Today I am off duty, I got to see your video in the same day it was posted. My blessing:) Knowledge and skills are some of the things that will never run out, no matter how many times you share it with other people.
You seem very happy in this video Danou. I think you have the Food Forest bug. Appreciate the reference to Andrew Millison and the Great Green Wall on the African Sahel and Food Forests from Trees for the Future. You are working within time tested and proven system unique to Africa. Don't forget - you have the entire "Train the Trainers" teaching manual. 💖
My mum had a bougainville growing in her yard in the south of Spain; we directed a quarter of the roof's water to it, and within a few years, it covered the whole wall in purple leaves and flowers, providing shade in summer and insulation in winter.
@@thefoodforestnamibia I’m going to write an email to you about Lucas in the next day or two, before you spend money on his house I want to run a few ideas by you
Seeds that are "treated" usually means it has some sort of pesticides, fungicide, or other "-cides" in the coating. Once you get your soil fertilization going, id refrain from using coated seeds in the future.
I know but it’s an evil necessity in this case the benefit outweighs the negative in the long run, the seeds wouldn’t last without it and it would have been a waste of time and money, lucerne germination isn’t great to begin with so giving the best chance to establish is best practice, the treated has inoculation in it so it fixes nitrogen and will last for years, seeds can be harvested for future plantings from this stand
8:14 Bushes with that type of branch growth can be woven together to speed up creating the fence. The span between neighboring bushes can be closed by using simple twine to pull the branches together. Twine will decay and fall away as biomass. Meanwhile, the branches are trainable to fill any gaps. 😊
@@OublietteTight the kei apple? I’ll have to check If they grow from cuttings but training a young branch is easy yes, a espalier trellis would be ideal like they do pears and apple
@BESHYSBEES I believe you. I am not experienced with fruit trees. I just keep things simple with the twine, when I want to control our bottle brush. I can get them to grow up with years of branch braiding. 😍
@@TheDog_Chef Absolutely! THere is one now, but as Danou grows more excited about the possibilities of "growing his own" he will be out of space. Shade and windbreaks are essential in this climate for tender trees and shrubs. Screaming hot temps and sun and bone dry air.
We have solar in Australia and have had for 10 years and so many people doing the same nowAhh the grid now saying we can’t cope with solar input crazy poor government policy. Shake my head
I don’t often advise what trees to plan where, but please consider planting a couple of Schotia brachypetala, the weeping boer-bean, is a leguminous flowering tree in the family Fabaceae (bean family/pod-bearing family/legumes) , birds and bees go crazy for them and when they drop their leaves in spring they contribute a huge amount of composting material and the shade they bring is wonderful. They are well with the investment of time and effort. I mostly let the leves lay as they fall when possible and the soil enrichment is noticeable
It’s very easy to grow citrus from seed. The fruit may vary though if you want a Valencia orange you want a cutting. I grew a Key Lime tree from a seed.
0:25 Is that a new digging fork Danou? Looks like the right tool for the job. 1:12 Is that Spekboom you planted from cuttings? Time to make make more Spekboom cuttings. Use just two or three nodes and plant them in potting soil mix in bottles. Put them in the shadehouse. Top off the bottle with 2" of worm castings. 1:50 Your Zai pits are deep enough that the ducks will only go so far. Add some dead tree branch covers to encourage the ducks to move outwards. Are some of your sorghum heads ready to pick? Have your wife cook it like rice and give it a try. Thin (cull) a few mature stalks and give them a rough chop for the pigs. Mix it with their rations. Video the feeding for us please.
Wow this video makes my heart happy. I am so glad to hear you are going to use some native trees on your land. The bougainvillea that you mentioned are also good for making hedges. Maybe nice around some homes in the township? And the Kai apples you were looking at are drought tolerant. Just take a Tupperware with when you get cuttings of trees so that the cuttings don’t dry out on the drive home. I do hope you are someday able to get some Makalani Palms (Hyphaene petersiana), African plums (Harpephyllum caffrum) and Manketti-trees (Schinziophyton rautanenii). I think they would do okay in your climate once established. 😊 Such an exiting season with so much going on and so much growth. Thank you for your video and the smiles you bring.
@@DJG19870 Namibian tree atlas 693 page pdf is pretty good for finding natives, I’m making a list of trees and shrubs for his place hopefully he can collect seeds and cuttings
Gold Shaw farm in the US state of Vermont makes the most farming income from sprouting 800 tree seeds of different types in a small area and then selling each of the saplings but only in bulk orders. Setting up an area as a tree nursery will allow you to go from buying different types of trees, to multiplying them on your farm, to selling them over the next 2 years.
I totally support this idea. It is already happening - so keep getting better. I thin Danou would be well advised to find a woman who wants to be a full time grower to run the nursery. Frankly, they are much better suited for nursery work than the typical man. I LOVE the fiddly work of a tree nursery BUT I'm far from the "typical" chest pounder.
Yes, I was not happy to see that either. Digging around between the plants was damaging all the surface roots. Care for what is already growing still lacking? I don't know.
bougainvillia produce an unbelievable amount of leaves almost too much to manage if not kept on top of. May be an excellent source of biomass for the farm.
