Today is my second posting of rebuilding hugelkultur Food Ridge West — all animal habitats get a name!
Go to Hugelkultur to see a description of this European garden art.
Today’s video starts with pulling apart an old firewood pile and some critters found in that habitat. One critter is relocated to the hugelkultur Food Ridge West.
Hugelkultur 2 of 4 (video):
From Tony’s project (pics):
A centipede on Tony’s patio; pic taken during another project day. Note the long tail antennae (bottom), how each body segment has one pair of legs (millipedes have 2 pairs of legs per body segment), and how shiny red the body is (a defensive “I look like venom” strategy).
Hugelkultur is the piling up of organic matter, like wood stumps and prunings, to make a raised mound on which crops are grown.
Go to Hugelkultur to see more description of this European garden art.
Today’s video introduces Tony’s project — a hugelkultur on top of a previous hugelkultur. The original pile of prunings and soil has decomposed and settled and is now ready for another round of rounds (pun intended!).
Hugelkultur 1 of 4 (video):
From Tony’s project (pics):
The yard debris pile that we have converted to a hugelkultur (by adding soil on top) stands nearly waste high to Anita.
Last year’s hugelkultur topped off with straw before final soil layer. The hugelkultur was a good place to get rid of, “use”, some on-hand adobe soil. Ultimately, the layers of organic matter below and above the adobe soil will enrich that soil.
Last year’s hugelkultur, Food Ridge West, produced a garlic crop. Notice how much the soil-covered debris pile has settled – the vertical log that was buried is now poking through the central walk path.
The BEFORE to this year’s Food Ridge West hugelkultur project. The soil level has settled even more. The hugelkultur’s inner debris pile has broken down further – note the vertical log sticks out yet further than from last spring’s garlic crop pic, above. Piles of black oak branches and limbs are ready to add to the hugelkultur.
First a video re “Harvesting Persimmon 1 of 2”, then some pics of the project (below the video):
Harvesting Persimmon 1 of 2 (video):
From the project (pics):
Our neighbor’s Hachiya persimmon tree, with its lower branches picked clean. What a treat to have fruit ripen so late in the year, on this December day.
Hachiya persimmon harvested on a frosty day. The green-before-turning leaves take on beautiful colors before the fruit ripens and are easy to press – perhaps placemats for your dried persimmon treats!
Close-up of harvested Hachiya persimmons. These almost ripe persimmons, with firm flesh, will soften to a near jelly state if left to ripen by a window.
First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 4 of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):
Bucket Watering Can DIY 4 of 4 (video):
From the project (pics):
New and Improved watering can (model 000000000000000002) has smaller holes. A smaller spout stream helps distribute the water more evenly and is less harsh on bare soil and fragile seedlings.
A look inside the watering can ready for application. Note the floating food particles that would clog up the spout to an ordinary watering can. THIS is no ordinary watering can!
Watering with finer spout holes. Mission accomplished – the new watering streams are less sloppy than the larger-holed watering can.
Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.
First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 3 of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):
Bucket Watering Can DIY 3 of 4 (video):
From the project (pics):
Filling the watering can with dishwater (blackwater). Check out that water! It’s a mix of soapy water, food particles from our dishes, and pasta drain-off water. Here microbes, come and get it!
Diluting the dishwater with fresh water. We’ll get more coverage in the garden by adding fresh water to the nutrient “concentration”.
Watering the garden with our new watering can. Note the use of the fill hole as handle grip. It works! And, easy to clean.
Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.
First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 2of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):
Bucket Watering Can DIY 2 of 4 (video):
From the project (pics):
Cutting a fill hole in the bucket’s lid. The large hole allows filling the watering can easily AND can be used as a non-moving grip while watering garden.
Finding center opposite the watering can’s grip (the fill hole). The bucket was then flipped 180 degrees to locate the center of the holes to be drilled.
Spout holes are drilled to both the right and left of the center mark hole. The more holes, the wider the watering row-of-streams will be.
Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.
First a video re “Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 2 of 2”, then some pics of “Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat installation” (below the video):
Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 2 of 2 (video):
Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat installation and planting Salvia spathacea (pics):
The west end of Cacti Caverns is cleared of lavarock. The “Monica” (species name) manzanita (Spanish for “little apple”) shrub will be planted on top of Cacti Caverns’ terra cotta flat roofing tiles.
The lower tile is slide under the top tile to make room for Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat. Poor quality soil (high percentage of adobe clay) is removed to make room for planting (better quality) soil.
Tony’s last conversation with Monica Mannequin. Note the wavy wood grain, identifying the mass as a tree root burl. The “nose”, or upright projection (Hey, work with me here!), is the base of the trunk, which starts out a straight grain.
