Some thoughts on perennial (or self-sowing) edible/medicinal aquatics or bog plants for Zone 5B. I do not personally know all these plants. I searched for _aquatic plants Zone 5b "edible" (or "bog"),_ and checked the zones against PFAF, Wikipedia and some other botanical databases. _Some may be edible, but not palatable. Some may require heat or other preparation to be edible. Some may be opportunistic/potentially invasive._ BTW - I found many plants that are hardy to Zone 6, but because you said north facing, I did not include them even though I would have for a south or west-facing aspect in your zone. * Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) - _prolific_ * Aronia Melanocarpa (black chokeberry) * Butomus umbellatus (Flowering Rush) * Carya laciniosa (Shellbark Hickory) * Chrysosplenium alternifolium (Golden Saxifrage, Alternate-leaf golden saxifrage, Iowa golden saxifrage) * Chrysosplenium oppositifolium (Golden Saxifrage) * Cornus canadensis (Creeping Dogwood, Bunchberry dogwood, Bunchberry) * Diospyros spp (Kaki or Japanese persimmon, American persimmon) * Glyceria fluitans (Floating Manna Grass, Water mannagrass) * Mentha spp (mints) - _prolific_ * Nasturtium officinale (Watercress) - wants moving water * Nelumbo lutea (lotus lily) * Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Water Lotus, Sacred lotus) * Nymphaea alba (White Water Lily, European white waterlily) * Oenanthe javanica (Java waterdropwort,[ Chinese celery, Indian pennywort, Japanese parsley, water celery, water dropwort and minari) * Phragmites australis (Common Reed, American common reed, Hybrid common reed, European common reed) * Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed) * Rheum x cultorum (Rhubarb) * Rubus idaeus var. strigosus (American Red Raspberry) * Sagittaria cuneata (wapato; arumleaf arrowhead, or duck potato ) * Samolus valerandi (Brookweed, Seaside brookweed) * Scirpus lacustris (Bulrush) * Sparganium erectum (Bur Reed, Simplestem bur-reed) * Typha angustifolia (Small Reed Mace, Narrowleaf cattail) * Typha latifolia (Reedmace, Broadleaf cattail, Bullrush, Nailrod) * Typha minima (dwarf bulrush, miniature cattail, least bulrush) * Vaccinium macrocarpon (Lowbush Cranberry) * Vaccinium oxycoccos (small cranberry, bog cranberry, swamp cranberry) * Viburnum Trilobum (Highbush Cranberry) * Vitis labrusca (Fox Grape) * Zizania palustris (northern wild rice) See pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=79 www.tenthacrefarm.com/perennial-crops-wet-soil/ *I didn't cross reference these following pages for zones, so they may not be in the list above* natures-water.com/education_information/edible_plants/ practicalselfreliance.com/perennial-vegetables/ www.bigditch.com.au/a-complete-guide-to-edible-water-plants/ pecpa.org/wp-content/uploads/DCNR-Riparian-Plants-Book.pdf www.hunker.com/12274518/vegetables-that-thrive-in-very-moist-soils massland.org/sites/default/files/files/Edible%20Wild%20Plants%20Native%20to%20the%20Northeast%20and%20eastern%20Canada%20-%20March%202018%20compilation.pdf
This will be a few days for me to sit with this comment and read through all of it. If I could triple pin it I would! :) SO appreciative of the time and energy to put this forward, I hope other folks get as much value from it as I will. THANK YOU!
@M King Oh, cool. Is iris edible? My (limited) research shows it to be toxic (so, potentially medicinal in very small doses?) www.acepnow.com/article/toxicology-answer-dont-eat-the-lovely-iris/
@@kirstenwhitworth8079 Not the most edible plant though it probably wouldn’t kill you, would hurt your belly though. Sometimes we just have to go with esthetics and feed the beneficial insects as well as ourselves 💜
@@Lauradicus I agree that we need to feed the pollinators, and even feed our eyes. In my own gardens and food forest, I definitely and purposefully include flowering plants of many species and many blooming periods that are either toxic or medicinal. (I find that many, if not all toxic plants are medicinal in the correct dosages.) I strive to have something blooming all year, though I haven't quite achieved that yet. I also include many native plants that are meant solely to feed or provide habitat for the wildlife whose native range I now inhabit. I try to be a good neighbor as best I can. However, the request in the video was for help with _edible and medicinal plants_ for the pond. I did extend the set definition to include bog/swamp plants so that when the pond level drops, the plants wouldn't suffer (I hope), but left it at _edible and medicinal plants for USDA Zone 5b._ I am a mathematician, among other things. In mathematics, "a set is a *well-defined collection* of distinct objects, considered as an object in its own right." I did not include plants that do not meet the definition/criteria of the set; therefore I did not include toxic or purely aesthetic plants because that isn't what was requested. Does that make sense?
@@kirstenwhitworth8079 Yes, it makes a lot of sense. While a plant may not be medicinal or edible it may support the community of plants that are. Iris increases natural filtration that other plants may benefit from. My take on the set/guild is that they all prop each other up, fill the gaps as it were.
It's nice to see the evolution of your ponds. I've just hand dug my own pond, so ideas on overflow are always welcome. This week I was watching a video about Stowe gardens in the UK, and apparently the 11 acre lake, was dug out by hand and excavated by about 8 gardeners working solidly for a year. My back hurts just thinking about that.
Sure thing. The link is: ua-cam.com/video/ToOjydOdLs4/v-deo.html timestamped at the bit where they talk about the lake. I actually misremembered the information. It was 20 men, working for a year and a half. Alan Titchmarsh is a popular British gardener. The series covers formal gardens from the 1700's right through to informal and modern ones today (including permaculture) by episode 4.
Sean, you will probably want to get some temperature records for the pond over the course of the winter months to see what can survive in there, and pay a visit to the NY DEC for the necessary farm pond licence - they will be better equipped to tell you what kinds of fish to stock than I will.
With that much water, it would be cool to have multiple overflows with swivel pipe like they use at Zaytuna Farm. That way you could easily direct the water to the areas most in need during different seasons.
That is definitely in the plan. I probably will be using mud and rocks instead of pipes, but the idea is to have the main overflow intact, with a very small modification able to block it up to send some water elsewhere. Looking forward to evolving that.
Common Arrowhead has an edible root that you can grow on the boarder and american sweet flag is a beautiful plant that has a wonderful smell and medicinal qualities. Both are native and will grow great next to your ponds.
Beautiful transformation into a food production space. Cattails can be a food source and provide structure for the minnows and tadpoles in your new ecosystem. Still seeing lots of tadpoles here in zone 6.
