Permaculture Key Hole Garden

At Fuji Eco Park there are so many systems that need maintenance as any evolving system does.In Permaculture we say,from new something can deteriorate a 1/3 then it needs repair or maintenance to bring it to a manageable condition then down a 1/3.Like the pattern of a saw blade,wwwwww.

I notice things and think of ways to make them maintenance free where possible.

Which brought my attention the this following project.A key hole garden bed that was unlevel,very poor access and a border that needed alot of maintenance.After some discussion with the staff at the farm and a design brain storm we decided to put our rock wall building skill we used on the Glass House Garden to good use again.

We were going to need rocks,so we fired up the old Komatsu and loaded some rocks into our truck.We were looking for rocks that were large enough with a flat face and hopefully a flat bottom.We needed about 3 truck loads most hand picked.We also went to town to get sand and cement.Ending up we needed 10 bags of cement and a meter of sand.Relatively inexpensive,about $3.50 a bag and $40.00 for the sand.All our rocks are free and we have wwoofers for all the hard work,ha ha.

We disassembled the old border of the garden which was made from clay tiles.Not really working that well in this application as they weren't really retaining the soil.The shape was also running down a slope and so too the dirt behind the border making the tiles collapse.

Next we dug a trench for the rocks to sit in so they wouldn't slip from the bottom.As we were going to level the garden,the end of the wall was going to be raised 1 meter to give easy access without bending.The design also will make the paths wider for access and reachable at arms length from anywhere you stand.Very ergonomically friendly and no need to stand on the soil.
I used my string line bubble level to determine the wall height and pegged out the area.Things started to look a lot bigger than we had anticipated but we progressed.In went the largest rocks to marry in with an existing boulder formation and to take up some bulk height.Foundation rocks should be solid as possible to avoid movement of rocks that will be positioned higher.Selection of rocks is critical to get a nice display face and a firm footing.This is one thing I had to explain to Toshi several times.He just put any old rock down and hoped for the best.I explained that if he was going to carry a heavy rock for placement,make it count so he wouldn't have to move it again.Work smart not hard.Toshi is blood type 'O'.The joke here is that people with blood type 'O' forget easy or they don't really care about the end result.I'm working on him.

Lots and lots of small rock were needed to fill gaps behind the foundation rock and to make level platforms for the second,third and so on layers.We mixed cement, 3 sand to 1 cement for our morter a used it to set rocks into position for strength and to fill any gaps.Slowly the wall was taking shape.We had all hands on deck gathering rocks,mixing cement and placing rocks to get the job completed on schedule.It was starting to look really good and worth the effort.A good amount of effort now and a lot less later is the plan.

When we finally completed the wall,the garden bed needed topping up with soil and compost so we scoured the farm for some good soil and put in 2 truck loads.

Next we had to put in areas to walk that we could reach the garden bed center from anywhere in the garden.We have a heap of timber blocks about 30cm X 20cm which were perfect for the design.We dug them in so they are same height as the soil with about 100mm gap between each.Previously the old paths were at ground level,but making them at bed level we gain more surface area for plant.A trick I picked up from a colleague mate Cam Wilson.On ya Cam.Now we can access anywhere in the garden easily,not compact the soil and once everything is grown we can sit in amongst the beautiful herbs.



















Next we mulched heavily with straw and put in 120 vegetables and herbs that will companion each other.The main veg being lettuce,we companioned it with cucumber,dill,basil,beans,oregano and strawberries.There are so many more things in there as well.



The last thing to do was make a set of stepping blocks onto a rocky outcrop and fill the gaps between the blocks with vegetation to stabilize them.
The pond that the garden is near will reflect the suns heat and warm the garden so we will be able to grow warmer climate plans for longer when it get cooler.Mediterranean type herds like thyme,oregano and basil have been planted on the south facing wall to capture the heat from the rocks and tall herbs have been positioned so they will protect the lettuces from the hot summer sun.

A really good job buy all involved and I am happy with the finished result.It suits the rocky outcrop at the pond like it was meant to be there.

Here is a diagram and plant list for a garden.Change the plants to suit your own area.Don't be afraid to experiment.Have fun,live a little.