Hello Danou! 2:35 I have a different perspective on how to satisfy Lukas' domestic water needs in a more practical or "right sized" way. I would put everything that come off the roof of the house directly into two African Smiles that cover the whole side of his house and one more between the two to catch any overflow. Put the rainwater directly into the ground so there are no concerns about contamination, evaporation, going stale or growing algae in a tank. Buy the biggest food grade tote you can get locally and set it up on concrete blocks for clean domestic water. See how long a tank lasts. Then make arrangements for home delivery of clean domestic water once every X number of weeks. Why? Clean domestic water can be used to water plants, but contaminated water can not be used for human consumption. Perimeter fence - definitely a living fence. You can mix in fruit trees and fruiting shrubs (Cape gooseberries). All he needs are two posts and a locking gate. If he wants to grow additional food at home, he can use the African smiles, gray water and domestic water as needed. For the Permaculture Demonstration Food Forest, I would buy the biggest and tallest molded tank you can get locally and set it up on the highest point of your land. Run a supply line from your municipal waterline with a float valve shutoff, so the tank is always full and never overflowing. The extra height of the tank will give you more head. Test the pressure as you build out a main line system with stand pipes around your 6.5 hectares for irrigation hookups. If you find you need more pressure, buy a pressure regulated solar water pump to pressurize the mainline system. This would be my number one priority now right after buying digital timers so you can consistently water overnight. Your municipal supply is not going to get any better. The rain season may be over for 2025. You want to keep everything you have growing alive. No time to waste. 👍
For Lukas house, the living wall will need posts or stakes and some wire to start it for the first few years. Especially going into the dry season right now. They may be able to fashion a few dozen stakes from Danou's farm, and use a little bit of money to buy stakes & wire to have up for the first few seasons while the living fence grows. The stakes provide stability and eventually organic matter, and the wire can be removed and go onto the next project. Other than that I think you have a lot of intriguing & useful suggestions here!
@@Nphen Thanks! Typicaly, living fences take a few years to mature. The tree trunks become the posts. SHrubs fill in between the trunks. So about 3-4 years in, the fence is getting to the height that cattle, sheep and goats out will be content to browse on the outside of the fence. It is a process.
if you're going to film at lucas' house once a week, maybe you can bring water as part of the routine? and hopefully over time there will be less and less need to bring water. cheers
In Florida, there are tiny lizards. They are fascinating. They puff up and down, threatening each other, living their miniature dinosaur lives without a second thought about the nearby humans. They came in so many colors. Beautiful little lizard societies outside every home.
Yes, we went to visit my wife's uncle in west palm beach, it was so hot that the lizards had almost rolled their little tails up while sitting on the ground, they looked like scorpions with their tails like that.
As a point of notice: Today I saw 3 advertisements per video. Congratulations! Monetization of YT is well deserved. Also, US$550 for a 5k tank is not much tbh. Digging one in de ground [2/3 deep? to keep the shape] will make a reservoir like all the forts and big houses do in the Lesser Antilles. For them it's all about one or two big rains a year and then getting the water back up to irrigate. It works because the rains are big once or twice a year and they use wind mills to fill a tank that's high. Just by looking at your vids, over there in Namibia it's not much different. Great work! Thx
Yes let the adds play or view skipping adds but hen run video again when your doing something else and let adds run. I’ve noticed now I let adds run I get on my feed some really long adds. I don’t watch them but I go do something else. You tube income will help danou project.
Whatever the ducks eat is returned processed into fertilizer. Looks like a N$20 mango tree seedling is US$1, which I am guessing feels like $4 vs local produce.
Save all of the fruit seeds both families consume. You can never have too many fruit trees. I can see that you are gaining enthusiasm as your shadehouse becomes more successful. Just keep moving forward. The turtle wins the race.
I'm really pleased you're going to do some work at Lucas's place. A couple of questions: are the neighbours going to be OK about him fencing his plot, given it is very open? (I like the idea of a tree-based fence which will provide shade.) I was shocked Lucas has to travel so far for water, so the tank will be great for him, but presumably it only fills up in the rainy season, which is now coming to an end? And presumably, he can use any grey water for whatever he plants?
I suggest african smiles where the roof water drains and a smaller tank he can use for delivered domestic water. Roof water is not safe to drink. Bird flu? Building a living fence is the way to go. There can be many edibles planted in the fence. All he needs is a lockable gate. As to the neighbors? Their animals will be able to browse on the outside of the fence and they get shade and windbreaks. What's not to like? 🤣
Did you get/have paint to paint the bars after you cut them? Paint will maybe make it easier to see at a glance and maybe less chance to miss one. Glad to see you're looking at water tanks! The alfalfa/lucern will be a good biodiverse addition! The ducks eating some of the cover crops is nothing - maybe plant heavier cover crops and the impact becomes less and less.
I suggest African smiles where the roof water drains and a smaller tank he can use for delivered domestic water. Roof water is not safe to drink. THink bird flu? Building a living fence is the way to go. There can be many edibles planted in the fence. All he needs is a lockable gate.
