Permaculture is an environmentally-sustainable growing technique that mimics the relationship between flora and fauna found in natural ecologies.
Sam Kephart, our expert on permaculture, describes in the video below the challenges the soil we're working with poses to us and the ways in which we will heal the soil in our permaculture project.
Construction of our permaculture project began in July 2009. We began with just the main staff of Blue Star Equiculture and a few volunteers, but were joined on July 6 by 18 students from Pathfinder Regional Vocational High School.
Photos of the Permaculture Project Progress
July 2009
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Our plan for our permaculture project.
As is typical for permaculture, our plan is inspired by natural forms, such as the spiral.
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Sam (in hat) directs the groundbreaking on the first spiral.
The tilled area in the photo will eventually be entirely incorporated in to the permaculture plantings.
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A few more spirals around are completely through the labor of our Blue Star Equiculture resident volunteer staff and some of our regular volunteers. |
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The outer spirals of the first spiral are awaiting enrichment through compost and straw. |
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Raised beds, being constructed here through the help of Pathfinder Vocational students help retain moisture. |
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The land we are converting to organic permaculture has previously been heavily cultivated. Previous cultivation has depleted much of the nutrients in the soil. Therefore, we are adding composted manure to the beds to improve the soil. This step will not need to be repeated after our first year.
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The compost is covered with cardboard, which serves as food for earthworms, and with straw. These materials also work to retain moisture and nourish organisms in the soil, such as bacteria and earthworms. |
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The center of our first spiral. The three plants planted here are a guild - that is, a group of organisms that thrive together. In this case, it's "The Three Sisters" - corn, beans and squash. The corn serves as a structure for the bean stalks to grow on, while the squash leaves shade the soil to keep it from drying out. The native Americans are well-known for their extensive cultivation of the Three Sisters. |
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