I don't think we'll have to try hard to see cattails enter this space :) There is a whole ridge on the far side I plan to dedicate to them, since it isn't a safe walking space.
I don’t know if you have considered this, but it is a good idea to start your pond with minnows, allow them to get a good population, then build up several species to create a more complex life cycle like we do in land permaculture.
Red Shiners and Mosquitofish for the pond for sure. Probably some perch species as well, slimy sculpin, trout-perch. These fish would prefer different areas of your pond, some the deeper water and others the shallow vegetative areas. Might look at a septic aerator to aerate the pond, those things are made to run 24/7 for many many years.
Great to see the pond full, we have sunfish from the water birds that go from our neighborhood ponds- they eat mosquito larvae too. We keep an aeration going in the ponds
I don't have experience digging water features, but it seems like the current overflow is indeed part of the natural contour of the property. Trying to fill that section up and blocking it off would only temporarily damn the channel, I think it might erode eventually. Maybe you should utilize the fact that it is overflowing how it is now and plant more willows along a channel that way. It seems like the other channel is already wet enough and might not benefit from extra overflow especially given the extra work that will be needed to achieve that. You could also increase the overflow at that lowest spot instead of decreasing, and split that channel with buried pipe which tapers into a small semi-rigid polyethylene hose leading around the pond to your second drain. That way, during the dry months, you will still get overflow and could decide whether to divert it into the garden or not.
Interesting ideas. I think we know the lower spot will want to flow already, so encouraging flow higher up as a baseline will reduce erosion and allow for a 'pulse' event to utilize a few channels. It'll be itneresting to evolve this. Thanks for your notes.
I’m no civil engineer, but if the overflow can’t drain as fast as the pond can fill, then an extended period of normal daily rainfall will have the water going everywhere, rather than where you wanted it. To say nothing of snow melt, a ten year storm, or flooding. I also have related concerns about that right angle turn at the end of your spillway. The water is not going to make a turn like that. You need a curve, possibly a little catchment there (with reeds or cattails planted on the far side).
I hear you fully on this. I think there are more layers of evolution to all this that need to happen. I believe at least a few more spillways and overflow channels will need to be developed to thoughtfully discharge water at high flow moments. The site was/is super wet on average anyway with water 'going everywhere' so we should be able to only go better from here :)
I'm sure folks have suggested these already, but I'd be planting wapato, cattail, and American lotus. I wonder if watercress could be incorporated somehow as well. Excited to see what comes of this!
Hi Sean and Sasha, Would a layer of wood chips between the beds allow for water to flow towards the driveway and still reach the willows. That is a crazy amount of water in that pond. You should be able to siphon out water as well, toward your property in the hot dry summer months. no pumps needed. Cheers, Bill
I think we'll explore filling the channels we make with a very very coarse chip or some sort of natural but walk-able material that lets water move through. I want to know it's all flowing how it needs before we explore that...
To my eye, the overflow should be wide and flat, so that water doesn't pick up speed. or many more of those narrow trenches. all at same level. the turns, and narrow spots, are where erosion will happen . Do you have access to tiles, either spanish roof tiles to line the narrow slits you made ? drainage piped used to be made of terracotta. or flat tiles (dumps have them) to cap them, like i saw you cover the trench in one of the greenhouses i think, with flat rocks. Or just turn pipes and connections made of pvc pipes.
I hear you on the concern. The flow rate will be limited at least a bit in those narrow channels by how little elevation change there is across them, they aren't a steep ditch. But I anticipate some soil moving early on until things are evolved and vegetated so there are silt catches all along so we can harvest the muck and put it back on adjacent beds. Not the perfect design by ANY means but a chance to evolve and deepen it as we get feedback from the system.
I am anything but an expert here, so forgive me, but there are several mutualistic options when it comes to these types of ponds and growing water crops (rice, wapato, etc.) for that size and hardiness zone I suspect you might be better served by crayfish or turtles than fish. Once again, total neophyte when it comes to this kind of aquaculture, but I have read of it in certain permaculture texts. I believe the rice-fish system wikipedia page is a good place to start! Thanks for all your work, love your channel.
crawfish, bluegill/sunfish/crappie(whichever is appropriate to your climate), duckweed, azolla, salvinia, lotus, horseradish, lobelia, pickerel weed, watercress, bacopa monniera(bring cuttings in before winter and put in glass of water in sunny window)
Hello from the gutters of NYC, Hello from zone seven B. Regarding plugging the overflow: ever find clay when excavating? Use that. Even using subsoil, compaction will be key, compact in 8"-12" lifts. Its amazing how vulnerable disturbed soils can be to running water. You sure you have a spring uphill of pond? In excavation vid ground looked dry.
The ground was pretty darn dry for the first 6' down or so and then a definite shift to a very coarse, angular and large particle sand that was saturated. I think it was a water bearing sand layer in the landscape.
What you really need to add to the pond before thinking about fish is the submerged and marginal aquatic plants. Local natives of types of milfoils, low turfs, charophytes, potamogetons, reeds. That's what will help clear the water, until the sediment is held together by plants it will stay a similar hazy level of murkiness.
Canna can be grown on the edges of ponds and can actually stand in 10cm water, but for tuber harvest it is best to grow it on the edges, but it loves it!
@@edibleacres I came across a video where someone was showing nasturtium growing at the edge of a pond and the long shoots were floating atop of the water, resembling lillies.. it was beautiful. I forgot which video that was but It just popped into my mind and I thought I'd share it here.
My mother in law has blue gill in her pond (Wisconsin) similar zone to us in 5b upstate ny. They are good’n tasty too! They also have northern and bass but you might only get away with one of them in your pond! Haha
You might consider planting "rain garden" type plants (native to your area) to absorb the water near your losing/gaining spring? creek? before it ever gets to the pond area if it is that wet & swampy. Less overflow water to divert through the area so very close to the boudrary of your planned greenhouse/tunnel. Seems like you are at an inflection point with the pond build which will mean great trouble or success going forward.
Good notes, the pond is a bit at an inflection point, subtle but a bit of a lull. Ample opportunity to vegetate the water coming in and out, but I want to take my time to evolve that.
Fish? Fathead minnows. Native, high reproductive rate, low oxygen requirements, wide dietary range includes mosquito larvae and algae, can be used as chicken feed. I'd wait to see exactly what happens to the water level and dissolved O2 in summer before adding any fish other than minnows. Plants? I'd go with duckweed (native, fast reproducing fish/chicken feed), maybe nelumbo lutea (native, edible, ornamental, no problem with deep water, spreads via rhizome, takes a few years to establish). Cattails would be an option, but they wouldn't be my first choice.