A. Snap peas, pole-type 'Sugar Snap', 1 seed packet B. Edible flowers (calendulas, pansies, violas) C. Cabbage, 'Ruby Perfection', 6 plants D. Cauliflower, 'Amazing', 9 plants E. Spinach, 'Tyee', 6 plants F. Garlic, 'Chesnok Red' and 'Spanish Roja' G. Broccoli, 'Premium Crop', 8 plants, and Romanesco, 12 plants H. Mustard, 'Giant Red', 6 plants, and 'Green Wave', 3 plants I. Carrots, 'Babette' and 'Bolero', 1 seed packet each J. Onions, 'Walla Walla Sweet' K. Radishes, 'Cherry Belle' and 'Crimson Giant', 1 seed packet each L. Swiss chard, 'Rainbow', 9 plants, and 'Ruby', 2 plants M. Kale, 'Winterbor', 6 plants N. Lettuce, curly endive, 'Dark Lollo Rossa', 'Lollo Rossa', 'Sierra', and 'Tom Thumb', 6 plants each O. Ornamental kale, 26 plants P. Herbs (assorted)

Glass House Garden

19/04/08

With the further transformation and development of the systems here at Fuji Eco Park there is always opportunity to make a garden.On the farm there are several small cabins to house wwoofers when they are here.One particular cabin has bottles built into the walls as a decorative effect as well as a heating quality.The sun heats the bottles and the air in them and creates stored heat energy and acts as a thermal mass.

This is not the first time I have seen bottles as walls.I first encountered the concept at Rainbow Vally Farm in New Zealand.Joe Polaisher and Trish Allen use the technique through out their home and outside compost toilets.The system could be used anywhere really and the construction can really get the creative juices flowing.

The cabin here is next to a huge hot tub set amongst rock walls and looks fantastic.It is south facing and during summer I expect it would get quite warm inside but it could be used as a sauna also.Some trees can be planted to shade it a little during the hotter period though.

Masa asked me to design a garden utilizing the unused spaces around the hot tub and cabin that would be beautiful with herbs and vegetables.

We took a look at the work area in question and as it is south facing it is protected from the northerly winds.Alot of rock has previously been used around the area so we kept with that theme and put in a small wall at the bottom of an excavated slope to retain the dirt from the excavation.The wall was to be about 600mm high so it was comfortable to reach over into a garden area behind it.We dug a small channel in the soil to keep the rocks from slipping out from the bottom and packed smaller rocks around the bottom layer of rocks to support them.
I learned this type of wall making when I was studying in Australia at the Permaforest Trust.We had a guy come in to do a workshop on one of our activity based training days and built several walls after that.

A young Japanese wwoofer was staying with us at the time and he was great at lifting the rocks and putting them into place.Where possible,we looked for nice flat rocks for the face of the wall and that they sloped back at the top.A lot of positioning of the rocks is needed to find the best way for the rock to sit.The wall was continued to meet an existing wall and a series of different levels has added some dimension to the whole garden.

At the bottom of the newly constructed wall a path was added and a lower level garden bed was created using a railway timber as the border.In areas where the reaching distance to the center of the garden was uncomfortable,we added a small flat timber as a stepping plate..

Now we have a nice terraced garden full of herbs to lookat when we are in the hot tub and a heap of vegetables mixed in there also.It took 3 guys to construct this garden in 1 day.A lot of material had to he bucketed to the site as we couldn't get a wheel barrow in.A lot of rocks also had to be carried into the area and they weren't light.But we managed.

The most enjoyable part is putting in the plants and watching their progress.I know the wwoofers helping do the work like planting because it is easier than carrying rocks.When each of these jobs are complete,Waka san(an older Japanese worker) stands back and says in a rough English 'beautiful'

Three Sisters Permaculture Garden

22/04/08

We noticed a underutilized resource at the chicken house recently so I put on my thinking cap and came up with a solution to the problem.

The chook house sits on the west of the property boarder and has a fairly good flow of water running thru or near it when it rains.The chickens are fenced with a dog run around the outside to protect them from foxes.They don't get to free range as the neighbors are concerned about influenza spread by birds so they stay in the pen always.I am designing a tractoring system to get them into the gardens,but more on that later.

