Comments on: The Sustainable Smallholding – An Aspiration http://sustainablesmallholding.org/the-sustainable-smallholding-an-aspiration/ Permaculture, and Sustainable practices on a Lincolnshire Smallholding Fri, 17 Oct 2014 10:35:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0 By: Deano http://sustainablesmallholding.org/the-sustainable-smallholding-an-aspiration/#comment-260 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:35:45 +0000 http://deanom.wordpress.com/?p=1225#comment-260 Hi Miles
You didn’t say where ‘up North’ you were.
Like you, I’m concentrating on wood, using simple woodburners, a pizza oven, and perhaps a rocket mass heater in the greenhouse that I hope to build.
All of the best
Deano

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By: Miles Goodman http://sustainablesmallholding.org/the-sustainable-smallholding-an-aspiration/#comment-259 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:26:28 +0000 http://deanom.wordpress.com/?p=1225#comment-259 Inspiring and informative Deano.
This year I am continuing to focus on energy, in my case logs and hydroelectricity (very small scale). Of course planting and planning planting has now begun, this spring seeming to turn on like a switch up here in the north.

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By: Deano http://sustainablesmallholding.org/the-sustainable-smallholding-an-aspiration/#comment-258 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:51:42 +0000 http://deanom.wordpress.com/?p=1225#comment-258 Hi Bev
Thanks for the information.It confirms that it’s worth persuing. What I’ve read suggests that what the azolla needs is minerals, so I’m guessing that you have more minerals in your tap water, than in your rain water.
As for the poultry, I’m planning to use it for ducks, but hope that the chickens will eat it too.
I hope that you do find the book useful. I certainly did. Tell me what you think, once you’ve worked your way through it.
Take Care
Deano

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By: foodnstuff http://sustainablesmallholding.org/the-sustainable-smallholding-an-aspiration/#comment-257 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:14:23 +0000 http://deanom.wordpress.com/?p=1225#comment-257 Hi Deano,

I’ve just bought, and begun, The Resilient Gardener, on your recommendation. It’s looking like a valuable book to have.

On azolla: I grow it in 2 second-hand baths and scoop it off regularly. In summer it multiplies very quickly. So far, I’m using it either as mulch on the top of wicking water boxes, or in the compost tumbler, or feed it to the worms in the worm farm. My permaculture teacher said it could be dried, pulverised and used in potting mixes. I haven’t tried that yet.

One thing I discovered; it seems to like fresh water with little or no nutrients. At one stage I thought I would help it along and added a bucketful of liquid from the composting toilet to one of the baths. The azolla promptly died. I’m assuming it was nutrient and not pH as the dilution wouldn’t have been enough to greatly affect pH.

Another thing that convinces me that it prefers fresh water is that one of the baths receives little or no inputs of fresh water other than rain. I often use the second bath to gravity water vegies and top it up regularly from the mains water. The azolla there is always green and healthy, but on the one that receives no fresh water, it gradually browns and doesn’t grow as well.

I don’t have chickens (as yet) but a friend has just bought some. I’ll take some azolla to them and see how they go.

Hope this helps. Let’s know how you go.

Bev

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