6:03 THis is the kind of shade house you should build next Danou. You can build the whole structure out of steel fence poles and fittings (no termite problems) and sheath the whole structure with shade cloth secured with nylon zip ties. I'm sorry you were not able to gain access to the big nursery. I would like to see that area. I think you can build a better nursery and grow better nursery stock than the government. Their stalk always looks dry and the potting soil looks like plain dirt - no organic material. When you buy stock here, make sure you keep it in the shade at home and give everything a soaking watering right away. Add worm castings if there is room on the top of the dirt. Plant them in a basin in the earth as soon as possible with a handful of worm castings and mulch all around - 3" back from the trunk. I'll bet you could sell the Government Nursery worm castings. 8:05 Maybe they were closed for lunch? 8:12 Kei-apple "The fruits are seen as a failsafe food for both humans and animals in times of famine". I was so excited to see you get excited about Kei-apple cuttings. I would definitely be back their taking cuts early soe morning before the hot sun of the day drys out the leaves. Make certain you have a good rooting hormone (powder or liquid) when you are footing hard cuttings. Also, carry a jug of water and a small bucket in the van so you can put the cut ends into water straight away. You don't want the cut tips to dry out. If they do dry out, the cutting is lost likely lost. 9:00 Monkey-thorn "(Acacia galpinii) is a large fast growing, long-lived tree, with a maximum height of 30 m, Acacia galpinii is the largest South African acacia. The trunk is 2 m in diameter. The monkey thorn is a fast growing tree, easily propagated from seeds. Seedlings and young trees are sensitive to frost. Young trees may require pruning of their low hanging branches. Leaves are shed during the cool season and pods need 6 months to ripen. Again - you did what I would do - start gathering seeds. Do the "float test" with those seeds because they may be very old. 👍
The plastic tanks are convenient, but they won't last as long as a well build brick tank. Eventually the sun is going to make the plastic brittle, and it is quite common that eventually they start leaking at the bottom. I've seen it with Australian folks who have plastic tanks. Although I am not sure how long they last. I reckon at least a decade or so, maybe that other people can tell more about that. So it wouldn't hurt to create some shade for the plastic tank, that will make it last longer for sure. And it is very important to level the platform from the tank very well, so that you get an even weight distribution. And it would also be a good idea to install some wire mesh around the bottom of the tank so that animals can't undermine the tank. They love to live under the tank. 👍
@ 20+ years is not too bad. Thanks for providing that info. Personally I would install something for shade that is easy to remove. That would make maintenance or replacement a lot easier in the future.
In video "Discovering my Primitive Artifact 4 Years Later" Chad Zuber collects and eats Washingtonia fruits. In next video, he considers it delicious. Looks like it's producing mulch also.
❤ Treating lucerne seed is recommended in any situation for successful establishment. Seed treatments for lucerne include applying Rhizobia to the seed to aid nodulation of lucerne roots. Apron® XL fungicide and Poncho® Plus insecticide are also applied to provide each plant the best possible start to establish. Good evening Danou
One of the main principles of regenerative ag is to reduce chemicals and another is to increase diversity. Starting seeds coated with poisons isn't a great way to start. You'd do better with the worm tea on each seed as a coating. Seeds that sink when soaked tend to germinate, and seeds that float don't usually don't germinate.
@ the untreated seeds won’t last before germinating with his conditions, warm and moist the lucerne is temperamental and needs a good start to get a good tap root down, the small amount of chemical is an unfortunate necessity sorry, if his conditions were better I would have recommended plain seed, once the lucerne is established you’ll never get rid of it so the benefit outweighs the negative in the long run
@@philipbutler6608 I know! That's why I keep asking what/where is the food that is coming out of the food forest? Makes me wonder how open the population is to trying new things. Were I in their situation, I'd be looking forward to the first duck I harvested for Sunday dinner in addition to 'sunny side up' eggs.😊
Wait, is the conversion correct 10K Nambian dollars is about 530 USD?new gutters and a rain tank here in the states is a couple grand. The tank itself would be the cost of your whole project.
Why not plant a drought tolerant clumping bamboo as a fence ? Easy to multiply, perfect against wind and you get building material on top. Would be perfect for both properties
Is that thorn tree the white acacia? If so it should be drought tolerant once it's established. I hear it is a popular tree with farmers jn Zambia, because it's a nitrogen fixer which drops it's leaves in the start of the rainy season
Yes, its a huge difference. Custard apple grows in segments like a pineapple with a seed per bit of fruit, and stays about the size of a closed fist or two. Soursop grows up bigger than papaya or about the size of an individual watermelon on the larger size. Soursop is juicy enough to make a drink out of after removing seeds. Custard apple doesn't usually make it to juice as it tends to get eated as soon as it's ripe....lol.
It never was an issue. The expected outcome of water changing elevation in a sand bottom watercourse is a pool. Completely normal , natural, desirable and expected. Putting rocks around the tires is a huge waste of rocks. They belong in the uncompleted rock leaky weir. Danou got bad advice from somebody.
Hi Danou Have you seen the Tanka system that they use in Rajasthan India, it is a old ancient way to capture water and it is now being put to use again very sucessfully. Worth a look. keep up the good work its a long hard road but very rewarding. Regards John
The tanka system is a traditional method of rainwater harvesting that uses underground tanks to collect water for drinking and irrigation. The system is common in the Thar Desert region of India and Pakistan.
Can you talk and show, for 3-5 minutes, the horse you think may not make it? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the horse will pull through and recover from whatever it's going through.
I would like to see an entire episode at least once a month devoted to your animals. Go from one animal to the next and spend time talking about what is going on. Animals are an equally important component of the Food Forest System. That would be good content.
@@Greenandgrow104 I also thought about this, but didn't express that thought. as I would prefer for Danou to stay genuine and not focus on "algorithm" too much.
@@hotbit7327 Agreed! I find the hype to be off putting. UA-cam is not a pinball game to be shaken about and manipulated. Just make good content. All the rest will follow. That said - there are some sleazy operators in YT land.
Are you going to produce a longer video once a week or just keep pumping the vlogs? If you’re asking about tree species take still pictures of the leaves, fruit/seed and trunk so we can help identify them, there is a link to the Namibian tree atlas in the tree plan layout on earth, I’ve tried to select plants endemic to your area or that have a similar latitude according to the atlas. Any way have a nice night and get a good sleep see you tomorrow
@@OublietteTight The Parable of the Sower is a Bible story told by Jesus about a farmer who scatters seeds on different types of soil. The parable appears in the Bible in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.