Because they have been housed there for so long,manure has built up in the soil and gets washed thru the soil when it rains.I saw this as an opportunity to look at using the Three Sisters technique (corn,beans,squash) here as corn requires chicken manure and is a heavy feeder.We can get our fertilizing done with little or no energy from us.It will be all done by the chickens and the rain(nature).This is using "Relative Location",a principle of Permaculture where we locate things at the best appropriate place for utilizing energies.It also lets us use elements of the system to do more than one function for the system.Here is a quick run down of how I see it working.

The chickens will shit and the rain will wash it thru the soil making it available for the corn,beans,squash and other plants.The fence protects the chickens from the fox and is a trellis for cucumbers and beans that will also shade the dog in his run.The dog will protect the chickens from the fox and protect the corn from the deer that usually eat it.The corn will act as a trellis for the beans and protect the chickens from the wind.The position of the garden is also good as the corn will get good afternoon sun which it likes.There are heaps of other functions happening in the system and we are always coming up with more ideas.

So we started building the garden after Masa was so excited with the conceptual plan.We got the resources we needed in the form of compost and straw from a nearby dairy farm.There was a large pile of rocks in the way so I attacked them with the excavator we have on site to give us plenty of room for wandering pumpkin vines.Next saw me leveling the area as it have a bit of slope and I wanted to create beds that would hold water when it rained.Once we leveled the area we found that we had a stepped area separating what was going to be one big garden.A quick redesign and we put in a small rock wall utilizing the rocks from the pile and adding a feature to the garden.We added the compost into where the rows of the garden and rotary hoed it into the soil.A little bit of work saw the bed separated into rows that the corm will grow and then finally straw to mulch the beds to retain moisture.And there it is completed and ready to plant.

We had seeded up lots of the required plants for the garden and wait for them to br ready for transplanting into the garden.We will consecutively plant the crops so we have a continual supply to the kitchen over the harvest period and it will also look nice with the crops at different growing stages.

Borage has also been introduced to the garden as a companion ,as has German chamomile.Some flowering herbs like cosmos and marigold or calendula will also be added for color and to attract bees to pollinate the fruiting vegies.So we will have a very mixed garden that will function well and all the plants will help each other in some way.Some small rock structures will be made amongst the garden to attract lizards and frogs to live and they will be predators for the insects that come to munch on the plants.

A recent clean out of the chook house has created a surplus of chook poo which we will keep stored for compost making and then feed the plants with that compost.All the resources are very close to the chook house so we can make it right there and use it right there with minimal travel to the garden.The nutrient from the compost pile will go into the soil also and feed plants that are up slope from the chickens.

According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a wonderful way to feel more connected to the history of this land, regardless of our ancestry.

Corn, beans and squash were among the first important crops domesticated by ancient Mesoamerican societies. Corn was the primary crop, providing more calories or energy per acre than any other. According to Three Sisters legends corn must grow in community with other crops rather than on its own - it needs the beneficial company and aide of its companions.

The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or “Our Sustainers". The planting season is marked by ceremonies to honor them, and a festival commemorates the first harvest of “green” corn on the cob. By retelling the stories and performing annual rituals, Native Americans passed down the knowledge of growing, using and preserving the Three Sisters through generations.

Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years’ corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops’ chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the mound at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter in the soil and improve its structure.

Corn, beans and squash also complement each other nutritionally. Corn provides carbohydrates, the dried beans are rich in protein, balancing the lack of necessary amino acids found in corn. Finally, squash yields both vitamins from the fruit and healthful, delicious oil from the seeds.

Native Americans kept this system in practice for centuries without the modern conceptual vocabulary we use today, i.e. soil nitrogen, vitamins, etc. They often look for signs in their environment that indicate the right soil temperature and weather for planting corn, i.e. when the Canada geese return or the dogwood leaves reach the size of a squirrel’s ear. You may wish to record such signs as you observe in your garden and neighborhood so that, depending on how well you judged the timing, you can watch for them again next season!