Ok....Sean so I don't feel so bad now that I just dug the last of my potatoes a week ago....only lost a few to a couple really low nite time temp......so much going on an sometimes I forget things that have a time limit for completing them😳 That pond is coming along so good. Bulkhead would probably flourish......not sure about anything else...i guess it depends on if it stays fairly full thru next summer......the raised bed hoophouse area looks like it's coming along nicely😊
Crawfish and rice go hand in hand back home in Mississippi/Louisiana. I know we had crawfish in Vermont when I lived there so I’d assume you could have them there as well. I doubt you’d put them there to eat but they benefit systems well with adding nutrients and keeping things clarified. Could also be a good food source for catfish if they could live in your situation. I don’t know if that’s the best context though?
On fish... they used to recommend catfish or a bottom feeders to supposedly keep the bottom clear, but recently I have read that is no longer recommended. Now they say they keep the bottom disturbed. But you would want to establish your crappie or other sunfish before introducing any predator fish. On the overflow issue...I remember ages ago seeing a little bit on the news about how farmers were integrating small fields into one really large field and in the process were taking out seep points, which recharge aquifers. It was news that the aquifers weren't recharging In my set up, I want to dig holes, like post holes, and fill them with filtering material, like wood chips and char and see how that works to get more water held in the ground. Maybe something like that would work for you too, and we all know how much you like to dig!
I think keeping the overflow channels open/accessible will be helpful in the long run so we can modify and harvest silt from them, and hopefully get things to a point where when the pond is full there is a very gentle overflow that can be used to irrigate other crops like rice and watercress, etc. Interesting notes on the bottom feeder idea. I think we need to focus on the small fish first and then predators once they are established, based on most folks notes.
@@edibleacres It would be easier if we knew what our weather patterns would be. Here, we seem to be leaning towards a spring cold/monsson and then dry the rest of the summer. Would like to see how you grow rice. Didn't know that was on your radar. Cool.
I worry that your overflow trench is too narrow. Why not make that whole path at the same level, and let it be shallower? A 2 foot wide trench at 1" deep is equal to a 6" wide one at 4" deep, but with less energy. That pond has a a spring, and a large watershed, what is the calculated overflow rate in a 1/2" per hour rain storm? For the other end I would put an emergency overflow an inch or two above that level, with a removable gate a few inch high to allow water out when you need it. I don't think you have the height for a swivel pipe, but hard to tell for sure by video.
The overflow trench is definitely too narrow for a pulse moment, but a good baseline to maintain a static level we desire. The main path will be set up to take on the pulse flows, along with probably 1-3 additional overflow channels with wide and gentle slopes in a few spots, heavily vegetated at other lower points in the pond. It'll evolve as the rains and water levels inform us.
They are coming out with all kinds of add on kits as well. I built replicas of there trellis kit and overhead Sprinkler system with materials I already had. I use drip in the summer. I did scissor doors on the ends but I do not recommend doing that.
@@deannajohnston3585 In high winds the plastic can pull through the clamps i used from jhonny seed. I would also like an automatic vent for warm winter days.
I would think cress might like it there. I'd be tempted to use sawdust and wood chips to act as a sponge under the soil you move over to plug the current drain. You could put a drain pipe to your yard with a shutoff or run off a solar powered pump like you already are using.
Not sure whether it would be legal over there but how about crayfish in the pond, and in terms of food reedmace roots are edible iirc, and what about watercress, water mint.? My pond virtually fills each year with elodea, but it is easy to pull out and quickly makes good compost in the right mix
One concern with adding fish would be oxygen level. Look up winter fish kill in small pond and this might give you an idea if this would apply to your pond. I would try catfish and blue gills (sunfish) to start, if you wanted to add native fish that you could eat. They would handle a smaller pond and lower oxygen level better than say " rainbow trout". As far a aquatic plants try cattails. They might help filter the water and certain parts of the plant are edible. Best of luck!
We'll figure out a way to aerate soon enough, probably use a circulation pump with a solar panel that spits the water up in the air and lets it slap down to have air integrated and move the surface a bit...
Probably planting bamboo nearby that can be used to block erotion to the pond. And planting morning glory arround the banks, it loves wet soil. Regards from Jakarta, Indonesia
Gee we t a couple of truck loads of dirt and make a levee to stop it from going onto garden and be careful putting flow behind green house ground water will go int green house if it’s close enough to effect water table
Your weather should be like Michigan so I'd say, cat fish and blue gill. Not sure but for other types of fish you may need fountains or some kind of aeration in the pond. Sunfish/ bluegill mix help population. Trout and bass but not sure the types just know those are stocked in the private pay to fish ponds by me.
You might need some aeration/flow to add oxygen to support fish; it's a good idea anyway because stagnant water can turn anaerobic. Also you need to build up bacteria that can digest the ammonia from the waste of the fish into forms the plants can use. if you add a lot of fish right away you will result in a ammonia spike which will kill your fish. If you plan on keeping a significant amount of fish you should look into pond filters or possibly making your own. Lava rocks and polyester fiber can be used as cheap filter material.
I suggest growing out our plants first so the fish can't uproot them and start by adding small minnows. Sun fish do great in a still water ponds. You should add a variety of sunfish such as pumpkins pumpkinseeds and bluegill.
Well I don't know what your planning rules are, but in my world if I were to want to re-route all the flow effectively onto land beside the highway and hence effectively onto the highway (at max flow times) , the highway department might have something to say about it !
The amount of water that will aim towards the road from this pond is dwarfed by all the massive driveways that flow directly onto the road. This will be going through designed ditches and channels to absorb as much as possible.
If you find a way to get a good amount of oxygen into the pond, you could put in native Brook Trout. If not, then put in some pan fish such as pumpkinseed or bluegills
Colocasia esculenta or Taro, very edible, not perennial but annual and loves the extra water and not invasive. Some type of dwarf, large fruited haws would probably work there. Certain water loving melon and squash etc. Geum rivale or water avens, Ipomoea aquatica or swamp morning glory not perennial - not sure if self seeding but yummy. Mentha aquatica every where would smell amazing, watercress, of course all kinds of rice and wild rice, possibly sugar cane for fun, cranberries!! would be awesome, cattails are great food etc, blueberries, mung beans, could even try wasabi if started or protected in your tunnels. That is just a start! XD
Let nature bring the fish in; be an interesting experiment, by the end of next summer at the very least you will have a lot of frogs. In England, you will nearly always find willows clustering around ponds and streams.