Just name a tree after me and scatter my ashes over the farm with nice ceremony and a string quartet, about 100 guests and dignitaries. You know, nothing big.
Is that a new fork I see? Fancy. The prices at the government place seemed very reasonable, even if the quality was a bit sad. What else can you buy for N$20? With regards to Lukas' house, what does he want? Fruit, flowers, veggies, shade? Make sure you are doing it with him and for him, not to him.
@@Argrouk Questioning Danou's capacity to 'manage' his white privilege and his employer employee relationship after all the interaction we have witnessed over the past year with Lukas is rude. Questioning Danou's motive; "Make sure you are [not doing it] to him". is presumptuous and crude. That's honesty, boy. Try to show some respect to the man who does the work every day.
I agree i should involve Lukas. I don't take anny offence and I am sure none was intended. Can't buy much els for N$20. I think they becuase are subsidized by the government they don't care about quality or making a profit.
@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171you read too much into things, all the man was trying to say was to involve Lucas because it’s his house, take a chill pill and stop jumping on people over their vernacular
@@wasp586 sometimes you have to go against what you think is right in order to have it work, the lucerne wouldn’t have survived if not treated but once it’s established you’ll never get rid of it, the positive outweighs the negative in the long run
I agree! But the problem is: 1. If out of 1000 untreated seeds only 2 germinate, what will you do? 2. I have never seen permaculture economics, i.e. what yield per hectare, labour cost, cost per 1k calories of food produced, etc.
@@hotbit7327 it’s usually not shown because it’s expensive and unsuccessful, at least Danou can admit to his mistakes and learn from them, P is for permaculture lol prior preparation prevents piss poor performance is what I was taught, all of these new names for things when the principles are the same, these systems have been being used in farming across Australia since the 70’s, nothing new just new people and most are just trying to exploit the permaculture rush for a buck and not actually making a difference like Shaun Overton
Does Lucas speak English? It would be interesting if he started his own UA-cam channel - it could do well if he did it daily. Also is humanure corposting a thing there - might be challenging to access carbon easily
it'd be cool if when Danou goes to film at his house, maybe th video can have two minutes of Lucas sharing his observations and thoughts. Even if in Afrikaans, Danou can translate. I think it'd be empowering for lucas and interesting for viewers
End of a bussy day. How is life there? Where are you viewing from?
UK 😊
Life is Good, busy as yours.
I have more biomass on my tiny urban property than I could manage right now after all the rain we had in Gauteng . I wish I could send it to you. ❤
@@lotjeboon for me to bussy is a good problem To have. When my phone stops ringing then te big stress starts 🤣
Midwestern United States.
Today I am off duty, I got to see your video in the same day it was posted. My blessing:)
Knowledge and skills are some of the things that will never run out, no matter how many times you share it with other people.
I really like the idea of a living fence. You can’t plant too many trees. Good idea.
You seem very happy in this video Danou. I think you have the Food Forest bug. Appreciate the reference to Andrew Millison and the Great Green Wall on the African Sahel and Food Forests from Trees for the Future. You are working within time tested and proven system unique to Africa.
Don't forget - you have the entire "Train the Trainers" teaching manual. 💖
My mum had a bougainville growing in her yard in the south of Spain; we directed a quarter of the roof's water to it, and within a few years, it covered the whole wall in purple leaves and flowers, providing shade in summer and insulation in winter.
Even if the fruits are small the animals can have them.
Great idea to get a water tank for Lucas's home.
Thanks. I think it wil be a game changer for him.
@@thefoodforestnamibia I’m going to write an email to you about Lucas in the next day or two, before you spend money on his house I want to run a few ideas by you
Seeds that are "treated" usually means it has some sort of pesticides, fungicide, or other "-cides" in the coating. Once you get your soil fertilization going, id refrain from using coated seeds in the future.
I know but it’s an evil necessity in this case the benefit outweighs the negative in the long run, the seeds wouldn’t last without it and it would have been a waste of time and money, lucerne germination isn’t great to begin with so giving the best chance to establish is best practice, the treated has inoculation in it so it fixes nitrogen and will last for years, seeds can be harvested for future plantings from this stand
8:14 Bushes with that type of branch growth can be woven together to speed up creating the fence. The span between neighboring bushes can be closed by using simple twine to pull the branches together.
Twine will decay and fall away as biomass. Meanwhile, the branches are trainable to fill any gaps. 😊
@@OublietteTight the kei apple? I’ll have to check If they grow from cuttings but training a young branch is easy yes, a espalier trellis would be ideal like they do pears and apple
@BESHYSBEES I believe you. I am not experienced with fruit trees. I just keep things simple with the twine, when I want to control our bottle brush. I can get them to grow up with years of branch braiding. 😍
That is an excellent suggestion for speeding up the build of a living fence. First time it has been mentioned here.
Would a shade/ green house be beneficial to getting trees growing from seed?
@@TheDog_Chef Absolutely! THere is one now, but as Danou grows more excited about the possibilities of "growing his own" he will be out of space.
Shade and windbreaks are essential in this climate for tender trees and shrubs. Screaming hot temps and sun and bone dry air.
I live in Australia no problem with plastic tanks here. I wish everyone had a tank and a solar panel.