Early European settlers would certainly never have survived without the gift of the Three Sisters from the Native Americans, the story behind our Thanksgiving celebration. Celebrating the importance of these gifts, not only to the Pilgrims but also to civilizations around the globe that readily adopted these New World crops, adds meaning to modern garden practices

Success with a Three Sisters garden involves careful attention to timing, seed spacing, and varieties. In many areas, if you simply plant all three in the same hole at the same time, the result will be a snarl of vines in which the corn gets overwhelmed.

Training a Sheep

At Fuji Eco Park there are about 40 chooks, 2 ducks, also 2 wild ones that fly in each day and swim in the ponds, a dog, a couple thousand compost and earth worms and one sheep.

Before I arrived, 3 wwoofers spent about an hour cutting grass and weeds for the sheep.This didn't make sense to me as am a logical and creative being. It took these peoples energy to walk to the other side of the farm with a wheel barrow and then the time to cut the grass and talk about whatever crisis the world is in and then walk to the pen where the sheep is housed as part of a crop rotation.

I saw an opportunity to reduce the time to get the grass cut and use the extra energy saved buy the wwoofers to do other more constructive tasks.I figured that the area the grass was being cut could also do with being fertilized and as it is on a ridge,if it were fertilized and it rained the nutrient would wash down the slope into the soil and enrich a lot more area and we would save even alot more energy.Letting a natural energy cycle do the work for us is what we are trying to replicate using Permaculture."Relative Location".

This is where the sheep come into play as an element having many functions.

I also figured that if I trained the sheep to be caught and walked to the grass cutting location it would save time, energy, get the field fertilized, get the grass cut, bring people closer to the animal and teach the sheep something new also.So we tried it out.

At first the sheep was shit scared of people.She didn't mind the wwoof girls because they brought the food to her daily.But when anybogy else got in the pen it was on for young and old.It took 5 of us at first to corner the sheep and get a rope around her neck and then quickly get a chain around her neck.When the walking started she wanted to run straight off,then get stubborn and not want to move at all.She learnt quickly that if she pulled on the chain it would be a little unpleasant.

We have several electric golf buggies here as Masa has a business maintaining them for golf courses about the place and we get the 'hand me downs'.They are great as we charge them from the solar powered house and the batteries last ages.Great for carrying things quickly around the farm.Anyway,we use one of these as the anchoring point for the 10 meter long chain as it is very easy to relocate and to also carry the water bucket each day and the sheep can't tow it away.Perfect.

So each day it became easier and the sheep seems to like going for the walk.She seems to know that the good grass is at the end of the trip.Now it takes one person to move the sheep in the morning and return at night.I love working with animals and take her most days and she comes now when I call her.She just needs a big scratch behind the ears and to be talked to calmly and she walks without getting skittish.

A wwoofer 'Ayako' was putting her away recently and she got away on her.When we cornered the sheep Ayako dived on the chain in the dirt to catch her again.She had just arrived on the farm and I don't think she wanted the sheep getting the best of her.What a gem of a lady.

This system will only be used short term until we rotate the sheep to another pen with more food for all those wondering about sheep's rights.It is a solution to the problem until we can get the system right.With all the time saved we been able to do so much more constructive jobs and the wwoofers get to do less mundane tasks.

And no, I'm not a Kiwi.

Permaculture in Action

11/04/08

The sun was out in force today. I got a look at the majestic Mt Fuji to the east of the farm for the first time. Still covered in snow, it looks so beautiful.

Waka san and I went to his sisters dairy farm to collect cow shit (manure) also. The cows are all kept indoors and their shit is cleaned out and stockpiled to rot down in time naturally.

When Waka san turned the pile with the loader, it was very alive with life. Lots of worms and bugs. This is a great resource to have so close and it is free.We will take eggs and produce to the sister in exchange for the shit. We also can get bales of straw from her. The ones that are old and wet the cows won’t eat it and they can get sick if they eat the rotting material.

We were planting potatoes today. Waka san had prepared the beds and was putting out the seed potatoes when I noticed the row spacing’s. We all had a discussion on how things are usually done and I offered some advice to utilize less space.

