Somewhere up the family tree, my forebears must have offended a hag coven or something… Behold our ancestral curse:
The limestone bedrock.
My land is in the mountainous part of Croatia, a region characterized by this particularly challenging landscape feature that has determined the destinies of many generations of farmers before me.
On the one hand, it’s the best type of rock for storing water in underground aquifers because it is very porous. On the other hand, due to its porous nature, rainfall far too quickly drains away underground through various cracks in the rock.
Also, in addition to its high pH and lack of mineral diversity, the soil that forms on it tends to be shallow: a foot or so (0.5m) deep.
That’s why the primary agricultural activity in the region has always been livestock. The conventional wisdom is that you can’t grow fruit or nut trees here effectively.
Which hasn’t stopped me from planting and growing my food forest.
Were I inclined to be petty, I would point out that the score thus far is:
William: 1. Hag coven: 0.
But let’s not be petty.
Now, truthfully, it has been very challenging. The soil lacks rooting depth, water-holding capacity, and crucial macro- and micronutrients (I don’t have any clay or rocky materials from which the minerals could be extracted).
However, dealing with this has been a huge learning opportunity and an excellent way to sharpen my permaculture soil fertility skills.
It forced me to be more thoughtful than folks who have the benefit of good soils and can plant a tree in the ground and watch it grow miraculously on its own.
Here is how I’ve broken the fertility curse of the limestone bedrock:
First, I had to do some soil testing and interpret the results to determine the nature of the deficiencies.
Then, I had to devise a soil fertility plan to address the specific deficiencies—in my case, it came down to increasing the soil organic content and addressing the phosphorous shortage with fertilizers, cover crops, mycorrhizal fungi, and even by building bat habitats.
Finally, I have to implement it all on-site at the right time of the year and in the right way. I’ll do this gradually over the coming period in phases.
So last year, I sowed a winter cover crop of rye and vetch between my rows of the food forest, which I’ll cut and then use as mulch for the tree rows, increasing the soil organic matter and fertility.
I explain more about how I’ve done it in this YouTube video.
This will now become a part of my yearly soil fertility protocol, where I plan to cover crop in the fall, mow them in spring, and use the material as green or brown mulch (if I let it dry).
I’m sure all my neighbors who see my esoteric practices will be concerned for my mental health, but we’ll see who’ll be eating an apple a day and keeping the doctor hags away!
Now onto business:
If you are thinking of improving your food forest soil fertility with cover crops, I invite you to check out my Permaculture Implementation Program where I have templates, recipes, calendars and guides on how to make your own mixes and implement them on your site.
You can learn more about the program here.
I will also say this:
If you break down the cost to a year, that’s $1.1 per day, and you get something that you’ll be using year, after year, after year.
Would you rather simplify your life and your farm projects… or be constantly stressed out because there is too much on your plate?
Would you rather do the essential few “must-do” tasks and get your farm established this year… or try to do EVERYTHING and waste the next 5 years without seeing any visible progress?
Would you rather implement relevant and timely permaculture techniques that are suitable to your climate… or miss natural deadlines, use the wrong techniques and waste thousands of dollars?
If all this program does is to give you confidence to implement…
…or get you from an overwhelmed enthusiast to the proud owner of a permaculture property that is visibly making progress each month,
…or finally allow you to break free from the vicious cycle of planning the work but failing to work the plan because you’re constantly taking on too much…
…then would you say that dollar a day is a small price to pay… It’s almost insignificant really.
If this is the life you wish to choose for yourself, then grab your seat in the Permaculture Implementation Programme.
Your dream permaculture farm is 2 clicks away. Buy the PIP system now, try it within the next 365 days, and see your property transform right in front of your eyes. OR I will give you your money back:
Get instant, lifetime access to PIP for only $397 (or 5 installments of $95)
-Willam
