Le Potager du Sloth: Gardening without fatigue more than Bio

[gek]

For subsidies in Isère, I looked quickly done, it is reserved for communes seems it.

Et attention for lovers of ponds (real ponds), these are not ponds, and they are subject to regulations (in particular request in town hall, and less than 50 m from a neighbor ... whatever the size) It would be still a pity to have to fill it - with its inhabitants - because of a neighbor "in his right"
https://www.efl.fr/actualites/particuli ... 0e3fc3502d

(One can not even more or almost already in our campaigns to have a henhouse and his cock ... )

Oops, I did not know this regulation on ponds, all the more reason to take care of relations with neighbors.

I also think that a lot of sites oversell the ecological impact of a pond in the garden, qqs m2 of water is not a pond. It's especially nice to watch and listen to a pond.

One of the advantages that I had not anticipated and of which I had not found any trace on the net is the additional water reserve aspect. It allows me to fill watering cans much faster than at the tap, all I have to do is dive into the pond. In addition, water is recovered which is more loaded with microorganisms and minerals than the rainwater used for filling. Not having a pump system to oxygenate the water, I just use it for my targeted summer waterings (salads, cabbages, beans, raspberries) and I regularly refill the pond with water. rainwater (a simple pipe from the recuperator plunges into the pond). Thus, more oxygenated water is brought into the pond and the laden water of the pond is recovered for the plants.
In the spring, the pond also provides a lot of algae, the growth of which starts long before the aquatic plants, these very easy to recover filamentous algae decompose very quickly on the ground and I am convinced that they can play the role of sudden fertilizer. whip at the start of vegetation in spring given the speed of disappearance on the ground.

[Did67]

On the last point (fertilizer), well seen!

a) Life is born in water. This is where the mechanisms that make it possible to create biomass from water, CO² and nitrogen in the air are most easily deployed; It was the great discovery of cyanobacteria (as we often wrongly call "blue algae") that they develop from minerals and CO² / N² in the air!

b) So yes, these cyanobacteria can enrich the system.

c) This nevertheless remains a modest contribution: in the rice fields, which are much warmer and therefore more efficient than our ponds, it is 10 to 30 kg of N per ha. To compare with chemical fertilizations (rough data situating the "needs" of plants) of an order of magnitude of 150 kg of N!

https://www.ird.fr/layout/set/print/la- ... s-rizieres

[sicetaitsimple]

I read - but not experienced myself - that indeed, it was appropriate to plant the largest (upper) cloves if we wanted to have big garlic ...

Here, a question!

Is it possible (has anyone tried) to plant cloves from their own summer harvest in the fall? I read some stuff on a dormant break with necessary cold.

PS: it is to advance the schmilblick, I have neither planted and a fortiori harvested garlic in 2017, nor planted garlic this fall.

[Did67]

1) I only planted garlic purchased. I did not pay attention if the year of production was indicated on the label!

2) I nevertheless think I can answer your question in the affirmative with almost certainty: I had garlic sprouts from buds that I had forgotten to harvest ("failures", remained in the ground; 'autumn)

[sicetaitsimple]

1) I only planted garlic purchased. I did not pay attention if the year of production was indicated on the label!

2) I nevertheless think I can answer your question in the affirmative with almost certainty: I had garlic sprouts from buds that I had forgotten to harvest ("failures", remained in the ground; 'autumn)

Thank you for the answer, at least it's real life!

But otherwise, your 2017 harvest would have been very low (if you bought seed) compared to the (impressive!) 2016 harvest that you presented to us in a video?
What do you attribute it to?

[anarchorete]

With the pea sowing period approaching, I take this opportunity to open a parenthesis on the tools to open the furrows in the hay (I found nothing on this subject in the summary of the thread). I have not yet made a sillonnette so before buying I would like to evaluate all the possibilities in order to opt for the most practical.

After some research, here's what I found:

- classic edger (see this model: hhttps: //www.amazon.fr/Fiskars-Dresse-b ... 00T9DMWPA /); the main drawbacks are having to work perpendicular to the furrow as well as making 2 passes to obtain a furrow
- the angled edge shears (see here: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Cisaille-a-Bord ... SwTmtaS6YZ) looks interesting. It has the same flaws as the edger but may be easier to handle (as long as the opening of the shear blades is large enough to cut through the thickness of the hay.)
- the old hay cutter (example: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/ANCIEN-COUPE-FO ... Sw9idaRTd5) serrated or not. Has the advantage of working in the direction of the furrow but requires a double passage. On the other hand, I am afraid that it is too short (average size of the tool: more or less 1m) NB: the tail hay cutter does not seem really suitable.
- the CUTERB (http://www.cuterb.fr/) a patented tool which looks perfectly suited to making furrows in hay. If the thickness of the trench was adjustable, it would be even better. On the other hand, I'm afraid that it will damage the ground. To try (I will contact them to know the price). The presentation video is really convincing:

Has anyone tried any of these tools?

PS: shouldn't we open a separate thread to talk about that?

[Did67]

I think that these tools which perfectly "cut" the ground or a lawn, do not "cut" the hay, which will sink into the ground ...

To find out more, sharpen a spade and try ...

Hay is a fibrous material (cellulose), a little "boring" to cut ... Especially when spread out, it becomes a little "chewing gum" ... My experience is that you have to "saw" (notched knives or micro-toothed, Sillon'net) or cut with mechanized machines at very high speed of rotation (edging) ...

But trials are welcome.

I tried an electric saber saw but it was not very conclusive: through my grooved board, we advance, but it is not easy!

[gek]

On the last point (fertilizer), well seen!

a) Life is born in water. This is where the mechanisms that make it possible to create biomass from water, CO² and nitrogen in the air are most easily deployed; It was the great discovery of cyanobacteria (as we often wrongly call "blue algae") that they develop from minerals and CO² / N² in the air!

b) So yes, these cyanobacteria can enrich the system.

c) This nevertheless remains a modest contribution: in the rice fields, which are much warmer and therefore more efficient than our ponds, it is 10 to 30 kg of N per ha. To compare with chemical fertilizations (rough data situating the "needs" of plants) of an order of magnitude of 150 kg of N!

https://www.ird.fr/layout/set/print/la- ... s-rizieres

Yes, it is certainly quite modest especially since I do not harvest tons either (2 to 3 buckets of 10L per spring) but it is a source of nitrogen quickly available near the plants when the ground is still too cold to mineralize well.

[Did67]

You still have to decompose ("mineralize") your organic matter. But it is a material easy to break down, extremely fragile, in the absence of cellulose and fibers ...

And it's free!

[Moindreffor]

Oh I did not know he had subsidies ... ours being ridiculous I doubt that it is taken into account.
In fact we first realized the small with a thermoformed basin ... pfff on our ground slope is very difficult to ask correctly.
So we fired and we find that it is much cooler with the EPDM and in addition we can make a basin a little bigger and deeper.
For the profile it may be 3 sides "steep" and a side slope gently beach style: but nothing is definitive.

be careful with EPDM, it is strongly recommended to put a fence underneath, the rodents can pierce it unless you put a good layer of sand, that's why I prefer rigid