Waka was using 4 rows of space for one row of crop. I redesigned the bed spacing’s so we used two rows wide of crop and one row wide of path. We put extra shit into the required rows for planting to aid in the growth of the plants. We have 3 wwoofers on the farm at the moment, so it makes light work of getting a lot done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato

We will mound as per the normal way but will use straw also to cover the plants as they are growing. This will add organic matter to the soil as the plants are growing and is less laborious as apposed to digging. The potatoes will be cleaner also saving labor on cleaning.

I had found yarrow growing in a part of the farm so we transplanted some at the ends of the garden beds to act as companions to the potatoes. Yarrow is also a good compost activator and it will be closer now to the compost making area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarrow

These three ladies were wwoofing from Thailand and did a wonderful job helping out. Hopefully their experiences will have taught them something about sustainable living.

26/05/08

Well it has been about 5 weeks since all the above action happened.Since then we have had other wwoofers in and they have helped with mulching the potatoes and planting other veges as well as a ton of weeding.The potatoes have been mulched in a way that it is mounded rather than using soil.Sort of like a volcano then inside filled with compost.

We planted a heap of lettuce and companioned it with radish,beans,carrot,dill and cucumber growing up a teepee. We have also direct sowed spinach and companioned them with spring onion.Corn has just been introduce along with lettuce and chamomile and zucchini.Beans will be seeded in a few weeks as the corn takes off.

The yarrow is really taking off at the end of the beds and the potatoes seem to like it being there.We have also planted another two rows of two different types of potatoes to have a good supply after the first batch have been harvested.More corn is waiting to also be planted.We will wait two weeks before continual plantings.
13/06/08
Progress is being made and all the crops are doing well.The potatoes have been continually heaped up with straw and got a good fertilize with compost recently.As of today(13/06/08)the potatoes are flowering and look so beautiful and healthy.I have been making fertilizer for dynamic accumulating weeds from the garden and the first batch was 100kg of comfrey into 1000 liters of water.It took about two week to break down and I am expecting the nitrogen to be released to the plant more readily than normal composting.

The paths have been doing a great job harvesting water when it rains.I trimmed them up a little to make them more level and they look great.I have said previously about the yarrow at the ends of the paths and how well they are working.Now after a few more weeks have passed,they look fantastic and are starting to flower.Not much sign of pest insects yet but I am keeping a watchful eye.I have the charcoal spray at hand.

We have also been making garlic spray as well as soap spray.Some others Wakasan has used in the past are coffee and milk sprays.I have done some research also and found that animal urine is good for deterring pests.I can't seem to catch the sheep when she is having a piss or keep up with her,so I am trying human urine.

Another thing I am trying is 'potato towers' using old car tires.It is another way to demonstrate growing potatoes and also recycling in Permaculture.The tires should produce more potatoes that the conventional method as the stem of the plant is continually covered promoting root growth from it.It is a means of growing vertically by stacking the tires.We will use less growing surface area for hopefully a higher yield.No pun intended.
The second batch of corn went in yesterday and was in-filled with lettuce as we have so much of it and the corn will do a good job of shading it as the weather is getting hotter.In the first bed of corn I have planted chamomile,parsley,lettuce and zucchini.The lettuce has been planted on the shadier side of the corn,while the zucchini is on the sunnier side.The chamomile in the middle.I am waiting a while longer till I plant beans.
As I am always looking to recycle anything I find and resourcing is my hobby, I saw an opportunity to salvage some timber from a tractor/machinery repair place.This garden above gets a real hammering from the sth and nth winds on a regular basis.I had noticed the timber every time I passed by that business and kept on thinking of ways to use it rather than just picking it up and just keeping it for a rainy day

The most viable and easy way that would serve both the wind and the recycle issue was to use the timber for a wind break.Because we are growing corn in this garden I want to protect it as much as possible.The timber is positioned in a way that the sth wind will hit it and be slowed down and then deflected around to the left where it meets a smaller panel and so forth.I am searching for more timber for the nth side to complete the design.I still have a while as the corn is still young.I think it looks great and we will also use it as a vertical growing space for peas and beans and anything else I can fit into the space.The fence will also act as an accumulator of resources at its base.Any leaves or straw will build up there and act as a mulch,saving us work.