We have solar in Australia and have had for 10 years and so many people doing the same nowAhh the grid now saying we can’t cope with solar input crazy poor government policy. Shake my head
I don’t often advise what trees to plan where, but please consider planting a couple of Schotia brachypetala, the weeping boer-bean, is a leguminous flowering tree in the family Fabaceae (bean family/pod-bearing family/legumes) , birds and bees go crazy for them and when they drop their leaves in spring they contribute a huge amount of composting material and the shade they bring is wonderful. They are well with the investment of time and effort. I mostly let the leves lay as they fall when possible and the soil enrichment is noticeable
Huilboer boom. Wil definitely put it on the list. Close to the house or campsite or further away?
It’s on the list already, cheers
What about Date Palms? Would they grow there?
@@Greenandgrow104 trying to get him some pups or a bucket of seeds, already on to it
@@Greenandgrow104 Date palms are most likely not suited to this area due to the presence of calcium carbonate in the soil.
Free cuttings and seeds are always the best, fingers crossed you can get them established, all good to experiment with anyway.
@@minxyminx7148 if it’s for free it’s for meeee
It’s very easy to grow citrus from seed. The fruit may vary though if you want a Valencia orange you want a cutting. I grew a Key Lime tree from a seed.
0:25 Is that a new digging fork Danou? Looks like the right tool for the job.
1:12 Is that Spekboom you planted from cuttings? Time to make make more Spekboom cuttings. Use just two or three nodes and plant them in potting soil mix in bottles. Put them in the shadehouse. Top off the bottle with 2" of worm castings.
1:50 Your Zai pits are deep enough that the ducks will only go so far. Add some dead tree branch covers to encourage the ducks to move outwards.
Are some of your sorghum heads ready to pick? Have your wife cook it like rice and give it a try.
Thin (cull) a few mature stalks and give them a rough chop for the pigs. Mix it with their rations. Video the feeding for us please.
Wow this video makes my heart happy. I am so glad to hear you are going to use some native trees on your land. The bougainvillea that you mentioned are also good for making hedges. Maybe nice around some homes in the township? And the Kai apples you were looking at are drought tolerant. Just take a Tupperware with when you get cuttings of trees so that the cuttings don’t dry out on the drive home. I do hope you are someday able to get some Makalani Palms (Hyphaene petersiana), African plums (Harpephyllum caffrum) and Manketti-trees (Schinziophyton rautanenii). I think they would do okay in your climate once established. 😊 Such an exiting season with so much going on and so much growth. Thank you for your video and the smiles you bring.
@@DJG19870 Namibian tree atlas 693 page pdf is pretty good for finding natives, I’m making a list of trees and shrubs for his place hopefully he can collect seeds and cuttings
I picked up my horse manure for the biochar today, still need to make the charcoal. 😅
Have you built your Charcoal Charlie? ua-cam.com/video/v18o_xe7hfA/v-deo.html
Gold Shaw farm in the US state of Vermont makes the most farming income from sprouting 800 tree seeds of different types in a small area and then selling each of the saplings but only in bulk orders. Setting up an area as a tree nursery will allow you to go from buying different types of trees, to multiplying them on your farm, to selling them over the next 2 years.
One step at a time
I totally support this idea. It is already happening - so keep getting better. I thin Danou would be well advised to find a woman who wants to be a full time grower to run the nursery. Frankly, they are much better suited for nursery work than the typical man. I LOVE the fiddly work of a tree nursery BUT I'm far from the "typical" chest pounder.
The soil is looking great!
I noticed that as well 💚
@@lotjeboon Red wiggler worms moving horizontally in the top 8" of soil.
Unexpected start, seeing you digging up existing grasses? 😮
I think not digging up but forking between to break up the soil for seeding. Unfortunately a couple might be casualties 😊.
Yes, I was not happy to see that either. Digging around between the plants was damaging all the surface roots. Care for what is already growing still lacking? I don't know.
@stevejohnstonbaugh9171 Lucas is working in his old, reliable straight lines. 🙄
@@OublietteTight 🤣🤣🤣
Great selection of new plants. 🍀👍🏼
bougainvillia produce an unbelievable amount of leaves almost too much to manage if not kept on top of. May be an excellent source of biomass for the farm.
Grow on south wall of the house for shade.
@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171don’t grow it at all it has no real purpose on a permaculture site even on the house there is better options
Hello Danou! 2:35 I have a different perspective on how to satisfy Lukas' domestic water needs in a more practical or "right sized" way.
I would put everything that come off the roof of the house directly into two African Smiles that cover the whole side of his house and one more between the two to catch any overflow. Put the rainwater directly into the ground so there are no concerns about contamination, evaporation, going stale or growing algae in a tank.
Buy the biggest food grade tote you can get locally and set it up on concrete blocks for clean domestic water. See how long a tank lasts. Then make arrangements for home delivery of clean domestic water once every X number of weeks.
Why? Clean domestic water can be used to water plants, but contaminated water can not be used for human consumption.
Perimeter fence - definitely a living fence. You can mix in fruit trees and fruiting shrubs (Cape gooseberries). All he needs are two posts and a locking gate. If he wants to grow additional food at home, he can use the African smiles, gray water and domestic water as needed.
For the Permaculture Demonstration Food Forest, I would buy the biggest and tallest molded tank you can get locally and set it up on the highest point of your land. Run a supply line from your municipal waterline with a float valve shutoff, so the tank is always full and never overflowing. The extra height of the tank will give you more head. Test the pressure as you build out a main line system with stand pipes around your 6.5 hectares for irrigation hookups. If you find you need more pressure, buy a pressure regulated solar water pump to pressurize the mainline system.
