Making Biochar using Dry Mulch (video)
Tweet Subtitles: Making Biochar using dry mulch Mulch is loaded into an old beer keg Read More »
Biogas Digester
Tweet“Biogas is the perfect solution to modern sustainable cooking.” Biogas is a mixture of gasses that are produced as anaerobic bacteria break down organic matter. It is flammable, capable of producing a Read More »
Rebar Fence Trellis
Tweet“Make a self-supporting post-less fence trellis out of rebar!” In Spring 2011 I wanted to make a fence across the backyard for three reasons; to enclose a chicken run, to grow fruit Read More »
Mulching
Tweet“Make your soil as healthy as a forest floor, by mulching!” Mulching is the covering of soil with organic material. It is much the same as what naturally occurs in a forest Read More »
Worm Troughs
Tweet“Create masses of worm castings, and breed up masses of worms, with a worm trough!” A worm trough is a large and long container which allows for a different system of feeding Read More »
Worm Towers
Tweet“Create an instant home for worms in your garden, with a worm tower!” A worm tower acts like a high rise hotel for worms, allowing them to enter, stay, eat and leave, Read More »
How to Worm Farm
Tweet“Let the worms do the work, with worm farming!” A worm farm will take care of your kitchen scraps and turn them into some of the richest organic fertiliser known to man. Read More »
Encouraging Earthworms
Tweet “Earthworms are a gardener’s best friend!” Earthworms burrow through your soil, digesting organic materials, creating tunnels for air and water to percolate through, and distribute their castings as rich ready fertiliser Read More »
Cardboard Compost Bins
Tweet “Get composting quick, easy and free with a cardboard compost bin!” Cardboard bulk boxes are used by people dealing with bulk fruits and vegetables. They are made of extra thick cardboard, Read More »
Cardboard Trench Beds
Tweet “Got sandy soils? Need an effective garden bed? Improve your soil and save water by making a cardboard trench bed!” Sandy soils allow water to drain quickly, which washes away nutrients Read More »
How to Compost
Tweet “Turn waste into fertiliser and save the planet, by composting!” Composting is the breaking down of organic matter, in a controlled environment, into humus, which is rich organic fertiliser (the same Read More »
Sheet Mulching
Tweet “Sheet mulching is one of the best things you can do for your yard or garden!” Sheet mulching is the practice of covering an area of land with a blanket layer Read More »
Tumbler Composting
TweetMake composting waterwise, quick, and easy, with a compost tumbler! Composting using tumblers is far easier than traditional pile-building techniques, and can be done entirely separately, or in conjunction with pile-building to Read More »
Human Waste Composting
TweetTurn your turds into tomatoes, with a human waste composting operation! Each time you flush your toilet, a huge amount of nutrients is lost, along with fresh drinking water, only to become Read More »
Bokashi
TweetEliminate bad smells from your kitchen scraps, and turn them into fertilizer, using Bokashi! What is Bokashi? Bokashi (also ‘EM Bokashi’) is a culture of micro-organisms (yeasts and bacteria) which ferment kitchen Read More »
Making Biochar using Dry Mulch (video)
Subtitles:
- Making Biochar using dry mulch
- Mulch is loaded into an old beer keg
Biochar Retort
“Biochar can be made cleanly and effectively on a home-scale, using a biochar retort.”
Biochar is a desirable material for anyone looking to improve their soil. Buried, it acts as a water retainer, nutrient trapper, and home for beneficial bacteria and plant roots, and it continues to support life and fertility for thousands of years! On a home-scale, biochar can be made from waste wood or mulch, using a biochar retort.
Benefits:
- Produces biochar – a permanent soil amendment
- Burns clean and hot
- Can be used for heating or cooking
- Can be fuelled with waste materials
Making a Coffee with Biogas (video)
Subtitles:
- Close the gas-out valve on the digester
- Open the gas-out valve on the collector
Feeding a Biogas Digester (video)
Subtitles:
- Turn off the gas-out valve
- Fit the effluent bucket securely
001: From Sand to Sustainability
A Brief History
It’s been two years since I began work on the backyard, and it’s been a chaotic process of trial and error and learning. My aim has always been to grow lots of food, but the ideas and ideology driving me have evolved at the same rate as the backyard.
What is Permaculture?
What do I think it is?
Permaculture is a vector through which people can learn and apply themselves to affect change in a landscape toward a regenerative, life-supporting food forest system. Well at least that’s how I see it. It is a set of principles and techniques that is freely available to read about on the internet, and courses are run all around the world to disseminate its message.
But what is it really?
Biogas Digester
“Biogas is the perfect solution to modern sustainable cooking.”
Biogas is a mixture of gasses that are produced as anaerobic bacteria break down organic matter. It is flammable, capable of producing a clean flame for cooking and heating, and it can be derived from as simple a feedstock as your kitchen rinse water.
A biogas digester is a container holding water and bacteria, which can be ‘fed’ organic matter to be broken down, and which collects the resultant biogas, to be tapped off either to a collector for storage, or directly for burning.
Benefits:
- Creates flammable gas
- Creates fertiliser
- Runs on kitchen rinse water
- Safe and Clean
Rebar Fence Trellis
“Make a self-supporting post-less fence trellis out of rebar!”
In Spring 2011 I wanted to make a fence across the backyard for three reasons; to enclose a chicken run, to grow fruit vines, and to support a future pvc arbour I had planned. Traditional fencing options were expensive, but I found a way to do it using only rebar steel mesh. The result exceeded my hopes.
Benefits:
- Creates Vertical Space
- Encloses Chickens
- Supports Vines
- Lasts 10 Years
Mulching
“Make your soil as healthy as a forest floor, by mulching!”
Mulching is the covering of soil with organic material. It is much the same as what naturally occurs in a forest when leaves fall to the floor. Mulch suppresses weeds and prevents evaporation, which allows the topsoil to remain moist so that earthworms and other creatures can live there.
Benefits:
- Saves water
- Builds soil life
- Suppresses weeds
- Becomes fertiliser