Monica Manzanita threaded through Mannequin. Soon critters will inhabit the inside vaulted ceilings and come and go through Mannequin’s crevices. A pole planted next to MMM serves as a handhold while traversing the walk path.
Monica manzanita a month after being planted. Looks happy to me! Not over watering is probably the biggest challenge this manzanita shrub will offer here in California, where it is a native plant.
After two healthy months, the typically very slowly growing shrub looks to be establishing itself. Grape Overpass is sporting bunches of green grapes that will ripen in a couple of months.
Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) planted next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. The salvia, like the manzanita, is also a native plant that will thrive in the dry hydrozone garden bed.
Both hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) pose for a photo op next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. The critters will be happy!, especially in years to come when the manzanita tree canopies its undergrowth of hummingbird sage.
Happy animal habitat installations. See you tomorrow.
First a video re “Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 1 of 2”, then some pics of “Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation” (below the video):
Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 1 of 2 (video):
Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation and Planting Salvia spathacea (pics):
Roof view of driveway property line in 2010: From street, 1) sunflowers are growing in Canyon Wall Oasis (large cavity in ground), AND 2) cacti grow above Cacti Caverns. Note that the lavarock continues past Cacti Caverns to THE WORLD (especially if you are a tiny critter!).
Close-up of Cacti Caverns in 2010. Low profile above ground. Several small sheltered cavities below ground. Note the applewood tunnel in foreground and the 3-stack thick curved clay roofing tile tunnel in rear. All earthworks are critter approved!
On with the show! Let’s get this Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) planted and shoot some film.
The two hummingbird sage will be planted between Cacti Caverns habitat and Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. Truth be told, the salvias are actually planted above one of Cacti Caverns buried roofing tile cavities.
Pics and captions from Tony’s new book, Habitat It and They will Come of Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation (pics):
Figure 4.52 Property line before Cacti Caverns installed. Zeroscape for miles and miles and miles. Time to change that. Cacti Caverns will provide a little greenery, a little nook and cranny, a little Life is what you make it! to this property line.
Figure 4.60 Planks held in place by rebar. The sturdy barricade will keep the rock in place during work. A worthwhile effort. Cascading creative ideas and manipulation of the moonscape into Cacti Caverns wonderland won’t have to be interrupted to replace rock landslides.
Figure 4.72 Flat Clay Roofing Tiles resting on tunnel. Gaps on both sides of the rounded log section will shelter (fill in critters of your choice) . Note shovelful of soil used to anchor tile in place; the soil will be washed down to settle both sides of the tile. Lavastone will rest directly on the tile’s flat surface.
Figure 4.94 Three Years Later. next pages Cacti Caverns has matured. The cacti have grown paddle upon paddle upon paddle, a delicate flowering ivy has spread throughout, and Sea Creature has silvered (aged gracefully, they say). Wood destined for the garden (in background, out of focus) awaits its turn alongside Cacti Gardens. A wary garter snake has crawled out of the thicket of ivy and cacti, and rests on the fencepost. Even more exciting than the snake itself (in our garden!) was watching it retreat from my pestering photography down into the ivy-obscured entrance of the applewood tunnel.
Happy animal habitat installation. See you tomorrow.
First a video re “Planting Garlic”, then some pics of “Young Garlic Plants AND Leaf Mulch” (below the video):
Planting Garlic 6 of 6 (video):
Young Garlic Plants AND Leaf Mulch (pics):
Rows of young garlic and yellow onion sprouts. The shallots, planted in the foreground soil (next to the collard), have yet to sprout – the best for last!
Garlic, yellow onion, shallots, and collard veggie bed along the sidewalk. Sure beats a lawn! Note the light covering of oak leaves as mulch, a good erosion protection from the winter rains.
Tree collard cuttings 3 weeks after propagation. Some cuttings have been chewed down by snails or slugs, but others are going to thrive past that onslaught of Nature. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Plant enough cuttings to confuse the confounders! And, some of the collard cuttings will make it.
Shallot stalk, “Do you like my (oak leaf) hat?”
Rains are coming, so I fetched some sidewalk leaves to mulch the garlic/onion/shallots/collard veggie bed with. Cleaning up the sidewalk gives me plenty of rich, partially broken down leaves. The leaves were also used to extend the veggie bed in Tipped Wine Barrel (see blog entry next week?).
Garlic harvest from our sidewalk garden – Straw Bale Recliner Veggie Bed. Note how the garlic was rinsed to remove soil from the roots. The rack (a discarded baker’s tray) will allow the garlic to dry. Nice job, Frau Glory!
Happy mulching your veggie bed with leaves. See you tomorrow.
A centipede on Tony’s patio; pic taken during another project day. Note the long tail antennae (bottom), how each body segment has one pair of legs (millipedes have 2 pairs of legs per body segment), and how shiny red the body is (a defensive “I look like venom” strategy).
