Dry Grasslands
Plant Hardiness Zone Map
https://atlasofnamibia.online/chapter-6/types-of-vegetation What's a plant hardiness zone map? A plant hardiness zone map is a geographical tool used to help gardeners, f…
Grow food · 16 Guides
Production Systems
Vegetables, herbs, grains and mushrooms in a dry climate
Agroforestry 13 Aquaponics 13 Dry Grasslands 10 Extensive Farming 2 Food Forest 15 Garden 84 Intensive Farming 8 Permaculture 22 Regenerative Agriculture 2 Sprout Feed 1 Urban Agriculture 2 Water Plant Farming 4
Start with: Plant Hardiness Zone Map then follow the Guides in order
Garden
Vermicompost
Vermicompost, also known as worm castings or worm compost, is a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer that is produced through the process of vermicomposting.…
Feed
Salvinia molesta (Kariba weed): a careful, contained option for village feed in dry Namibia?
Okavango Delta, Botswana - 2019/08/05: Hippopotamus along the Khwai River. Invasive salvinia vegetation surrounding hippo. - found on Facebook. Kariba Weed (Salvinia…
Garden
Biochar
biochar Biochar, a carbon-rich substance born from the depths of pyrolysis, is making waves in sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. This black…
Dry Grasslands
Keep healthy soil during winter and droughts
healthy soil Maintaining a healthy soil biome during challenging conditions such as winter and drought is crucial in organic farming. Here are…
Garden
Sandy Soil
Sandy soil How to permanently improve sandy soil! Improving sandy soil permanently and organically involves increasing its water retention, nutrient content, and…
Garden
Urban Agriculture
Urban Agriculture Urban Agriculture: Thriving in Arid Environments Through Permaculture Introduction Urban agriculture is gaining popularity as cities expand and the need…
Dry Grasslands
Nature’s strategies for restoring a desert
dryland restoration Rethinking the Desert: It’s Not Dead—It’s Dormant Deserts are often misunderstood. To the untrained eye, they appear lifeless, dry, and…
Food Forest
Concave vs Convex systems
Agroforestry systems can incorporate concave and convex designs, each suited for specific conditions and purposes. Here’s a breakdown of when to use…
Permaculture
Gabions & Check dams
Gabions Gabions: A Tool for Combating Drought and Enhancing Water in the Landscape Gabions: A Tool for Combating Drought and Enhancing Water…
Garden
Propagation
Propagation in an Organic Homestead SettingWhy Propagate Plants on an Organic Homestead?Methods of Propagation on an Organic HomesteadOrganic Propagation Practices for Be…
Food Forest
Air-prune beds: raise trees and test what works in Namibia
Raise a small batch of trees with space for air beneath their roots. Start with a trial you can water reliably, then compare the plants after planting out.
Food Forest
Invasive Species in Namibia – Threat or Opportunity?
invasive species In Namibia, invasive species are often seen as a major environmental threat. Certain plants and animals spread aggressively, displacing native…
Food Forest
Tipuana tipu
Tipuana tipu Tipuana tipu, commonly known as rosewood, pride of Bolivia, or tipu tree, is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to the…
Agroforestry
Biomass Plants
Explore these treesChoose a tree by its job and your own site conditions. These new species pages explain the first steps, limits…
Garden
Shieldboxes
The ShieldBox is a simple, low-cost innovation designed to protect young plants and seedlings in Namibia’s dry, harsh environments. Made from recycled…
Agroforestry
Castor Oil Plant
castor oil plant castor oil plant type:: Plant scientific name:: Ricinus communis family:: Euphorbiaceae common names:: Castor oil plant, castor bean plant,…
Dry Grasslands
Berm & Basin
https://santacruzpermaculture.com/2019/08/berms-swales/
Aquaponics
Sandponics: assess a sand-based growing system before building
Sandponics is used for several sand-based growing approaches.