This would be my number one priority now right after buying digital timers so you can consistently water overnight. Your municipal supply is not going to get any better.
The rain season may be over for 2025. You want to keep everything you have growing alive. No time to waste. 👍
For Lukas house, the living wall will need posts or stakes and some wire to start it for the first few years. Especially going into the dry season right now. They may be able to fashion a few dozen stakes from Danou's farm, and use a little bit of money to buy stakes & wire to have up for the first few seasons while the living fence grows. The stakes provide stability and eventually organic matter, and the wire can be removed and go onto the next project. Other than that I think you have a lot of intriguing & useful suggestions here!
Have you looked at the email I sent you, the idea your talking about is already drawn and written out in the tree plan I emailed you the link to it.
@@Nphen Thanks! Typicaly, living fences take a few years to mature. The tree trunks become the posts. SHrubs fill in between the trunks. So about 3-4 years in, the fence is getting to the height that cattle, sheep and goats out will be content to browse on the outside of the fence. It is a process.
awesome!! 💚
Exciting times
if you're going to film at lucas' house once a week, maybe you can bring water as part of the routine? and hopefully over time there will be less and less need to bring water. cheers
Good idea.
I remember in SA we always had little lizards wandering round in the house, normally by the windows catching the bugs.
In Florida, there are tiny lizards. They are fascinating. They puff up and down, threatening each other, living their miniature dinosaur lives without a second thought about the nearby humans. They came in so many colors. Beautiful little lizard societies outside every home.
Yes, we went to visit my wife's uncle in west palm beach, it was so hot that the lizards had almost rolled their little tails up while sitting on the ground, they looked like scorpions with their tails like that.
As a point of notice: Today I saw 3 advertisements per video. Congratulations! Monetization of YT is well deserved. Also, US$550 for a 5k tank is not much tbh. Digging one in de ground [2/3 deep? to keep the shape] will make a reservoir like all the forts and big houses do in the Lesser Antilles. For them it's all about one or two big rains a year and then getting the water back up to irrigate. It works because the rains are big once or twice a year and they use wind mills to fill a tank that's high. Just by looking at your vids, over there in Namibia it's not much different. Great work! Thx
Yes let the adds play or view skipping adds but hen run video again when your doing something else and let adds run. I’ve noticed now I let adds run I get on my feed some really long adds. I don’t watch them but I go do something else. You tube income will help danou project.
Whatever the ducks eat is returned processed into fertilizer.
Looks like a N$20 mango tree seedling is US$1, which I am guessing feels like $4 vs local produce.
Save all of the fruit seeds both families consume. You can never have too many fruit trees. I can see that you are gaining enthusiasm as your shadehouse becomes more successful. Just keep moving forward. The turtle wins the race.
I'm really pleased you're going to do some work at Lucas's place. A couple of questions: are the neighbours going to be OK about him fencing his plot, given it is very open? (I like the idea of a tree-based fence which will provide shade.) I was shocked Lucas has to travel so far for water, so the tank will be great for him, but presumably it only fills up in the rainy season, which is now coming to an end? And presumably, he can use any grey water for whatever he plants?
I suggest african smiles where the roof water drains and a smaller tank he can use for delivered domestic water. Roof water is not safe to drink. Bird flu?
Building a living fence is the way to go. There can be many edibles planted in the fence. All he needs is a lockable gate.
As to the neighbors? Their animals will be able to browse on the outside of the fence and they get shade and windbreaks. What's not to like? 🤣
😎👍
Did you get/have paint to paint the bars after you cut them? Paint will maybe make it easier to see at a glance and maybe less chance to miss one. Glad to see you're looking at water tanks! The alfalfa/lucern will be a good biodiverse addition! The ducks eating some of the cover crops is nothing - maybe plant heavier cover crops and the impact becomes less and less.
🥰
definately give licas water tank if you can,more progress,he will become great anbassador for you❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I suggest African smiles where the roof water drains and a smaller tank he can use for delivered domestic water. Roof water is not safe to drink. THink bird flu?
Building a living fence is the way to go. There can be many edibles planted in the fence. All he needs is a lockable gate.
6:03 THis is the kind of shade house you should build next Danou. You can build the whole structure out of steel fence poles and fittings (no termite problems) and sheath the whole structure with shade cloth secured with nylon zip ties. I'm sorry you were not able to gain access to the big nursery. I would like to see that area. I think you can build a better nursery and grow better nursery stock than the government. Their stalk always looks dry and the potting soil looks like plain dirt - no organic material. When you buy stock here, make sure you keep it in the shade at home and give everything a soaking watering right away. Add worm castings if there is room on the top of the dirt. Plant them in a basin in the earth as soon as possible with a handful of worm castings and mulch all around - 3" back from the trunk.
I'll bet you could sell the Government Nursery worm castings.
8:05 Maybe they were closed for lunch?
8:12 Kei-apple "The fruits are seen as a failsafe food for both humans and animals in times of famine".
I was so excited to see you get excited about Kei-apple cuttings. I would definitely be back their taking cuts early soe morning before the hot sun of the day drys out the leaves. Make certain you have a good rooting hormone (powder or liquid) when you are footing hard cuttings. Also, carry a jug of water and a small bucket in the van so you can put the cut ends into water straight away. You don't want the cut tips to dry out. If they do dry out, the cutting is lost likely lost.
