Peter Warne
02-05-2003, 12:58 PM
Hi permapeople
I am a permie in waiting. I am retiring with my wife in July, coming back from Hong Kong to live on our 14 acres in Nimbin, NSW. I should wait till I get there to ask this, but I'm just itching to get my mind round the possibilities and feasibilities. Our block was carved out of a cattle farm about 10 years ago. It's long and sloping, and at present, apart from the house, about half way up the slope from the road, is covered with grass with a sprinkling of some sort of wattle/acacias which are reaching the end of their life span. I've read Bill M's Permaculture Design Manual, cover to cover, and I want to (1) put at least one more dam up at the top of our block (to gravity feed the garden and fruit trees) and (2) carve swales right across the contour lines from top to bottom. A bit like one of the first permaculture design on pages 209/210 of Bill M's Intro to Permaculture (except that our property faces west).
My questions, (as far as can be answered in a very general way):
- What sort of cost can I expect this sort of operation to come to?
- Will it be more economical to buy some sort of grading blade to attach to the small tractor I am thinking of buying (assuming that we plan well enough to 'get it right first time'), or would it be preferrable to just pay a contractor to come in and do it?
Anyone got any ideas about this?
Peter
I am a permie in waiting. I am retiring with my wife in July, coming back from Hong Kong to live on our 14 acres in Nimbin, NSW. I should wait till I get there to ask this, but I'm just itching to get my mind round the possibilities and feasibilities. Our block was carved out of a cattle farm about 10 years ago. It's long and sloping, and at present, apart from the house, about half way up the slope from the road, is covered with grass with a sprinkling of some sort of wattle/acacias which are reaching the end of their life span. I've read Bill M's Permaculture Design Manual, cover to cover, and I want to (1) put at least one more dam up at the top of our block (to gravity feed the garden and fruit trees) and (2) carve swales right across the contour lines from top to bottom. A bit like one of the first permaculture design on pages 209/210 of Bill M's Intro to Permaculture (except that our property faces west).
My questions, (as far as can be answered in a very general way):
- What sort of cost can I expect this sort of operation to come to?
- Will it be more economical to buy some sort of grading blade to attach to the small tractor I am thinking of buying (assuming that we plan well enough to 'get it right first time'), or would it be preferrable to just pay a contractor to come in and do it?
Anyone got any ideas about this?
Peter