Garden
Crop rotation for small gardens
Plan your next planting by plant family, using a simple record of what grew in each bed.
Garden
Insect hotels and living habitat: make room for garden allies
An insect hotel can make small wildlife easier to observe, but it is only one part of a living garden.
Garden
Dassies and food gardens: protect a patch and observe
A garden beside rocky habitat may share its surroundings with dassies, also called rock hyraxes.
Agroforestry
Faidherbia albida: the ana tree in a productive landscape
The ana tree, Faidherbia albida, can contribute shade, fodder and habitat to a large landscape.
Garden
Core gardening: test a buried organic layer before scaling up
Core gardening usually describes a bed with an organic layer buried beneath the growing soil.
Agroforestry
Albizia trees: choose the species, not just the name
Albizia is a group of trees, not a single interchangeable source of shade, biomass or fodder. A useful planting decision begins with the scientific name, available space…
Garden
Chinese water chestnuts: a contained aquatic crop trial
Chinese water chestnut, Eleocharis dulcis, produces crisp edible corms beneath a stand of rush-like stems. It can be grown in a contained water garden, but it is a water-…
Garden
Zinnias: bring flowers into a productive garden
Zinnias bring colour and insect activity into a food garden and can supply cut flowers. They are useful plants in their own right; their job need not be justified by clai…
Garden
Productive hedges: shelter, privacy and habitat around a small plot
A hedge can define a garden, soften wind, provide habitat and sometimes produce food. On a small plot, its water demand, thorns and mature width deserve as much attention…
Agroforestry
Orchard layout: balance sunlight, wind, water and access
Orchard layout is a long-term decision. Row direction matters, but it must be considered alongside slope, adult tree size, irrigation and the space needed to harvest, pru…
Garden
Wood ash in soil and compost: test the need before adding more
Wood ash contains mineral residues from burning. It can change soil chemistry, including pH, so it should be treated as an amendment with a purpose and a measured dose ra…
Garden
Growing towers: distinguish aeroponics from a vertical sales pitch
A growing tower can place several plants in a small footprint. Some towers mist suspended roots, while others circulate nutrient solution through channels or growing medi…
Garden
Garden weather records: learn what happens at your own site
A simple rainfall and weather record helps explain why a crop succeeded, struggled or needed extra water. Nearby forecasts remain useful, but your garden’s rainfall, fros…
Garden
Read a catchment map before changing how water moves
A catchment is the area from which runoff drains toward a shared outlet. Seeing your garden or farm within that larger area helps you understand incoming water, erosion a…
Garden
Shared garden land: agree access and responsibilities before planting
A shared garden needs more than a promising patch of soil. Clear land access, water arrangements and responsibilities help people invest their work without discovering la…
Agroforestry
Pigeon peas: trial food and biomass in a warm garden
Pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan, is a shrubby legume grown for food and other farm uses. It may fill a useful role in a warm, adequately watered garden, but its mature size, se…
Garden
Cutworms: protect newly planted seedlings
A seedling severed near soil level overnight may have been damaged by a cutworm. Confirm the pattern before treating: collapsing stems, chewing animals and mechanical dam…
Garden
Wall spiders: observe these hunting neighbours
Flat, fast-moving spiders on walls can be surprising visitors. Learning to recognise common hunting spiders can reduce unnecessary spraying and make the home garden a bet…
Garden
Seed priming: test controlled soaking without the myths
Seed priming is controlled hydration intended to prepare seed for germination before sowing. It is a crop-specific technique, not a reason to soak every packet or assume…
Garden
Test saved seed before spending water on a bed
A simple germination test helps decide whether a saved seed lot is worth sowing. It can reveal a weak lot before you spend scarce water, compost and bed space on it. It d…
Garden
Organise a seed exchange that carries the growing knowledge too
A seed exchange becomes more useful when each packet carries its history. The aim is not only to move seed between people, but to preserve the information that helps the…
Garden
Newspaper seedling pots: a low-cost container trial