9:00 Monkey-thorn "(Acacia galpinii) is a large fast growing, long-lived tree, with a maximum height of 30 m, Acacia galpinii is the largest South African acacia. The trunk is 2 m in diameter. The monkey thorn is a fast growing tree, easily propagated from seeds. Seedlings and young trees are sensitive to frost. Young trees may require pruning of their low hanging branches. Leaves are shed during the cool season and pods need 6 months to ripen.
Again - you did what I would do - start gathering seeds. Do the "float test" with those seeds because they may be very old. 👍
The plastic tanks are convenient, but they won't last as long as a well build brick tank. Eventually the sun is going to make the plastic brittle, and it is quite common that eventually they start leaking at the bottom. I've seen it with Australian folks who have plastic tanks. Although I am not sure how long they last. I reckon at least a decade or so, maybe that other people can tell more about that. So it wouldn't hurt to create some shade for the plastic tank, that will make it last longer for sure. And it is very important to level the platform from the tank very well, so that you get an even weight distribution. And it would also be a good idea to install some wire mesh around the bottom of the tank so that animals can't undermine the tank. They love to live under the tank. 👍
@@insAneTunA 20+ depends on the plastic used but if they’re covered with a passion fruit vine or something they’ll last a lifetime
@@insAneTunA less plastic is always best. 😊
@ 20+ years is not too bad. Thanks for providing that info. Personally I would install something for shade that is easy to remove. That would make maintenance or replacement a lot easier in the future.
@@OublietteTight I agree with you, although I am not fundamentally against plastic. 👍
Are they actually plastic? Or a fiberglass? I see those tanks used a lot here in the south western US, they seem pretty substantial and long lived.
Hi Danou forgot to state Tanka is for harvesting rain water.
In video "Discovering my Primitive Artifact 4 Years Later" Chad Zuber collects and eats Washingtonia fruits. In next video, he considers it delicious. Looks like it's producing mulch also.
❤ Treating lucerne seed is recommended in any situation for successful establishment. Seed treatments for lucerne include applying Rhizobia to the seed to aid nodulation of lucerne roots. Apron® XL fungicide and Poncho® Plus insecticide are also applied to provide each plant the best possible start to establish.
Good evening Danou
Hi hi! How was your day?
@@thefoodforestnamibia just got having a coffee my brain hurts a little lol I read the entire Namibian tree atlas last night
@@thefoodforestnamibia up 7:40am here
One of the main principles of regenerative ag is to reduce chemicals and another is to increase diversity. Starting seeds coated with poisons isn't a great way to start. You'd do better with the worm tea on each seed as a coating. Seeds that sink when soaked tend to germinate, and seeds that float don't usually don't germinate.
@ the untreated seeds won’t last before germinating with his conditions, warm and moist the lucerne is temperamental and needs a good start to get a good tap root down, the small amount of chemical is an unfortunate necessity sorry, if his conditions were better I would have recommended plain seed, once the lucerne is established you’ll never get rid of it so the benefit outweighs the negative in the long run
Have you tried Guinea fowl? They love bugs.
Chickens unlike ducks eat the greens then dig up the roots indiscriminately looking for worms and grubs. Duck only eat the leafs which then grow back.
Danou needs a drake so the farm has a constant supply of duckling's!
@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171 duck eggs are very good to eat and cook with.
@@philipbutler6608 I know! That's why I keep asking what/where is the food that is coming out of the food forest? Makes me wonder how open the population is to trying new things. Were I in their situation, I'd be looking forward to the first duck I harvested for Sunday dinner in addition to 'sunny side up' eggs.😊
Hi Danou, did you end up planting the baobab tree?
Hi yes i did. Right next to the dam at Damians Forest.
Wait, is the conversion correct 10K Nambian dollars is about 530 USD?new gutters and a rain tank here in the states is a couple grand. The tank itself would be the cost of your whole project.
Conversion is 100 NAD equals 5.28429 USD. 100 USD equals 1,891.91 NAD
Why not plant a drought tolerant clumping bamboo as a fence ? Easy to multiply, perfect against wind and you get building material on top. Would be perfect for both properties
Is that thorn tree the white acacia? If so it should be drought tolerant once it's established. I hear it is a popular tree with farmers jn Zambia, because it's a nitrogen fixer which drops it's leaves in the start of the rainy season
@@Pentagathusosaurus hi it is not white acacia but also a nitrogen fixer. Stil trying to get the real. Name
@@thefoodforestnamibia Buffalo thorn tree ?
How you think the Monkeys tree seeds germinate? Do you Put them into Water?
You need to scarify them or soak them in hot water then plant them into sand and compost mix 70/30 keep moist not wet
Do you have grown baobab trees in your area?
Is there a difference between custard apple and soursop ... ? At least they are very related. As are pawpaw and cherimoya.
Yes, its a huge difference. Custard apple grows in segments like a pineapple with a seed per bit of fruit, and stays about the size of a closed fist or two. Soursop grows up bigger than papaya or about the size of an individual watermelon on the larger size. Soursop is juicy enough to make a drink out of after removing seeds. Custard apple doesn't usually make it to juice as it tends to get eated as soon as it's ripe....lol.
@@leelindsay5618 I’ve never seen a soursop the size of a watermelon maybe the size of a rockmelon
Lucerne seed will not sprout next to established adult Lucerne plants.
It’ll be fine he recently added new soil and worm castings, the lucerne isn’t that old so the autotoxicity wouldn’t have build up in the soil.
👍👍👍
Danou, zip code please 🙏🏻
I want to know if your dam undercutting issue is solved?