Check with your local community extension office. NY may have rules about what can and can't be stocked in a pond. Maine is VERY picky, you need to get stock from a certified breeder.
Don't know your views on using a rubber liner, clay or such for your area you want to mound up.....as for your overflow just put in a couple 4 in. or 6 in. Pipe and cover them with gravel, then you have a walking path! Seems as if the whole area is wet!....can also grow cranberries in that area as well.....
Bamboo would be nice, regenerate, help build other things, and could be lucrative. I know cat fish are great but need a whole ecosystem of things for them
I like your but are on the wrong side of the mountain like me here in Australia I should have brought on the north side of the hill for the best sun outlook
First off, predator fish last. Get your new little ecosystem stable first, introduce the flashy edible predator fish absolutely last. Hear me out... Hawks can't eat the squirrel if there's no chestnut trees in which the squirrel can live. And there wouldn't be any chestnut trees without good, acidic soil with abundant nitrogen fixing bacteria... Well, if you want an edible fish, it'll need a constant source of food (minnows) and those minnows need somewhere to live (a pipe) and something to live on (zooplankton) and all this needs to take place in healthy water. As far as fish for the pond, Crappie and fathead minnows. The minnows are the most important part, they eat mosquito larvae and will be fodder for the crappie. Additionally, you HAVE TO give the minnows safe spots to reproduce, unless you want to keep buying minnows for feed. A pvc pipe that is 8 inches long and 3 inches wide would be perfect for minnow reproduction. You really need to think of this as a minnow pond which raises crappie, not a crappie pond alone. I didn't include bluegill since they'll out-compete crappie, but you could do all this with bluegill and minnows but then you'll probably want to throw in some freshwater snails and crawdads as well. Either way, maintaining a healthy pond is just like maintain a healthy garden, start from the bottom. The water is a living thing as well, so you need zooplankton to munch on all the organic matter or you'll have an algae explosion when it gets hot next summer. Furthermore, the baby minnows will eat the zooplankton as their primary meal, so this goes back to having a safe spot for reproduction and introducing the correct zooplankton. Next, you're going to want to dig a little more to create beds for your predator fish to reproduce, but more importantly, this is where you'll establish your aquatic plants. Those are also more important than the flashy edible predator fish since they help keep the water cool in the summer and pump O2 into the water. 3 feet deep is good, but try to terrace the bank so you can have more square-footage at different depths. You'll need sand as well. Aquatic plants really like being in a mix of sand, not mud. Now that all the other stuff is done, now is when you introduce the flashy edible one. Source: my biology degree
Great notes here, and it all makes very good sense. I think I will be looking for local and healthy feeling ponds in our area to bring water from and some initial life to spike things, and focus on the planting first this fall and next spring.
Though an invasive species perhaps Asian or bighead carp as long as they are disconnected from other bodies of water. They have been spotted quite near the great lakes, and they are quite hardy and large but with sufficient vegetation or other food, they should thrive in a small pond; vermicompost/worm colony might also do well in feeding them. Since the bighead carp are large they will help with sanitation and movement of sediment build-up, I would recommend the addition of aquatic plants like duckweed, which are an abundant food source for fish and yourself (high in vitamin A and a natural source of B12), able to double in volume per day if given enough sunlight and C02 in water also found in most local ponds. Freshwater mussels might also be a good addition to your pond with fish as they are great water filters and a potential food source. Also mushroom inoculated hay bails surrounding the perimeter of your water bed would help with sanitation and water filtration. Hope some of these ideas help! Love the videos!
Oh and bat shelters are another great addition with standing water. With more mosquitos in the spring and summer bats will help to keep numbers down, super easy and cheap to build shelters for them high and hopefully covered from rain and weather conditions
Some thoughts on perennial (or self-sowing) edible/medicinal aquatics or bog plants for Zone 5B.
I do not personally know all these plants. I searched for _aquatic plants Zone 5b "edible" (or "bog"),_ and checked the zones against PFAF, Wikipedia and some other botanical databases.
_Some may be edible, but not palatable. Some may require heat or other preparation to be edible. Some may be opportunistic/potentially invasive._
BTW - I found many plants that are hardy to Zone 6, but because you said north facing, I did not include them even though I would have for a south or west-facing aspect in your zone.
* Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) - _prolific_
* Aronia Melanocarpa (black chokeberry)
* Butomus umbellatus (Flowering Rush)
* Carya laciniosa (Shellbark Hickory)
* Chrysosplenium alternifolium (Golden Saxifrage, Alternate-leaf golden saxifrage, Iowa golden saxifrage)
* Chrysosplenium oppositifolium (Golden Saxifrage)
* Cornus canadensis (Creeping Dogwood, Bunchberry dogwood, Bunchberry)
* Diospyros spp (Kaki or Japanese persimmon, American persimmon)
* Glyceria fluitans (Floating Manna Grass, Water mannagrass)
* Mentha spp (mints) - _prolific_
* Nasturtium officinale (Watercress) - wants moving water
* Nelumbo lutea (lotus lily)
* Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Water Lotus, Sacred lotus)
* Nymphaea alba (White Water Lily, European white waterlily)
* Oenanthe javanica (Java waterdropwort,[ Chinese celery, Indian pennywort, Japanese parsley, water celery, water dropwort and minari)
* Phragmites australis (Common Reed, American common reed, Hybrid common reed, European common reed)
* Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed)
* Rheum x cultorum (Rhubarb)
* Rubus idaeus var. strigosus (American Red Raspberry)
* Sagittaria cuneata (wapato; arumleaf arrowhead, or duck potato )
* Samolus valerandi (Brookweed, Seaside brookweed)
* Scirpus lacustris (Bulrush)
* Sparganium erectum (Bur Reed, Simplestem bur-reed)
* Typha angustifolia (Small Reed Mace, Narrowleaf cattail)
* Typha latifolia (Reedmace, Broadleaf cattail, Bullrush, Nailrod)
* Typha minima (dwarf bulrush, miniature cattail, least bulrush)
* Vaccinium macrocarpon (Lowbush Cranberry)
* Vaccinium oxycoccos (small cranberry, bog cranberry, swamp cranberry)
* Viburnum Trilobum (Highbush Cranberry)
* Vitis labrusca (Fox Grape)
* Zizania palustris (northern wild rice)
See
pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=79
www.tenthacrefarm.com/perennial-crops-wet-soil/
*I didn't cross reference these following pages for zones, so they may not be in the list above*
natures-water.com/education_information/edible_plants/
practicalselfreliance.com/perennial-vegetables/
www.bigditch.com.au/a-complete-guide-to-edible-water-plants/
pecpa.org/wp-content/uploads/DCNR-Riparian-Plants-Book.pdf
www.hunker.com/12274518/vegetables-that-thrive-in-very-moist-soils
massland.org/sites/default/files/files/Edible%20Wild%20Plants%20Native%20to%20the%20Northeast%20and%20eastern%20Canada%20-%20March%202018%20compilation.pdf
This will be a few days for me to sit with this comment and read through all of it. If I could triple pin it I would! :) SO appreciative of the time and energy to put this forward, I hope other folks get as much value from it as I will. THANK YOU!