Newspaper pots can reduce purchases of small plastic containers and make a useful school or community activity. Their weak point is also their advantage: they break down.…
Garden
Harden seedlings for sun, wind and real garden conditions
A seedling raised in shelter can suffer when moved suddenly into strong sun, wind and a different watering pattern. Hardening off is a gradual adjustment before planting…
Garden
When seedlings collapse: recognise possible damping off
Seedlings that rot or collapse around the soil line may be affected by damping off, a group of diseases rather than one single organism. Similar symptoms can follow heat,…
Garden
Wicking-bed problems: test the growing medium before adding more
A wicking bed needs a medium that supplies roots with air as well as moisture. If plants fail in a rich mix, adding more compost, fertiliser or microbes may increase the…
Garden
Blocked drip lines: diagnose the blockage before cleaning
A dry patch beneath a dripper does not tell you whether the problem is dirt, mineral deposits, biological growth or pressure. Find the cause before choosing a cleaning me…
Garden
Measure dripper output before changing the watering time
An irrigation timer measures minutes, not the litres delivered to each plant. A simple container test can show whether a line distributes water evenly and whether the lab…
Garden
Take a useful soil sample before buying amendments
A soil report is only as useful as the sample sent to the laboratory. Combining a manure heap, a sandy path and a vegetable bed into one bag may produce an average that d…
Garden
Phosphorus: make a soil-test decision
Phosphorus is essential for plants, but that does not mean every struggling garden needs more. Soil chemistry, root health and water supply influence access to nutrients.…
Chicken
Chicken manure: record nutrients, bedding and use
Chicken manure can contribute nutrients and organic matter, but one bucket is not equivalent to another. Bedding, moisture, storage and composting all change the material…
Garden
Is the compost ready for seedlings?
Compost that looks dark is not necessarily suitable for a seed tray or concentrated planting mix. Maturity, salts, texture and the intended use all matter. Treat a new ba…
Garden
Hot compost: use a temperature record, not a countdown
A temperature record turns a compost pile into something you can learn from. It helps show when microbial activity rises, when the pile cools and what changes after turni…
Garden
Seedling grow lights: test whether you need them
Grow lights can help where seedlings lack suitable daylight, but they also use electricity and create equipment costs. First decide which problem you are solving. A prote…
Agroforestry
Tree planting: check biodiversity before counting trees
Planting more trees is not automatically the same as restoring an ecosystem. Species, location, survival and the existing habitat matter. A useful planting plan asks what…
Garden
Drought planning: agree on warning signs and actions early
A drought plan is most useful before the water runs short. Decide which observations will trigger which actions, who will make the decision and what resources are availab…
Garden
Rainwater tanks: compare roof yield with actual demand
A large tank is only useful if enough water reaches it and the stored water serves a clear purpose. Start with roof area, rainfall, losses and demand. These simple quanti…
Agroforestry
Biomass between fruit trees: test the benefit and competition
Plants between fruit trees can provide mulch, cover and useful harvests. They also use water, light and labour. A small comparison helps you find a useful support plantin…
Garden
Biofumigation: test a targeted treatment in a small bed
Biofumigation uses particular plant materials and management to influence soil-borne pests or diseases. It is not a universal cure for tired soil. Begin with the problem…
Garden
Trench-planting a leggy tomato seedling
Tomatoes can form roots along buried stems. This can make shallow trench planting useful for a tall, leggy transplant, provided the plant is healthy and the soil is suita…
Garden
Frost covers: a simple evening and morning routine
A frost cover works best as part of a routine: watch the forecast, cover vulnerable plants before the coldest period, secure the edges and check conditions again in the m…
Garden
A removable bed cover that protects crops and stays usable
A small covered bed can protect young vegetables while keeping daily work manageable. The frame, edges and access matter as much as the material. Decide whether the main…
No Guides of this kind here yet.