An educational experiment

[youngwarrior]

Some years ago my father purchased a vineyard and converted it from flood to drip irrigation. The entire farm (approx. 40 acres) had (and still has) a sub-surface drainage system, which ‘compensated’ for the previous owners over-watering practices (while destroying soil on a portion of the land where this multiply wasted water was pumped to). My father tells me that this drainage system is appox. 3-4 feet under the ground, spaced approx. 15 metres apart.
Long story short my father eventually took an exit grant from the government a number of years ago, which still prohibits the block from being irrigated for at least another two years.
Nothing is being produced on the farm now apart from weeds. I have my kids this weekend so we went out and tried to familiarise ourselves with the weeds on a particular ‘block’ (which is similar to the rest). We found spiney burgrass, bindy eyes/cat heads and half a dozen other weeds.
I’m attempting to explore permaculture options for this particular block, which is located close to the house. This farm has been mentioned in previous threads/conversations on this forum and dispite my situation, I feel that I will at the least learn something about permaculture if I explore some options.
So I’m asking for any advice or processes to aid this learning curve. A whole farm plan was conducted some years ago so I have a lot of information, most meaningless to me at this time but could be of benefit to anyone giving assistance.
The section I have been given access to is 0.67Ha and was previously planted to black muscat grapes.
There is a sub main running along the east (channel) side, with a value in NE corner of this section. I have tried to find information about channel easements from Goulbourn Murray Water but have been unsuccessful on initial search.
The land is relatively flat, although has been surveyed to reveal some variation. The driveway is elevated, as is the land leading to the house.
Here's a pic (hopefully), I can also upload or give any information that you may require.
Attachment 1380

[youngwarrior]

[IMG]c:\Users\acer\desktop\farmblock.jpg[/IMG]

[9anda1f]

Hi youngwarrior,

Here's info on how to upload pics with your posts: http://forums.permaculture.org.au/sh...-gallery/page5 post number 50.
(note that the forum software can't read pic files from your computer's c: drive ... the pic must be uploaded to the forum server or to any other web hosting site for pics such as photobucket)

[youngwarrior]

farmblock.jpg
-cheers for help with pic

[jeremy]

do you want to turn the site into a complete permaculture system or just use permaculture methods to grow a crop? if you want to learn about permaculture you could read 'Permaculture; a designers manual', which will give you heaps of info and detail on permaculture, or a more practical book is the 'earth users guide to permaculture'.

[youngwarrior]

Hi, I'm not sure of the best style of permaculture to tackle, there's 40 acres so my thinking tells me that at some point it has to be financially profitable, whether by selling surplus commodity or creating a saving from not having to purchase that commodity. It's all well and good to start with the 0.67Ha and do what everyone else does with small parcels of land but if I only 'permacultured' that small bit, I'm wasting the rest. So in the short term, my thoughts are to (and not nessasarily intensive) grow 'resourses' while co-currently (as best as possible) restoring land through crop rotation and some livestock.
I figure you could put some wheat and barley in (can't irrigate anyway), which would give me some seed/ingredient. When harvesting the goal would be to take as little of the stalk as possible, to then make hay with the rest and then livestock the remainder.
I have made a number of observations of the area surrounding the farm and have found that (to an extent), the commodities in this area can fit into guilds (with additional species).
So my immediate goal is to purchase a nectarine tree(s), maybe a couple of different varieties, and experiment with guilds on a small scale. I am thinking that when the nectarine(s) fruit, the stones from 'good' fruit get propogated and eventually planted out continuing the row from 'it's' mother. This will create variation in the nectarine, if any are 'no good' in time they can be cut back and grafted to that plants mother or any other variety. So by the stage everything is up to fruiting, I will also have proven guilds in place to complement.

I have NEVER been a reader, but am attempting the designers manual as i believe this is the 'book' for a PDC which I am yet to complete so I figure I'll get an overview if nothing else. I'm finding though that it's wordy(which isn't a problem) but it....makes you think more than 'knowing' what to do after reading it(if that makes sence). I also have borrowed the earth users guide from the library which is a lot better for practical 'excercises'.

[youngwarrior]

Will this sub-surface drainage system...effect the benefits of a future swale, even if I isolated the drainage system to that particular block?

[Grasshopper]

Keep in mind nectarines are not long lived trees 12ish years.

[mischief]

um, not neccessarily, our one is definitely well over 16 years old.
Thats how long I have been here and it was a mature tree when we arrived.
However, I have over the years culled out whole branches as low to the ground as I could-sort of coppiced I guess.
The current trunk is only 8 years old.
In our climate the fruit normally starts to get brown rot just as they are ripening but this year it wasnt so hot and humid so we had a lovely fruit from the very top of the branches.
The ones lower down that maybe didnt get enough airflow went bad tho.
We even got peaches this year.

[Grasshopper]

I grow nectarines apples and peaches in the subtropics and no brown rot yet.(it is windy here)
Picked my first ever apple today
We always had nectarines, apples and plums all my life in Melbourne.
Ive seen plums die after about 40 years,Ive seen nectarines get to 14 or 16 .
The fruit just get smaller and smaller and the tree start falling apart
Best to start again a couple of years before that starts.