@M King Oh, cool. Is iris edible?
My (limited) research shows it to be toxic (so, potentially medicinal in very small doses?) www.acepnow.com/article/toxicology-answer-dont-eat-the-lovely-iris/
@@kirstenwhitworth8079 Not the most edible plant though it probably wouldn’t kill you, would hurt your belly though. Sometimes we just have to go with esthetics and feed the beneficial insects as well as ourselves 💜
@@Lauradicus I agree that we need to feed the pollinators, and even feed our eyes. In my own gardens and food forest, I definitely and purposefully include flowering plants of many species and many blooming periods that are either toxic or medicinal. (I find that many, if not all toxic plants are medicinal in the correct dosages.) I strive to have something blooming all year, though I haven't quite achieved that yet. I also include many native plants that are meant solely to feed or provide habitat for the wildlife whose native range I now inhabit. I try to be a good neighbor as best I can.
However, the request in the video was for help with _edible and medicinal plants_ for the pond. I did extend the set definition to include bog/swamp plants so that when the pond level drops, the plants wouldn't suffer (I hope), but left it at _edible and medicinal plants for USDA Zone 5b._
I am a mathematician, among other things. In mathematics, "a set is a *well-defined collection* of distinct objects, considered as an object in its own right." I did not include plants that do not meet the definition/criteria of the set; therefore I did not include toxic or purely aesthetic plants because that isn't what was requested. Does that make sense?
@@kirstenwhitworth8079 Yes, it makes a lot of sense. While a plant may not be medicinal or edible it may support the community of plants that are. Iris increases natural filtration that other plants may benefit from. My take on the set/guild is that they all prop each other up, fill the gaps as it were.
It's nice to see the evolution of your ponds. I've just hand dug my own pond, so ideas on overflow are always welcome.
This week I was watching a video about Stowe gardens in the UK, and apparently the 11 acre lake, was dug out by hand and excavated by about 8 gardeners working solidly for a year. My back hurts just thinking about that.
Wow...... thats impressive.
@Foudroyant Nemesis P90X is that an excavator model? :)
Can you please link to that video so folks can check it out?
Sure thing. The link is: ua-cam.com/video/ToOjydOdLs4/v-deo.html timestamped at the bit where they talk about the lake.
I actually misremembered the information. It was 20 men, working for a year and a half.
Alan Titchmarsh is a popular British gardener. The series covers formal gardens from the 1700's right through to informal and modern ones today (including permaculture) by episode 4.
Reminds me of why I practice no dig! Ouch.
Sean, you will probably want to get some temperature records for the pond over the course of the winter months to see what can survive in there, and pay a visit to the NY DEC for the necessary farm pond licence - they will be better equipped to tell you what kinds of fish to stock than I will.
good stuff, I live in a totally different climate and don't have any ideas... I just like learning from your videos... you have SO much water
With that much water, it would be cool to have multiple overflows with swivel pipe like they use at Zaytuna Farm. That way you could easily direct the water to the areas most in need during different seasons.
That is definitely in the plan. I probably will be using mud and rocks instead of pipes, but the idea is to have the main overflow intact, with a very small modification able to block it up to send some water elsewhere. Looking forward to evolving that.
@@edibleacres Don't shun pipes & mechanical gates. The force of rain & water loves to show rocks & mud who is boss.
Common Arrowhead has an edible root that you can grow on the boarder and american sweet flag is a beautiful plant that has a wonderful smell and medicinal qualities. Both are native and will grow great next to your ponds.
Beautiful transformation into a food production space. Cattails can be a food source and provide structure for the minnows and tadpoles in your new ecosystem. Still seeing lots of tadpoles here in zone 6.
I don't think we'll have to try hard to see cattails enter this space :) There is a whole ridge on the far side I plan to dedicate to them, since it isn't a safe walking space.
@Styx62 Ga True! Plus they can be fish food and frog legs aren't bad eating in the summer.
So nice to see it filling and in a relatively short period of time. That's some fine work and coming along nicely.
I'm really thrilled...
I don’t know if you have considered this, but it is a good idea to start your pond with minnows, allow them to get a good population, then build up several species to create a more complex life cycle like we do in land permaculture.
Gotten this feedback from a number of folks and it makes sense, thank you.
Red Shiners and Mosquitofish for the pond for sure. Probably some perch species as well, slimy sculpin, trout-perch. These fish would prefer different areas of your pond, some the deeper water and others the shallow vegetative areas.
Might look at a septic aerator to aerate the pond, those things are made to run 24/7 for many many years.
Great notes, thank you!
Wonder whether you'll have volunteer cattails come in. They're edible too.
I am quite sure they will be there, they have showed up in our other ponds very quickly.
Great to see the pond full, we have sunfish from the water birds that go from our neighborhood ponds- they eat mosquito larvae too. We keep an aeration going in the ponds
I will look into a solar powered way to move water and air in this space once it stabilizes.
The pond looks great! Nice update!
Keep up the hard work I have enjoyed watching the garden grow
I don't have experience digging water features, but it seems like the current overflow is indeed part of the natural contour of the property. Trying to fill that section up and blocking it off would only temporarily damn the channel, I think it might erode eventually. Maybe you should utilize the fact that it is overflowing how it is now and plant more willows along a channel that way. It seems like the other channel is already wet enough and might not benefit from extra overflow especially given the extra work that will be needed to achieve that. You could also increase the overflow at that lowest spot instead of decreasing, and split that channel with buried pipe which tapers into a small semi-rigid polyethylene hose leading around the pond to your second drain. That way, during the dry months, you will still get overflow and could decide whether to divert it into the garden or not.
Interesting ideas. I think we know the lower spot will want to flow already, so encouraging flow higher up as a baseline will reduce erosion and allow for a 'pulse' event to utilize a few channels. It'll be itneresting to evolve this. Thanks for your notes.