It never was an issue. The expected outcome of water changing elevation in a sand bottom watercourse is a pool. Completely normal , natural, desirable and expected.
Putting rocks around the tires is a huge waste of rocks. They belong in the uncompleted rock leaky weir. Danou got bad advice from somebody.
He had the day labourers put rocks behind in an earlier video and I don’t think it’s rained heavy enough to see yet
Hi Danou Have you seen the Tanka system that they use in Rajasthan India, it is a old ancient way to capture water and it is now being put to use again very sucessfully. Worth a look. keep up the good work its a long hard road but very rewarding.
Regards John
The tanka system is a traditional method of rainwater harvesting that uses underground tanks to collect water for drinking and irrigation. The system is common in the Thar Desert region of India and Pakistan.
Garry with the trigger finger it’s the quick and the dead round here 😂🎉
It bodes well for me that speed impresses you. 😂😂😂
@@garryhancock-the-OG hahaha was it a hat-trick?
@@BESHYSBEES who can tell....🤔😂
N$10,000 is US$550 AUD$850
Can you talk and show, for 3-5 minutes, the horse you think may not make it? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the horse will pull through and recover from whatever it's going through.
I would like to see an entire episode at least once a month devoted to your animals. Go from one animal to the next and spend time talking about what is going on. Animals are an equally important component of the Food Forest System. That would be good content.
I agree....in fact it would do wonders for the algorithim as people love to hear stories about animals. Do you take in rescued horses?
@@Greenandgrow104 He recently took in a rescued horse, they tried to save it, but it didn't make it. They buried it in one of the forests.
@@Greenandgrow104 I also thought about this, but didn't express that thought. as I would prefer for Danou to stay genuine and not focus on "algorithm" too much.
@@hotbit7327 Agreed! I find the hype to be off putting. UA-cam is not a pinball game to be shaken about and manipulated. Just make good content. All the rest will follow.
That said - there are some sleazy operators in YT land.
Are you going to produce a longer video once a week or just keep pumping the vlogs? If you’re asking about tree species take still pictures of the leaves, fruit/seed and trunk so we can help identify them, there is a link to the Namibian tree atlas in the tree plan layout on earth, I’ve tried to select plants endemic to your area or that have a similar latitude according to the atlas.
Any way have a nice night and get a good sleep see you tomorrow
It would be fun occasionally to see a montage of shots of a plant taken over several weeks showing growth.
Toe jy praat oor die lusern saad en waar dit val, dink ek aan die gelykenis vd saaier
What is the parable of the sower?
@@OublietteTight The Parable of the Sower is a Bible story told by Jesus about a farmer who scatters seeds on different types of soil. The parable appears in the Bible in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.
Hi All , 1st comment AGAIN, on a roll.......😂😂😂
We need to get a rotating prize for first comment but I think you Wil just keep it :)
@@thefoodforestnamibiaI'll just be happy with a tree named after me. 🌵🌴🌳🌲
Just name a tree after me and scatter my ashes over the farm with nice ceremony and a string quartet, about 100 guests and dignitaries. You know, nothing big.
Did you ask pupkewits if they can order long handled shovels?
Is that a new fork I see? Fancy. The prices at the government place seemed very reasonable, even if the quality was a bit sad. What else can you buy for N$20?
With regards to Lukas' house, what does he want? Fruit, flowers, veggies, shade? Make sure you are doing it with him and for him, not to him.
That is rude and crude. 👎
@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171 No, it wasn't, It was direct and honest. Learn the difference.
@@Argrouk Questioning Danou's capacity to 'manage' his white privilege and his employer employee relationship after all the interaction we have witnessed over the past year with Lukas is rude.
Questioning Danou's motive; "Make sure you are [not doing it] to him". is presumptuous and crude.
That's honesty, boy. Try to show some respect to the man who does the work every day.
I agree i should involve Lukas. I don't take anny offence and I am sure none was intended. Can't buy much els for N$20. I think they becuase are subsidized by the government they don't care about quality or making a profit.
@@stevejohnstonbaugh9171you read too much into things, all the man was trying to say was to involve Lucas because it’s his house, take a chill pill and stop jumping on people over their vernacular
Don't like the poison-coated seeds, especially not in a permaculture system.
Yeah, the object is to increase fungal components, but in that region, if it grows up, you can start improving the soil with the living plant.
The amount is very, very small.
@@wasp586 sometimes you have to go against what you think is right in order to have it work, the lucerne wouldn’t have survived if not treated but once it’s established you’ll never get rid of it, the positive outweighs the negative in the long run
I agree! But the problem is:
1. If out of 1000 untreated seeds only 2 germinate, what will you do?
2. I have never seen permaculture economics, i.e. what yield per hectare, labour cost, cost per 1k calories of food produced, etc.
@@hotbit7327 it’s usually not shown because it’s expensive and unsuccessful, at least Danou can admit to his mistakes and learn from them, P is for permaculture lol prior preparation prevents piss poor performance is what I was taught, all of these new names for things when the principles are the same, these systems have been being used in farming across Australia since the 70’s, nothing new just new people and most are just trying to exploit the permaculture rush for a buck and not actually making a difference like Shaun Overton
Does Lucas speak English? It would be interesting if he started his own UA-cam channel
- it could do well if he did it daily. Also is humanure corposting a thing there - might be challenging to access carbon easily
it'd be cool if when Danou goes to film at his house, maybe th video can have two minutes of Lucas sharing his observations and thoughts. Even if in Afrikaans, Danou can translate. I think it'd be empowering for lucas and interesting for viewers