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John Walker
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John Walker's Discussions
$500 challenge redux
2 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Maya Sep 29.
$500 challenge
Started Sep 24
Do you wonder?
Replied Sep 22
John Walker's Groups
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Home Cheese Making
40 members
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Kitchen garden communi...
59 members
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Kitchen Gardeners Blue...
29 members
John Walker's Page
Latest Activity
Comment Wall (38 comments)
- At 3:23pm on July 20, 2009,
Glenn Fletcher said… - I like the Jasper Carrott animation about moles.
I,ve not seen that before. Really Funny.
I suppose with a name like that he,s quite acceptable on this website.
I actually saw Jasper Carrott do a show at York University in about 1975.
I don,t recall anything about moles then, only mopeds.
- At 5:59pm on July 16, 2009,
Ian said… - Hi John,
I have just commented on the discussion on garlic and loved the idea that you grow such musical garlic!!!!
Voila!!!
Ian
- At 1:44pm on June 3, 2009,
TAR HEEL said… - ....for a wildcat.
- At 1:41pm on June 3, 2009,
TAR HEEL said…
- I could tell you where a rebel.rock on.
- At 3:43pm on June 1, 2009,
Ian said…
- Hi John, I notice that, for some reason, your discussion has been added twice. I hope you won't mind if I delete one so all comments go to the same discussion.
Ian
- At 9:01am on May 31, 2009,
TAR HEEL said…
- jail-bait.
- At 7:58am on May 31, 2009,
Anh Collins said…
- Wanna chat with me on cam?, come see me here You'll enjoy it. I promise!!!! realamateurwebcams.info
- At 8:46pm on March 24, 2009,
ken hargesheimer said… - GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
USA: TX, MS, FL, CA, AR; Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, Côté d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India, Uzbekistan
minifarms@gmail.com
Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent bed gardening, mini-farming and mini-ranching worldwide in English & Español
Proven Practices for Home Gardening
These are based on the internet, US & international agriculture magazines, experiences teaching agriculture in many countries, research and farmer experiences in those countries and a demonstration garden. They are ecologically sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially just and economically viable. There is unlimited, documented proof. On mini-farms the following can double the yields and reduce the labor by half compared to traditional methods. There are 200,000,000 no-till acres worldwide. ¡It works!
Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years. An Indian gardener has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years. A Malawi gardener has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years. A Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 8 years. Ruth Stout [USA] had a no-till garden for 30 years and 7,000 people visited her garden. In 2006 a Cal urban mini-farm of 1/10 acre produced 6,000 lbs. of vegetables [not organic; not no-till]. OSU/OARDC: gross $90,000 acre. Not organic; not no-till.
1. Willing to change: in the mind & in the garden.
2. Financial: Little funds are needed. A few hand tools, seed, free land available, irrigation water.
3. Restore the soil to its natural health: Contaminations: inorganic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc.
4. Healthy soil: Healthy soil produces healthy vegetables, for high yields, and prevents most of the disease, pest and weed problems.
5. Feed the soil; not the crops [Inorganics feed the plants and poison the soil; organics feed the soil and promote health.]
6. Increase soil organic matter every year
7. Little or no external inputs [not necessary to buy anything, from anybody, for the garden. Certain things are recommended]
8. Leave all crop residue on the beds.
9. No-till: no tilling, no digging, no plowing, no cultivating: No hard physical labor is needed so the elderly, children and lazy people can garden.
10. Permanent beds
11. Permanent paths
12. Hand tools & power-hand tools
13. 12-months production
14. Hoophouses, row covers, shade cloth
15. Greenhouse [DIY but usually not needed]
16. Organic fertilizers [16-20 probably not needed with healthy soil]
17. Organic disease control.
18. Organic herbicides.
19. Organic pesticides.
20. Biological pest control.
21. Attract beneficials
22. Protect pollinators
23. Protect soil organisms
24. Soil always covered
25. Use mulch/green manures/cover crops.
26. Organic matter: Free. Delivered free? When economically feasible, transport to the farm. Use as mulch.
27. Composting: Not necessary except for special use. Too much time and work. Pile excess organic matter until used as mulch.
