I really enjoy the older videos as I know what materialized and what was the original plan. It gives me hope, that even Richard's plan took time and had to roll with the punches... in the end it worked just fine. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
Just last week I attended a woodchip compost/fertility workshop on Iain Tolhurst's stockless farm down near Reading, UK. As part of their agroecology research, he and the Organic Research Centre are doing trials on: ramial woodchip applied to a green manure/herbal ley over the two years of the rotation of fertility building; and making woodchip compost over a number of years for application as a mulch in protected cropping, and as a potting mix to mitigate some environmental issues, (though mix does have additional fertiliser added for some plants i.e. toms). Initial positive results in terms of yield and quality, soil structure, etc. Studies are looking at method and sources too as part of sustainability assessment and public goods assessment. Well worth checking out their work for stocked and stockless enterprises alike, IMO. Thanks as ever for your videos, Richard.
Don't forget about adding.biochar to the chicken bedding, I don't know the exact numbers but it will certainly reduce the amount of other bedding materials needed and also increase the compost quality. Perhaps you could even strategically place some sort of columns containing biochar in the greenhouse to adsorb some of the ammonia that might end up in the air regardless of staying on top of it with the bedding. A decent indoor gasifier might be worth the investment considering.your winters.
I'd recommend to add in on the bedding it mitigate or cancel ammonia emissions directly. It also make for a quicker more thorough. My mother in law uses it for her animals to great effect. I also use it as grit with eggshells and seashell for my workfarm. Here's a thorough article about it. www.ithaka-journal.net/pflanzenkohle-in-der-geflugelhaltung?lang=en
Permaculture Playground Sorry about that. I misread you and remember now that the chooks are indoors 24/7. Your approach is indeed optimal. The link does give you a good sample to scale up or down. It has been working well for my in-laws. All the best.
Hi Richard. Could you please explain to me what you mean by "close nutrient cycle"? I don't really get that. What I see is: Nutrients are taken from the ground and turned into peat moss, trees, grass and plant material by nature. Animals eat the plants, digest them and poop them out. That turns into compost and goes onto the garden beds. The nutrients return to the ground. But: vegetable plants will use them to produce foliage or fruits which then are harvested and taken out of the farm system to the market/the consumer who eats those nutrients, digests them and flushes them down the toilet towards the ocean. I think what you mean is to make use of ressources and nutrients as many times as possible before they leave the farm. But at the end of the day you will always have nutrients leave the farm, right? Even if you take tree cuttings and peat moss from your farm to suplly the compost for your animals and the veggies, it's in fact only a transfer of nutrients from one place to another. You're never creating nutrients in your system. Have I gotten it right? And if so, what's your thoughts on that? Do you think that's a problem at all, do you compensate with lava meal of clay minerals that you import? I'd like to hear you talk about that. Thanks and regards from Holland. Kerstin
Richard, thanks for the video. Valuable content as always. To get manure out, you might want to look into a cheap skid loader instead of a tractor. I have a New Holland compact tractor with a decent size bucket, yet it still takes too long to pick up and dump compost. A skid loader would be much more efficient at this.
I was one of the ones who questioned your practice of using peat. However, that was before knowledge of having your own big to harvest from. Commercial production is unsustainable, but nothing could be more sustainable than responsibly harvesting a natural resource off your own land as opposed to supporting big ag. So, carry on my friend.
I wouldn't sign the "nothing could be more sustainable" part but yes, it's definitely better than big ag. Still peat moss cannot be replanted, at least it takes quite a while..
I had sort of the same idea, only I am planning on using my winter chicken bedding of straw, fine wood chips, and some fall leaf material, as a mulch in the spring. Experimenting last season I found using my chicken bedding as a mulch worked quite well since the chickens eat most of the weed seeds and add their fertilizer. Using it as a mulch you don't have to compost because you are not mixing it into the soil. I find the earth worms and soil microbes will slowly compost the material over time and release nutrients to the plants. All the while the weeds are being suppressed. Like I say this is an experiment. Do you foresee any potential problems with this method?
Do you apply the fresh bedding to your garden area or do you let it sit for a year to breakdown/ not be so hot on the plants? Or do you apply it to the garden at the end of the year so its ready for the following year?
ToneTiedProductions he addresses that by saying g that they are going to compost it in windrows. That is why he will have to buy compost this year as it won't be ready.
Do you have any plans for adding things such as Raspberries or Blackberries? I know in the states 12 oz they sell for about $4-$5 per for 12 oz for organic.
Hello Richard, got your book finally! Great work! To get out the winter bedding more back-protecting you could use the GVCS-Rototiller (opensourceecology.org/wiki/Rototiller). Just an idea I wanted to share... Compliments on your project and thanks for sharing high value information in every single of your videos! Cheers from Italy
I really enjoy the older videos as I know what materialized and what was the original plan. It gives me hope, that even Richard's plan took time and had to roll with the punches... in the end it worked just fine.
Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
Just last week I attended a woodchip compost/fertility workshop on Iain Tolhurst's stockless farm down near Reading, UK. As part of their agroecology research, he and the Organic Research Centre are doing trials on: ramial woodchip applied to a green manure/herbal ley over the two years of the rotation of fertility building; and making woodchip compost over a number of years for application as a mulch in protected cropping, and as a potting mix to mitigate some environmental issues, (though mix does have additional fertiliser added for some plants i.e. toms). Initial positive results in terms of yield and quality, soil structure, etc. Studies are looking at method and sources too as part of sustainability assessment and public goods assessment. Well worth checking out their work for stocked and stockless enterprises alike, IMO. Thanks as ever for your videos, Richard.
Don't forget about adding.biochar to the chicken bedding, I don't know the exact numbers but it will certainly reduce the amount of other bedding materials needed and also increase the compost quality.
Perhaps you could even strategically place some sort of columns containing biochar in the greenhouse to adsorb some of the ammonia that might end up in the air regardless of staying on top of it with the bedding.
A decent indoor gasifier might be worth the investment considering.your winters.
I'd recommend to add in on the bedding it mitigate or cancel ammonia emissions directly. It also make for a quicker more thorough. My mother in law uses it for her animals to great effect. I also use it as grit with eggshells and seashell for my workfarm. Here's a thorough article about it. www.ithaka-journal.net/pflanzenkohle-in-der-geflugelhaltung?lang=en
I was suggesting to do both Titito, mix it in and then do some columns to help clean whatever does end up in the air.
Permaculture Playground Sorry about that. I misread you and remember now that the chooks are indoors 24/7. Your approach is indeed optimal. The link does give you a good sample to scale up or down. It has been working well for my in-laws. All the best.
Hi Richard. Could you please explain to me what you mean by "close nutrient cycle"? I don't really get that. What I see is: Nutrients are taken from the ground and turned into peat moss, trees, grass and plant material by nature. Animals eat the plants, digest them and poop them out. That turns into compost and goes onto the garden beds. The nutrients return to the ground. But: vegetable plants will use them to produce foliage or fruits which then are harvested and taken out of the farm system to the market/the consumer who eats those nutrients, digests them and flushes them down the toilet towards the ocean. I think what you mean is to make use of ressources and nutrients as many times as possible before they leave the farm. But at the end of the day you will always have nutrients leave the farm, right? Even if you take tree cuttings and peat moss from your farm to suplly the compost for your animals and the veggies, it's in fact only a transfer of nutrients from one place to another. You're never creating nutrients in your system. Have I gotten it right? And if so, what's your thoughts on that? Do you think that's a problem at all, do you compensate with lava meal of clay minerals that you import? I'd like to hear you talk about that. Thanks and regards from Holland. Kerstin
Richard, thanks for the video. Valuable content as always. To get manure out, you might want to look into a cheap skid loader instead of a tractor. I have a New Holland compact tractor with a decent size bucket, yet it still takes too long to pick up and dump compost. A skid loader would be much more efficient at this.
Richard, what are you coppicing the willow for? Firewood?
I was one of the ones who questioned your practice of using peat. However, that was before knowledge of having your own big to harvest from. Commercial production is unsustainable, but nothing could be more sustainable than responsibly harvesting a natural resource off your own land as opposed to supporting big ag. So, carry on my friend.
I wouldn't sign the "nothing could be more sustainable" part but yes, it's definitely better than big ag. Still peat moss cannot be replanted, at least it takes quite a while..
those chickens love you
good old welsh trailer !!made about 20 mins from me.
I had sort of the same idea, only I am planning on using my winter chicken bedding of straw, fine wood chips, and some fall leaf material, as a mulch in the spring. Experimenting last season I found using my chicken bedding as a mulch worked quite well since the chickens eat most of the weed seeds and add their fertilizer. Using it as a mulch you don't have to compost because you are not mixing it into the soil. I find the earth worms and soil microbes will slowly compost the material over time and release nutrients to the plants. All the while the weeds are being suppressed. Like I say this is an experiment. Do you foresee any potential problems with this method?
Love your videos :) can you use the compost from the poly tunnels in your vegetable bedding?
What about getting a wood chipper and make your own wood chip bedding?
Yes, I thought tha, too
Reaches down. Grabs a chicken.
Do you apply the fresh bedding to your garden area or do you let it sit for a year to breakdown/ not be so hot on the plants? Or do you apply it to the garden at the end of the year so its ready for the following year?
ToneTiedProductions he addresses that by saying g that they are going to compost it in windrows. That is why he will have to buy compost this year as it won't be ready.
I thought I must have missed something. Thank you.
Do you have any plans for adding things such as Raspberries or Blackberries? I know in the states 12 oz they sell for about $4-$5 per for 12 oz for organic.
Hello Richard, got your book finally! Great work! To get out the winter bedding more back-protecting you could use the GVCS-Rototiller (opensourceecology.org/wiki/Rototiller). Just an idea I wanted to share... Compliments on your project and thanks for sharing high value information in every single of your videos! Cheers from Italy
Depressingly my little plot is under water since the last Thursday in December 2017 and here we are 1st February 2018
Maria das Santos Perfect for ducks then!
People take ´sustainability´ to extremes. There has to be some common sense applied as well.