Just found your channel... love it
Glad you enjoy it!
I’m no civil engineer, but if the overflow can’t drain as fast as the pond can fill, then an extended period of normal daily rainfall will have the water going everywhere, rather than where you wanted it. To say nothing of snow melt, a ten year storm, or flooding.
I also have related concerns about that right angle turn at the end of your spillway. The water is not going to make a turn like that. You need a curve, possibly a little catchment there (with reeds or cattails planted on the far side).
I hear you fully on this. I think there are more layers of evolution to all this that need to happen. I believe at least a few more spillways and overflow channels will need to be developed to thoughtfully discharge water at high flow moments. The site was/is super wet on average anyway with water 'going everywhere' so we should be able to only go better from here :)
Could you get some carp in there? Maybe water lettuce and water chestnuts
Right duck wheat as well as chicken food
French drain and divert 👍🏿👍🏻👍🏽👍🏻👍🏿👍🏻👍🏽👍🏿👍🏿👍🏻
I'm sure folks have suggested these already, but I'd be planting wapato, cattail, and American lotus. I wonder if watercress could be incorporated somehow as well.
Excited to see what comes of this!
I just learned about Sagittaria latifolia, Duck potato. It's a wetland loving perennial that produces an edible tuber.
We definitely plan to incorporate that plant in this pond.
Hi Sean and Sasha,
Would a layer of wood chips between the beds allow for water to flow towards the driveway and still reach the willows. That is a crazy amount of water in that pond. You should be able to siphon out water as well, toward your property in the hot dry summer months. no pumps needed. Cheers,
Bill
I think we'll explore filling the channels we make with a very very coarse chip or some sort of natural but walk-able material that lets water move through. I want to know it's all flowing how it needs before we explore that...
To my eye, the overflow should be wide and flat, so that water doesn't pick up speed. or many more of those narrow trenches. all at same level. the turns, and narrow spots, are where erosion will happen . Do you have access to tiles, either spanish roof tiles to line the narrow slits you made ? drainage piped used to be made of terracotta. or flat tiles (dumps have them) to cap them, like i saw you cover the trench in one of the greenhouses i think, with flat rocks. Or just turn pipes and connections made of pvc pipes.
I hear you on the concern. The flow rate will be limited at least a bit in those narrow channels by how little elevation change there is across them, they aren't a steep ditch. But I anticipate some soil moving early on until things are evolved and vegetated so there are silt catches all along so we can harvest the muck and put it back on adjacent beds. Not the perfect design by ANY means but a chance to evolve and deepen it as we get feedback from the system.
I am anything but an expert here, so forgive me, but there are several mutualistic options when it comes to these types of ponds and growing water crops (rice, wapato, etc.) for that size and hardiness zone I suspect you might be better served by crayfish or turtles than fish. Once again, total neophyte when it comes to this kind of aquaculture, but I have read of it in certain permaculture texts. I believe the rice-fish system wikipedia page is a good place to start!
Thanks for all your work, love your channel.
Thanks for sharing this. I want to learn a bunch more before we put in fish, since they aren't easy to remove if it doesn't work!
crawfish, bluegill/sunfish/crappie(whichever is appropriate to your climate), duckweed, azolla, salvinia, lotus, horseradish, lobelia, pickerel weed, watercress, bacopa monniera(bring cuttings in before winter and put in glass of water in sunny window)
Hello from the gutters of NYC, Hello from zone seven B. Regarding plugging the overflow: ever find clay when excavating? Use that. Even using subsoil, compaction will be key, compact in 8"-12" lifts. Its amazing how vulnerable disturbed soils can be to running water. You sure you have a spring uphill of pond? In excavation vid ground looked dry.
The ground was pretty darn dry for the first 6' down or so and then a definite shift to a very coarse, angular and large particle sand that was saturated. I think it was a water bearing sand layer in the landscape.
How about some birds eye view drone footage? ;)
Yeah, I need to get that working at some point :)
Wapato would be a good choice, where the water is not too deep
We have a few growing in our small ponds and they are incredibly beautiful. Definitely plan to include them in the larger pond. Thanks!
What you really need to add to the pond before thinking about fish is the submerged and marginal aquatic plants. Local natives of types of milfoils, low turfs, charophytes, potamogetons, reeds. That's what will help clear the water, until the sediment is held together by plants it will stay a similar hazy level of murkiness.
Canna can be grown on the edges of ponds and can actually stand in 10cm water, but for tuber harvest it is best to grow it on the edges, but it loves it!
Just ordered some edible types, We can trial one on the edge next season.
Good luck!
@@edibleacres I came across a video where someone was showing nasturtium growing at the edge of a pond and the long shoots were floating atop of the water, resembling lillies.. it was beautiful. I forgot which video that was but It just popped into my mind and I thought I'd share it here.
Bass and bluegill for the pond.
My mother in law has blue gill in her pond (Wisconsin) similar zone to us in 5b upstate ny. They are good’n tasty too! They also have northern and bass but you might only get away with one of them in your pond! Haha
Thanks for sharing these notes.
You might consider planting "rain garden" type plants (native to your area) to absorb the water near your losing/gaining spring? creek? before it ever gets to the pond area if it is that wet & swampy. Less overflow water to divert through the area so very close to the boudrary of your planned greenhouse/tunnel. Seems like you are at an inflection point with the pond build which will mean great trouble or success going forward.
Good notes, the pond is a bit at an inflection point, subtle but a bit of a lull. Ample opportunity to vegetate the water coming in and out, but I want to take my time to evolve that.
Fish? Fathead minnows. Native, high reproductive rate, low oxygen requirements, wide dietary range includes mosquito larvae and algae, can be used as chicken feed. I'd wait to see exactly what happens to the water level and dissolved O2 in summer before adding any fish other than minnows.
Plants? I'd go with duckweed (native, fast reproducing fish/chicken feed), maybe nelumbo lutea (native, edible, ornamental, no problem with deep water, spreads via rhizome, takes a few years to establish). Cattails would be an option, but they wouldn't be my first choice.
Fish: Bluegill, minows, and 2 triploid carp for that size pond. Add some bass in 2022, after the bluegills get established.
I'll take this as notes from direct experience, seems like you know whats up here! Thanks!
Ok....Sean so I don't feel so bad now that I just dug the last of my potatoes a week ago....only lost a few to a couple really low nite time temp......so much going on an sometimes I forget things that have a time limit for completing them😳 That pond is coming along so good. Bulkhead would probably flourish......not sure about anything else...i guess it depends on if it stays fairly full thru next summer......the raised bed hoophouse area looks like it's coming along nicely😊
Are there any trees you can harvest sap for making syrup with where you are?
