Garden
Olla pots: measure the wetting pattern before planting around them
An olla releases water through porous clay into nearby soil. Its useful reach depends on the pot and the surrounding soil, so a fixed number of plants per pot is rarely a…
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: Olla pots: measure the wetting pattern before planting around them then follow the Guides in order
Garden
Waffle beds: test a sunken planting pattern for one season
Waffle gardens use small sunken planting areas separated by low earth ridges. The pattern is associated with Pueblo dryland gardening, including Zuni traditions. It offer…
Garden
Zaï pits: begin with a small runoff-catching trial
Zaï pits concentrate runoff and organic material around planting positions. They developed in Sahelian farming systems as a response to difficult soils and unreliable rai…
Garden
Small planting basins and swales: choose the right job
A planting basin concentrates water near a plant. A swale is a longer earthwork whose alignment and overflow affect a wider area. Both can influence runoff, but they are…
Garden
A leaking pond: test the material before lining the whole basin
Before spending money on a pond liner, distinguish evaporation, leakage and overflow. Then test the proposed sealing material at a small scale. A material that briefly ho…
Garden
A dryland greenhouse: plan heat escape before building
A greenhouse can protect plants from cold and wind, but it can also become too hot within a short time. In a dryland garden, first decide which months and crops need encl…
Agroforestry
A fruit-tree guild that fits the water budget
A fruit-tree guild is a planned group of plants around a central tree. The aim is to combine useful functions, such as food, ground cover and habitat. In an arid garden,…
Fruit Trees
Banana clumps: plan water and replacement stems
A banana planting is a sequence of stems, not a permanent fruiting trunk. Water, healthy planting material and room for replacement growth determine whether it becomes a…
Fruit Trees
Before buying an avocado tree: match the plant to the site
An avocado cultivar name is only part of the buying decision. Rootstock, planting-material health, soil drainage, water quality and frost exposure can matter just as much…
Garden
Worm-bin liquid and compost tea: know what you are using
Liquid draining from a worm bin, an extract made from finished vermicompost and an aerated compost tea are different materials. Naming the liquid accurately is the first…
Garden
Keep a useful record of a LAB garden trial
Lactic acid bacteria preparations are discussed in natural farming, but a homemade mixture is not automatically identical to a published preparation. A useful trial recor…
Feed
Black soldier fly larvae: record the feedstock and harvest
Black soldier fly production is easier to evaluate when incoming material and harvested larvae are measured. A successful demonstration is not enough to establish feed sa…
Aquaponics
Choose crops for a recirculating growing system
Recirculating water can be useful, but the crop still needs light, nutrients, space and care. Choose a crop to fit the system you can maintain. Start by distinguishing aq…
Garden
Run a small garden comparison that others can learn from
A useful garden trial starts with one question and an honest comparison. It can be modest enough for a courtyard, yet still produce information worth sharing. Decide what…
Garden
Map the microclimates in your own garden
A simple sketch can reveal why one corner grows well while another struggles. Map the sun, wind, water and cold spots before choosing plants or building structures. You d…
Permaculture
Permaculture is a design framework: choose methods to fit
Permaculture can help you decide how the parts of a home, garden or farm should work together. Agroforestry, aquaculture and other growing methods can be parts of that de…
Agroforestry
Make an agroecology farm visit useful
A farm visit becomes more useful when you arrive with questions and leave with a realistic next step. Look beyond the most attractive plot to the water, labour, timing an…
Garden
Irrigation water quality: understand the test before planting
A reliable water supply is only part of a growing plan. Its dissolved salts, chemistry and suitability for the soil also matter. Read a water test alongside the crop, irr…
Water Plant Farming
Reeds, rivers and flood management: work with the whole catchment
Reeds can provide habitat and useful material while also affecting access and water movement. Deciding what to retain, harvest or remove requires a view of the river, its…
Dry Grasslands
Communal grazing: agree the rules, care for the land
Communal grazing management is a shared agreement about land, animals, water and work. A grazing map helps, but people must also agree who can use each area, how decision…
Regenerative Agriculture
Biodynamic farming: understand the approach and test what helps
Biodynamic farming combines a whole-farm approach with distinctive preparations and a spiritual understanding of agriculture. It is worth understanding on its own terms w…
Garden
Electroculture: examine the claim before investing
Electroculture is used for several ideas involving electricity and plant growth. Popular passive copper antennas are not the same as controlled experiments using powered…
Agroforestry
Trees, rainfall and the water cycle: choose restoration that fits
Trees influence water through their roots, leaves, shade and place in the wider landscape. These connections help explain both the value of restoring appropriate vegetati…
Agroforestry
Kalahari apple-leaf: plan for a lasting native tree
Kalahari apple-leaf belongs in the conversation about native shade and agroforestry. Give it space and patience; do not treat it as a guaranteed fast mulch factory.
Agroforestry
Bauhinia petersiana: identify it, then choose its role
This flowering shrub or small tree appears in the original agroforestry list. Use its botanical name, check the local form and trial it before making promises about bioma…
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