellent!)

2. HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains and other crops) THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE ON LESS LAND THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE by John Jeavons (the BEST! John Jeavons is my HERO!)

3. RODALE'S ULTIMATE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ORGANIC GARDENING edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis and Ellen Phillips

4. THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PRUNING & TRAINING by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce

5. LET IT ROT! The Gardener's Guide to Composting by Stud Campbell

6. GETTING STARTED IN PERMACULTURE by Ross and Jenny Mars

After reading these books, I see that I am on the way to understanding and enlightenment. I really do want to do this once and do it the right way.

The main knowledge I got from reading these books is that in order to be successful at creating and sustaining my garden, I will have to build up the soil and continue to replenish it over the years with various organics. I am NOT going to use chemicals in my garden. I was delighted to see that most of these books actually embrace the idea of NO synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and detail how to set up the garden so that there is less chance of the plants becoming infested.

I like the idea of guild planting, which makes a lot of sense to me. In my hot, dry, windy climate, I need to plant for maximum water retention and protect against wind erosion too.

A couple of the books also tell you how to make your own organic pesticides from stuff you grow in the garden. That was pretty interesting.

I really like the pruning book because it gives specific examples of how to espalier trees, how to increase the angle between the leader and branches, the reason why a specific tree is pruned in a certain way, etc.

I am so glad I bought these books! I have a wealth of knowledge and information I can refer back to now. I'm hoping it will save me some time and money in the long run.

Here is a 'sustainable' website that shows a family in Pasadena that goals to grown 10,000 lbs of food on their city lot. They are very Green even in their conservative use of energy in the house. I have enjoyed reading about them, but have not been so successful even on our semi-rural lot. Then again I do not have the number of dedicated adults they have working on it. It is just me. DH & 16 yo DD say 'you can buy that stuff at the store. Meantime, I want a solar generator that can minimally run our well, and secondarily run the fridges.

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/01/01/whats-new-for-the-new-year-project-1/

YAY! I found THE FARMER'S ALMANAC website today. I can get all kinds of information about temperature and optimal planting times here!

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/

Thanks GuiltyGirl! I will check it out!

You can sign up for a daily Farmer's Almanac email too. All sorts of info

Hi Quilty Girl!

That family is simply amazing. I'm so impressed! I'm hoping to do something similar with my little yard space with the idea of donating excess produce to the local homeless shelter, which is always in need of donations.

I LOVE the Farmer's Almanac site. It's got so much information and I'm enjoying reading it.

My first batch of compost should be ready in about a week. I am planning to till it into the soil or use it for potting mix. I want to start some Kaffir Lime bushes in the near future, but I may wait until the spring now. It's so hot outside that I can barely stand to go out there after 11AM.

Thanks again!
Jo

I know what you mean about gardening in this weather. I take the dogs out about 6 and deadhead anything I can reach off the concrete in y slippers. I may do gardening in y nightgown, but really prefer not to wear slippers in the dirt, but have been known to get involved in watering and such and there I am, in my 'evening wear'. LOL We have no solid fences on our 1.5 acre, but we are not where traffic goes by either. Just our few neighbors have that questionable view! I wait to go out in the evening when there is, at least, some shade after five or six. Silly DH thinks that is time for dinner though, but I am easily out there till 9, in the dark. We are so blessed in much of California, to have the cool evenings, then mornings. Just spent a week in the Dallas area, and while we can get equal or more hi temps, they have such warm nights, there is not a 'cool' time. Then there is the humidity.

I have a batch of compost, finished in a big trash can, with 2 more batches (nearly finished and ongoing) cooking. We have plenty of a few components - horse manure and fallen alfalfa. Now, with summer, should have more veggie matter to add. Last year in spring and early summer we had a couple living on our property that were selling fresh veggies they bought in LA at the Produce Market then sold at swap meets. As the weather got too hot, and attendance waned, we had more produce that was, unfortunately for them, added to the compost piles. I used that compost to top dress the straw bales I am using to grow veggies in this year. Circle of life. However, I am getting volunteers! Have a watermelon plant in with planted peppers, tomato with cukes, cuke with peppers so far! It will be interesting to see if they grow large enough to bear fruit. Now I wonder what was growing directly in compost that I plowed back in. I am going to actually plant my many-eyed kitchen potatoes directly in the compost and see what happens. Either way they will end up in the compost, lol!

Yes, that family is truly amazing. I had not been to that site for awhile and see they are working on it to update, so it will be interesting to see what they are up to. They are like a mini commune. Their 'family' is all adults working together for the same purpose. I could much more done here if I were not the only one interested in having more than dirt outside!! HA-ha

~*LOL*~ You're ok in my book! You should ALWAYS feel comfortable when you're working in the garden! I can't wait to start planting stuff in my yard but I'm resisting the urge until my soil is in good shape. I've been trying to kill off the burmuda grass for a couple of years. It's almost gone now but I still get stragglers.

I've read about straw bale planting. It sounds so interesting! I will have to read up on that too. They grow a lot of alfalfa in my area and I can get a bale of hay for about $5 each. I'm really allergic to hay so I'll have to wear a face mask and gloves when I'm around it, but the benefits sound really worth the hassle.

Volunteer plants seem to be pretty common with people who keep compost piles. I have a couple of friends who told me that the best tomatoes they ever grew were volunteers from the compost pile. Please let me know how your potatoes grow. I've heard of people growing potatoes in straw before but never actually met anybody who's done it or spoke to anybody who's done it.

Yum, yum, yum! Sounds like you have a spectacular garden going. When I'm able to plant, I'm going to try growing crenshaw melons, which are my favorite. The ones we buy in the supermarket are always horrible, picked green. I grew watermelons once and they were incredibly sweet but very small. Ditto on the cantaloupes I tried growing. I think that this pixie-ism was a direct result of poor soil structure, which is why I'm taking the time to get my soil in good shape before I start landscaping, particularly since I'll be planting permanent fruit and nut trees along with installing raised beds or straw bales for the veggies.

I'll have to check out that family's website again soon. I've been so busy working on my car lately that I haven't had time to do much else. I understand what you mean by getting more done with more interested parties. Hehehe...my hubby has severe allergies so it's pretty much up to me too. (Which is fine with me since I am a sort of um...control freak. hahahaha) Besides, he's a city boy and doesn't know much about growing stuff.