28. Vermiculture Not necessary. Worms will be in the beds.
29. Crop rotation
30. Inter-cropping
31. Drip irrigation [Purchase or DIY drip lines]
32. Muscovies and Guineas
33. Small animals in pens over beds
34. Legume/grass forages
35. Hay/silage for winter as needed
36. Grains as needed
37. Imitate nature. Most gardeners fight nature. ¡Nature always wins!
youtube.com/watch?v=hOQkBP5nioY
youtube.com/watch?v=mMd53OOaah4
youtube.com/watch?v=ymBXgMOsVJg
Ken Hargesheimer
When Soil is Tilled
Dr. Elaine Ingham, describes an undisturbed soil—where a wide diversity of plants grow, their roots mingling with a wide diversity of soil organisms—and how it changes when it is plowed. A typical teaspoon of native grassland soil contains between 600 million and 800 million individual bacteria that are members of perhaps 10,000 species. Several miles of fungi are in that teaspoon of soil, as well as 10,000 individual protozoa. There are 20 to 30 beneficial nematodes from as many as 100 species. Root-feeding nematodes are quite scarce in truly healthy soils. They are present, but in numbers so low that it is rare to find them.
After only one tilling, a few species of bacteria and fungi disappear because the food they need is no longer put back in the system. But for the most part, all the suppressive organisms, all the nutrient cyclers, all the decomposers, all the soil organisms that rebuild good soil structure are still present and trying to do their jobs.
But tillage continues to deplete soil organic matter and kill fungi. The larger predators are crushed, their homes destroyed. The bacteria go through a bloom and blow off huge amounts of that savings-account organic matter. With continued tillage, the "policemen" (organisms) that compete with and inhibit disease are lost. The "architects" that build soil aggregates are lost. So are the "engineers"—the larger organisms that design and form the larger pores in soil. The predators that keep bacteria, fungi, and root-feeding organisms in check are lost. Disease suppression declines, soil structure erodes, and water infiltration decreases because mineral crusts form. Dr. Elaine Ingham, BioCycle, December 1998. (From ATTRA News, July 06)
- At 8:38pm on March 24, 2009,
ken hargesheimer said…
- John,
Email me your postal address at minifarms@gmail.com and I will mail you my free gardening dvd. I have been on three other sites for several years but I cannot figure out how this one operates. I rarely receive a posting from others about anything. So I ignore it. The others have dailey postings I receive. I don't understand.
- At 8:25am on March 16, 2009,
Jerry Nichols said…
- I have been filling my new raised beds with bagged organic soil--$1.33/40# + tax. It looks like great stuff and I find it easier to handle bagged rather than bulk. You had some questions about the quality of it and I welcome you to check it out. I have spread about 2400 lbs so far. I live right next to the Montesori school off Albany.I forgot where you live? I thought you were off Versailles road. I would love to see your "operation"-(garden) soon. Could we make a date at your convenience? Evenings? Jerry Nichols
Profile Information
- Where do you live and garden?
- my almost 1/2 acre
- How long have you been growing food?
- 10-20 years
- Dream garden travel destination:
- outside my back door
John Walker's Blog
Reading List
So please fill in the blanks.
pax
John
Reading List
How-to books
Mel Bartholomew Square Foot Gardening
John Jeavons How to Grow More Vegetables
Steve Solomon Gardening When It Counts
Eliot Coleman The New Organic Grower
Eliot Coleman Four Season Harvest
Ed. C. Smith The Vegetable Gardener's Bible
Raymond P Po… Continue
Posted on August 16, 2008 at 12:40pm — 2 Comments
Reading List
So I put this list together.
There are obvious omissions (there are things we know we don't know we don't know........)
So please fill in the gaps
Happy reading
Reading List
How-to books
Mel Bartholomew Square Foot Gardening
John Jeavons How to Grow More Vegetables
Steve Solomon Gardening When It Counts
Eliot Coleman The New Organic Grower
Eliot Coleman Four Season… Continue
Posted on August 16, 2008 at 8:25am —
Feeding People Is Easy
Its worth a read: part David Korten, part Arundhati Roy.