Maple for sure, Black Walnut and Birch I've heard as being nice.
Turtles and frogs are a must... And the fish can be carp and or catfish ..
Frogs are already here, turtles we'll look into.
Crawfish and rice go hand in hand back home in Mississippi/Louisiana. I know we had crawfish in Vermont when I lived there so I’d assume you could have them there as well. I doubt you’d put them there to eat but they benefit systems well with adding nutrients and keeping things clarified. Could also be a good food source for catfish if they could live in your situation. I don’t know if that’s the best context though?
On fish... they used to recommend catfish or a bottom feeders to supposedly keep the bottom clear, but recently I have read that is no longer recommended. Now they say they keep the bottom disturbed. But you would want to establish your crappie or other sunfish before introducing any predator fish. On the overflow issue...I remember ages ago seeing a little bit on the news about how farmers were integrating small fields into one really large field and in the process were taking out seep points, which recharge aquifers. It was news that the aquifers weren't recharging In my set up, I want to dig holes, like post holes, and fill them with filtering material, like wood chips and char and see how that works to get more water held in the ground. Maybe something like that would work for you too, and we all know how much you like to dig!
I think keeping the overflow channels open/accessible will be helpful in the long run so we can modify and harvest silt from them, and hopefully get things to a point where when the pond is full there is a very gentle overflow that can be used to irrigate other crops like rice and watercress, etc.
Interesting notes on the bottom feeder idea. I think we need to focus on the small fish first and then predators once they are established, based on most folks notes.
@@edibleacres It would be easier if we knew what our weather patterns would be. Here, we seem to be leaning towards a spring cold/monsson and then dry the rest of the summer. Would like to see how you grow rice. Didn't know that was on your radar. Cool.
I worry that your overflow trench is too narrow. Why not make that whole path at the same level, and let it be shallower? A 2 foot wide trench at 1" deep is equal to a 6" wide one at 4" deep, but with less energy. That pond has a a spring, and a large watershed, what is the calculated overflow rate in a 1/2" per hour rain storm?
For the other end I would put an emergency overflow an inch or two above that level, with a removable gate a few inch high to allow water out when you need it. I don't think you have the height for a swivel pipe, but hard to tell for sure by video.
The overflow trench is definitely too narrow for a pulse moment, but a good baseline to maintain a static level we desire. The main path will be set up to take on the pulse flows, along with probably 1-3 additional overflow channels with wide and gentle slopes in a few spots, heavily vegetated at other lower points in the pond. It'll evolve as the rains and water levels inform us.
How'd the potatoes go?
Actually incredibly well! They were big and healthy and in nice shape, I think we got them in the knick of time
I have quanset style tunnels from them they are great.
I'm really happy with the quality of the basic components and the instructions seem super clear.
They are coming out with all kinds of add on kits as well. I built replicas of there trellis kit and overhead Sprinkler system with materials I already had. I use drip in the summer. I did scissor doors on the ends but I do not recommend doing that.
@@sethl3702 Just curious about why you don't like the scissor doors?
@@deannajohnston3585 In high winds the plastic can pull through the clamps i used from jhonny seed. I would also like an automatic vent for warm winter days.
@@sethl3702 Thanks! Good to know!
I would think cress might like it there. I'd be tempted to use sawdust and wood chips to act as a sponge under the soil you move over to plug the current drain. You could put a drain pipe to your yard with a shutoff or run off a solar powered pump like you already are using.
Watercress is definitely going to be included, not sure where yet but definitely something I want to eat as much as possible!
Not sure whether it would be legal over there but how about crayfish in the pond, and in terms of food reedmace roots are edible iirc, and what about watercress, water mint.? My pond virtually fills each year with elodea, but it is easy to pull out and quickly makes good compost in the right mix
One concern with adding fish would be oxygen level. Look up winter fish kill in small pond and this might give you an idea if this would apply to your pond. I would try catfish and blue gills (sunfish) to start, if you wanted to add native fish that you could eat. They would handle a smaller pond and lower oxygen level better than say " rainbow trout". As far a aquatic plants try cattails. They might help filter the water and certain parts of the plant are edible. Best of luck!
We'll figure out a way to aerate soon enough, probably use a circulation pump with a solar panel that spits the water up in the air and lets it slap down to have air integrated and move the surface a bit...
Where you put all the dirt that was dugedout did you sell it
No, we made a huge planting berm upslope, we'll be developing that later this winter / early spring.
Probably planting bamboo nearby that can be used to block erotion to the pond. And planting morning glory arround the banks, it loves wet soil. Regards from Jakarta, Indonesia
Thanks for these notes!
Gee we t a couple of truck loads of dirt and make a levee to stop it from going onto garden and be careful putting flow behind green house ground water will go int green house if it’s close enough to effect water table
Your weather should be like Michigan so I'd say, cat fish and blue gill. Not sure but for other types of fish you may need fountains or some kind of aeration in the pond. Sunfish/ bluegill mix help population. Trout and bass but not sure the types just know those are stocked in the private pay to fish ponds by me.
You might need some aeration/flow to add oxygen to support fish; it's a good idea anyway because stagnant water can turn anaerobic. Also you need to build up bacteria that can digest the ammonia from the waste of the fish into forms the plants can use. if you add a lot of fish right away you will result in a ammonia spike which will kill your fish. If you plan on keeping a significant amount of fish you should look into pond filters or possibly making your own. Lava rocks and polyester fiber can be used as cheap filter material.
I suggest growing out our plants first so the fish can't uproot them and start by adding small minnows. Sun fish do great in a still water ponds. You should add a variety of sunfish such as pumpkins pumpkinseeds and bluegill.
Good notes, thank you.
@@edibleacres ua-cam.com/video/xDVkhdDOuDc/v-deo.html this a a great video by Geoff Lawton tells you about stocking permiculture fish pond!
Well I don't know what your planning rules are, but in my world if I were to want to re-route all the flow effectively onto land beside the highway and hence effectively onto the highway (at max flow times) , the highway department might have something to say about it !
The amount of water that will aim towards the road from this pond is dwarfed by all the massive driveways that flow directly onto the road. This will be going through designed ditches and channels to absorb as much as possible.
Winters are realy drab there, all grey.
Daylilys enjoy water and are edible
We'll incorporate some of them.
Marlin. Definitely marlin. Maybe swordfish.
Maybe one blue whale, two might be too much for a pond of this size. :)
@@edibleacres- Now you're talkin. I know a good krill guy if you go that route.