Permaculture Water Harvesting Swale System

12/04/08

Today saw the start of a very ambitious exercise. Turning a ridge parcel of cropping area into a raised bed/swale system. This is done by surveying the area using several different methods to gain level pathways on contour. It also gives us more planting area as the beds will now be curved following the natural contour of the land. Giving us more “edge” in the process. By doing this we also allow water to sit in the path areas and absorb into the soil slower than normal. Soil stores water more efficiently than any other means. With the soils here being volcanic, I would hope that silt will be transported into the soil and hold water for longer.

I brought from Australia with me a hand level, string-line bubble level, GPS to assist in these processes and to teach people how to use them. Masa sourced a staff (a 5m measuring stick) and we went about marking out beds and pathways.

Now, as contour lines in the landscape are never always parallel, we had to do some figuring out how we would make the system accessible as well as practical. Everywhere that the bed got wider than we expected we put in key-hole paths to gain appropriate access to the wider path to be able to manage working the bed at easy reach. This gave us more “edge” again.

One way to look at edge is to have two lines drawn on paper over the same distance. One line straight, the other curved like a radio wave. Line one might measure say 10cm, but if you measure all the curves of line two over the same distance it will always be longer. Imagine if you stretched line two out straight, it would be longer.

One way to measure level is with an “A” frame. This is a device that can be made from almost any material, keeping in mind its’ maneuverability.

Firstly, we got two pieces of timber the same length (1.4m) and a third piece that we would cut according to the size of the ‘A’ we wanted. We laid the two 1.4m pieces on a flat surface in the shape of a V and measured down the outside edge of both pieces 0.9m and made a mark in pencil. This mark indicates the height that the third piece of timber will cross the other two. Holding all three pieces firmly, screw the third piece to the other two. The two longer pieces should be checked for even and touching together before screwing the third.

The top of the ‘A’ needed some support, so we cut some 1.5cm ply board to suit and screwed it all together. Now we had a measuring device for the job, all we had to do was make sure it reads level. We found a known source of flat level ground and using a piece of string hanging from the center of the top of the ‘A’ with a weight on it (a plum bob), we were able to determine a point of level. We made a mark in pencil on the third piece of timber where the string crossed and then turned the ‘A’ frame on itself and made another mark in pencil. The measurement was the same place as the first. If the measurement was not the same, we would have halved the distance between both and made our mark and that would have been our level mark.

We took this out to the field and started using it. Armed with bamboo stakes, we marked the ground once the weighted string touched our level mark. This process is continued down the slope leaving behind a maze of sticks resembling a slalom ski course. It can get a bit confusing if there are too many stakes out so we dug our paths as we went to save the headache.

Another way to do this is using a hand level which you hold up to your eye and look through to sight the bubble and cross to match up. Someone holds the measuring stick(staff) and you sight a mark on it then get the person to move away from you up and down the slope till the recorded measurement is reached. Then put in a stake and repeat the process.

Also this can be done with a string line and bubble level. The bubble level attaches to the string line and is raised or lowered till the bubble is at a level mark. When the swale is dug out, you use a tape measure to measure the depth from the string line over the distance you want to be level. Very simple and accurate to use.

We expected the job to take a couple of days but it took longer due to weather and other work needing to be done. We used several different ways to dig the paths as well. As there is an excavator on site and manual digging being hard work, we had a go with it to see what result we got. As a lot of Permaculture is experimental, it is always good to try different methods of doing things so you can learn from your mistakes and go with solutions that have proved to work.

As it turned out, it took quite a big bite and made the path too wide. One good result was that it gave us more surface area on the sides of the bed to plant. We learnt from this experiment and stayed with digging manually for a tidy finish. We also used the tractor to help define the paths, but found it was still best to dig ourselves.

We got rain after we finished and all the paths held water for two days and most were fairly level considering the tiring work it was to dig such a big area. We mulched all the beds to suppress the weeds and stabilize the soil till we can get seed to plant. It has been quite hard to source bulk seed here, especially non-hybrid seed. We will probably use soba (used to make soba flour for noodles) as it is fast growing (3 months) and it is sort of like a buck wheat.