He makes a lot of sense, however most of what he suggests depends on a web based cadre of people.
Now I have nothing against the internet, see this website as an example, but I am not convinced its the best answer.
So put on your thinking caps and come up with some non web based social innovations to promote local food economies!!
pax
John
Posted on July 22, 2008 at 9:46am —
Introduction to Summitry
http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/node/360
I have pasted the text (apologies to Raj)
The excellent ETC Group has just come up with a fine bit of social science that cuts through the guff of the recent FAO Food Summit in Rome.
As part of their 'translator' series, in which they parse the meaning of UN documents for the general public, they've come out with their latest report, Another "Failure-as-usual" Food Summit.
Alongside the fine analysis… Continue
Posted on July 2, 2008 at 10:59am —
Say it ain't so!
here is the original link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture
Home-Grown Veg Ruined by Toxic Fertiliser
by Caroline Davies
Gardeners have been warned not to eat home-grown vegetables contaminated by a powerful new herbicide that is destroying gardens and allotments across the UK.0629 03 1
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who hav… Continue
Posted on June 30, 2008 at 9:30am — 2 Comments
KGI's book of the month
Latest Activity
From the KGI Main Site
Notes
HOW TO - ADD A LINK
Several people have experienced difficulty putting working links into comments and blogs etc and I know it is clumsy.... so here is how you do it.....
First type the text you want to appear.... ie IAN'S PAGE
Then go back and highlight the link text.
Then hit the hyperlink button...a pictogram of a chain link.
Your browser may intervene and request permission to allow temporary scripting or some similar message. Allow it and go back and highlight the text again
… ContinueCreated by Ian Jun 7, 2009 at 7:28pm. Last updated by Ian Jun 8.
Forum Policy
Hi, I'm starting to put together a few guidlines on using the discussion forum on here.
I would be happy to hear any comments you may have. This is very much a work in progress so plese feel free to ask me to add anything you think is needed.
I don't want to make our community hide bound by rules and regulations but I think that, as the community has grown, some explanation of what is expected is needed.
Administration
You can refer any que
… ContinueCreated by Ian May 23, 2009 at 1:55am. Last updated by Ian May 25.
Climate maps
Hi following recent discussion I have put climate maps of the USA, Australia and Europe on here for reference..
… Continue
Created by Ian Sep 12, 2008 at 6:20pm. Last updated by Ian Apr 14.
Recipes, Recipes, Recipes
Hi Everyone, I've started to collect together recipes from various posts on the site and put them all together here.
If you have a recipe you want to add on here, just post it on the site and leave a comment on my page telling me where it is and I'll go and fetch it back here.
They are organised in Contributor Order but I'm open to better suggestions!
BEVA'S RECIPES
… ContinueCreated by Ian Jun 2, 2008 at 9:54am. Last updated by Ian Apr 13.
US STATES ABBREVIATIONS
US STATE ABBREVIATIONS
AK - Alaska AL - Alabama AR - Arkansas
AZ - Arizona CA - California CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut DC - Dist of Columbia * DE - Delaware
FL - Florida GA - Georgia GU
Created by Ian Jan 27, 2009 at 4:27pm. Last updated by Ian Jan 27.
HOW TO - MAKE COMPOST
Recently there was an excellent discussion about composting. I’ve pulled together all the various comments here. You can also watch KGI's video on composting here.
KATE’S ADVICE
I used to have a tumbler that we made from a wine-barrel but
1 you have to fill it up all at once
2. it seemed mostly
… ContinueCreated by Ian May 30, 2008 at 5:29am. Last updated by Roger Jan 15.
Notes Home
Welcome to Notes.
To view notes that are in the system hit the "all notes" button above.
ContinueCreated by Ian May 28, 2008 at 12:10pm. Last updated by Ian May. 30, 2008.
A Note about Notes
I have just written this note so that I can see what we can achieve by using this new feature.
If you read this and have any suggestions then please leave a comment on my page or email me.
Ian
ContinueCreated by Ian May 28, 2008 at 6:19pm. Last updated by Ian May. 28, 2008.
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