If you find a way to get a good amount of oxygen into the pond, you could put in native Brook Trout. If not, then put in some pan fish such as pumpkinseed or bluegills
chinese water chestnut and wapato may work
Wapato for sure, Water Chestnut may not be hardy to here.
have you considered talking to the indigenous people of this land? they probably have answers to alot of your questions
Lotus!
Colocasia esculenta or Taro, very edible, not perennial but annual and loves the extra water and not invasive. Some type of dwarf, large fruited haws would probably work there. Certain water loving melon and squash etc. Geum rivale or water avens, Ipomoea aquatica or swamp morning glory not perennial - not sure if self seeding but yummy. Mentha aquatica every where would smell amazing, watercress, of course all kinds of rice and wild rice, possibly sugar cane for fun, cranberries!! would be awesome, cattails are great food etc, blueberries, mung beans, could even try wasabi if started or protected in your tunnels. That is just a start! XD
Thank you!
Let nature bring the fish in; be an interesting experiment, by the end of next summer at the very least you will have a lot of frogs. In England, you will nearly always find willows clustering around ponds and streams.
SO many frogs already!
@@edibleacres Ye; looks like Biden got more than a few of their votes.
most eco friendly fish to grow: Tinca tinca - in Latin, dont know name in English. Slow growing, but one of best for tolerating oxygen deficit.
Thanks for this note, I'll research them.
Well done, beautiful garden!
Consider growing potatoes in the hay bales, the Ruth Stout method. 👍
Stock the pond with any native fish you may like to eat.
Check with your local community extension office. NY may have rules about what can and can't be stocked in a pond. Maine is VERY picky, you need to get stock from a certified breeder.
Cat tails good water plants 🌱
Sure are. I bet they'll show up with no effort on our part :)
Don't know your views on using a rubber liner, clay or such for your area you want to mound up.....as for your overflow just put in a couple 4 in. or 6 in. Pipe and cover them with gravel, then you have a walking path! Seems as if the whole area is wet!....can also grow cranberries in that area as well.....
We will probably do an open channel that allows flow so we can do watercress in it :)
Put duckweed in
Bamboo would be nice, regenerate, help build other things, and could be lucrative. I know cat fish are great but need a whole ecosystem of things for them
I think this space might be a little limited in size to have them, not sure.
Talapia and grasscarp will keep it clean. Talapia will die off in winter and grasscarp are sterile. #Armsfamilyfarms has a good UA-cam video on this.
Thanks
I like your but are on the wrong side of the mountain like me here in Australia I should have brought on the north side of the hill for the best sun outlook
www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7975.html I have a small pond as well and this is what I use here too.
Time for ducks!
I bet they'll find this scene on their own, they are pretty good at that.
good thing about moles, good dog food. haha
It will be important that the gardens are not easily visible from the roads. Just saying.
Not sure I understand why. Is it against code or you are concerned people will see it, drive up, and help themselves?
@@lolthien Would say the latter. ;)
@@lolthien All of the above.
@@shawnkalin9337 The man has a backhoe...
First off, predator fish last. Get your new little ecosystem stable first, introduce the flashy edible predator fish absolutely last. Hear me out... Hawks can't eat the squirrel if there's no chestnut trees in which the squirrel can live. And there wouldn't be any chestnut trees without good, acidic soil with abundant nitrogen fixing bacteria... Well, if you want an edible fish, it'll need a constant source of food (minnows) and those minnows need somewhere to live (a pipe) and something to live on (zooplankton) and all this needs to take place in healthy water.
As far as fish for the pond, Crappie and fathead minnows. The minnows are the most important part, they eat mosquito larvae and will be fodder for the crappie. Additionally, you HAVE TO give the minnows safe spots to reproduce, unless you want to keep buying minnows for feed. A pvc pipe that is 8 inches long and 3 inches wide would be perfect for minnow reproduction. You really need to think of this as a minnow pond which raises crappie, not a crappie pond alone. I didn't include bluegill since they'll out-compete crappie, but you could do all this with bluegill and minnows but then you'll probably want to throw in some freshwater snails and crawdads as well. Either way, maintaining a healthy pond is just like maintain a healthy garden, start from the bottom. The water is a living thing as well, so you need zooplankton to munch on all the organic matter or you'll have an algae explosion when it gets hot next summer. Furthermore, the baby minnows will eat the zooplankton as their primary meal, so this goes back to having a safe spot for reproduction and introducing the correct zooplankton.
Next, you're going to want to dig a little more to create beds for your predator fish to reproduce, but more importantly, this is where you'll establish your aquatic plants. Those are also more important than the flashy edible predator fish since they help keep the water cool in the summer and pump O2 into the water. 3 feet deep is good, but try to terrace the bank so you can have more square-footage at different depths. You'll need sand as well. Aquatic plants really like being in a mix of sand, not mud.
Now that all the other stuff is done, now is when you introduce the flashy edible one.
Source: my biology degree
Well. That was an awesome explainer. And love the flourish on the end to shut up the armchair experts 😉
Great notes here, and it all makes very good sense. I think I will be looking for local and healthy feeling ponds in our area to bring water from and some initial life to spike things, and focus on the planting first this fall and next spring.
@@edibleacres good idea;)
Marvelous points. I would like to suggest clay pots instead of pvc pipes, they leach crap that just doesn’t need to be there. We use enough plastic.
Water Iris, pussy willow, cat tail, willow
Though an invasive species perhaps Asian or bighead carp as long as they are disconnected from other bodies of water. They have been spotted quite near the great lakes, and they are quite hardy and large but with sufficient vegetation or other food, they should thrive in a small pond; vermicompost/worm colony might also do well in feeding them. Since the bighead carp are large they will help with sanitation and movement of sediment build-up, I would recommend the addition of aquatic plants like duckweed, which are an abundant food source for fish and yourself (high in vitamin A and a natural source of B12), able to double in volume per day if given enough sunlight and C02 in water also found in most local ponds. Freshwater mussels might also be a good addition to your pond with fish as they are great water filters and a potential food source. Also mushroom inoculated hay bails surrounding the perimeter of your water bed would help with sanitation and water filtration. Hope some of these ideas help! Love the videos!
Oh and bat shelters are another great addition with standing water. With more mosquitos in the spring and summer bats will help to keep numbers down, super easy and cheap to build shelters for them high and hopefully covered from rain and weather conditions
Carp minnows can escape out the overflow into the ditch and eventually the streams if that's where they empty whereas grasscarp are sterile.
@@John-uk5zl Good to know thank you!