Nursery Work

I took some time recently to go to the nursery to pot up some seeds that Masa and I had got from the local seed museum in Kawaguchicko. We were able to source some rue, borage, marigold, rocket, parsley, spring onion, tansy. A lot of these are good composting plants as they are activators in the composting process. Most can also be eaten and are also good pest repellents also. One Permaculture principle covered here. An element with at least 3 functions to offer the system.

It pays to have everything need at hand when seeding in the nursery. Having a good potting mix in a wheel barrow ready and some seed trays and small pots is essential. As well, have a permanent marking pen handy for writing on the name tags.


The trays and pots can be filled prior to seeding to save time. Most big seeds can be put in single. Some smaller seeds can be put in a couple at a time. If more than one are seeded together they can always be split up when putting into the ground or potting up.

Always read the seed packet to see how deep the seed needs to be for good germination and for any other information that may be useful.

It also pays to label each different tray with the name of the seed, the variety, the date it was propagated and your name. This stops any confusion for others knowing what is in the trays, as I first found when working in the nursery here. Lots of trays hade been seeded but no way to tell what they were or when they were done. I promptly showed everyone a way to record the system and now it is working well.

A way to record is using old water bottles cut into strips and written on. This recycles a waste product and is very durable. Other plastics or cardboard can be used, but plastic is best and won’t end up in land fill as it can be used again and again.

If continual planting is required to have constant food available for the kitchen, propagation must be carried out regularly. Normally when seeds have sprouted is a good time to germinate the next batch. This will also depend on the type of seed also.Corn may take up to 2 weeks to sprout, whereas spinich or bok choy may take 4 days. Always seed more than you need in case some don't sprout, or in the case of legumes, they can always be cut down when they flower to add nitrogen to the soil and also as mulch.

Early days at Fuji Eco Park

After a good night sleep I awoke to a very pleasant morning with birds chirping and general country sounds. At 7:00 am a musical chime is broadcast over the district to let the farmers know what time it is.

I met the other staff of the farm and took a walk around the property to see what was happening. So many systems are in place but all mothballed from the winter months.

The property is 7.5 acres and a lot of work has happened over the past 8 years but a lot of misunderstanding or break down of Permaculture along the way. There is solar and wind electrical generating systems and Masa is right into converting vehicles into electric drive, with some great success.

We wandered around the property and I made observations along the way and offered some consultation toward bettering some of the systems. Design and redesign as we all have been taught. The initial design saw an existing dwelling as Zone 0, but now the Center House is another Zone 0, so some effort is being made to make closer zones to it.

There was a lot to see and for me to get stuck into. Designing a parcel of land for some cabins, retro fitting an old oil storage tank into accommodation, building a compost bay system, surveying and swaling a ridge for crops, getting the nursery up and running, designing crop systems, using less oil based energy systems.

Touch down Narita, Tokyo. Japan

Arrived in Tokyo Wednesday 09/04/08 and was greeted by a very happy Mr Imai (Masa). Customs were very good and efficient and I had no dramas as I had nothing to hide anyway.

Masa took me into Tokyo city and we went to Tokyo Tower to view the city. The Tower was built some 40 years ago and is akin to a radio tower but much bigger.

After Masa drove to a very famous temple where we tossed a coin into the prayer box and said a quick prayer. The temple area is famous for its architecture and vending stalls selling all types of rice crackers and tourist stuff. We then took lunch at a restaurant that specializes in eel. Every part of the eel was served and it was so delicious. I love Japanese food and am looking forward to trying lots of other dishes including sushi.

Later we went on a river cruise to a famous Tokyo park. I was able to find things growing there that I didn’t expect. Vetch and other plants that make that system function well. Lots of Bonsai trees everywhere as well.

After a very busy day of flying and sight seeing we headed for the farm at Fujigane. We stopped of briefly to get dinner at a family type restaurant for sushi. Oishi(yum). It was well and truly dark when we got there and I was very lost for bearings. I would have to wait till the following morning to see where I was.