Solarpunk Farming

Did you know that simply digging a slight ditch can completely change the health of a landscape?

In modern landscaping, any sort of hole or ditch is considered a “dangerous tripping hazard,” “unsightly,” or “a waste of space,” so everything is smoothed out. If you go to most cities and farms, the only non-flat places are designed to carry water away from cities, rather than hold onto it.

This thought process can not only increase overland flooding and wash away topsoil, but it also gives water no place to sit and be absorbed into the soil. Without any water capture gradually trickling into the soil and creating an underground reservoir, the landscape becomes less drought resistant and more susceptible to wildfires.

The permaculture techniques to correct this have many names and methods, including:

• Demi-lunes / Half - moons / Semi-circular bunds
• Eyebrow terraces / banquettes
• Negarim
• Contour bunds
• Micro basins
• Planting pits / Zai pits / Chololo pits
• Swales

They might be different shapes and use slightly different methods, but they all do all work the same on a basic level. The idea is to dig or build a shape that will slowdown and/or catch some of the movement of water. This can make the soil more absorbent (dry and hardened soil does not absorb water as easily) which promotes healthy microbiome of the soil.

Even if the water dries out visibly during the dry season, underground, they could be making a huge difference.

It is not new science, but instead something many cultures around the world have a long history with, but many modern farming practices(mostly to make it farming machine friendly) and development flatten everything out. If people changed this point of view, it could change our landscapes.

In cities, they look like a slight ditch in front of a house, or a creek in a greenspace.

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For other landscapes, it could be just slight indents in un-farmable areas, or ditches dug around farm perimeters.

They do not have to be very deep, and often do not need any fancy equipment to dig(most just take a shovel), but they can do amazing things.

In the process of reversing landscape desertification, it is proving drastically helpful. As the underground water reserves build, so does the vegetation.

(Image Source: Just Dig It. An example of demi-lunes / half-moons)

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/RPJ9T4yAEGs
• https://youtu.be/CG4-u1q1x3Y

Vergenoegd Winery(South Africa) is handling pests using a unique solution; ducks. These ducks enable the winery to be pesticide-free.

Video: https://youtu.be/H6Ehoxu9QY8

The reason for this is that ducks love to eat all sorts of garden pests: including slugs, snails, mosquitoes, ants, and more.

"You may also be wondering: Why ducks and not chickens? While it’s true that chickens can help to keep bugs at a low in your garden, they also have a habit of being a little less delicate around garden plants than ducks do. Chickens love fresh greenery and will be more than happy to eat your homegrown lettuce, whereas ducks will focus less on your hard work and more on the bugs in your yard." | The Spruce

Similarly to the winery, ducks are also often employed to help with rice paddies. The ducks not only help with pests and fertilization, but their paddling helps both aerate the water and kick up mud(the increased oxygen and decreased light can cut down on algae or weed growth).

As an added benefit, the eggs and/or meat can be eaten. I know that will upset many of you but the added financial benefit of that is further incentivizing farmers to switch from herbicides and pesticides, to ducks.

"Another study done by Practical Action2 concluded that the duck-rice farming technology led to several socio-economic and environmental benefits. The ducks were introduced into the rice fields 10-20 days after rice was planted until the flowering stages. The study also found out that this form of farming was better in rice production than others as it led to decreased production costs, high yields achievement, had benefits for the environment and led to increased income. Further, it’s stated that 20% higher yields can be achieved with the use of this system, 50% increase in income can be achieved as well as enhanced food security through the consumption of duck meat." | Permaculture Research Institute

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ISdo-b7Lk

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It seems like the most efficient and sustainable way to garden but I don't know enough about what plants benefit each other and how.

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For food forests, you do what you can to use edible plant life to mimic the ecosystems of a wild forest.

“A food forest, also called a forest garden, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature.” | Project Food Forest

If done right, this system will…

• Promote a healthy soil microbiome
• Increase carbon-capture (no-till)
• Prevent erosion
• Retain water

And more.

Personally, I suggest using as many perennials to your area as you can so you don't have to replant everything every year.

Here are some perennial examples that are for my specific area:

(⚠ means you may want to container garden them to prevent spread)

• 🥬Lovage (celery alternative)
• 🥗 Bloody Dock (chard alternative)
• 🥗 Good King Henry (spinach alternative)
• 🥔 Jerusalem Artichoke (root vegetable)
• 🥗 Sea Kale
• 🧅 Chives ⚠
• 🥝Hardi-Kiwi
• 🍓Wild strawberries
• Raspberries ⚠
• Wild blueberries
• Red or Black Currants
• Haskap/Honeyberries
• 🍇Valiant or Bluebell Grapes
• Rhubarb
• Saskatoons
• Pembina Plums
• 🍒Evans (sour) cherries
• Manchurian Apricots
• 🍎 Hardi-Mac Apples

More Info on Food Forests:

• https://youtu.be/Q_m_0UPOzuI
• https://youtu.be/6GJFL0MD9fc
• https://youtu.be/mdi_9o92XcU

Super tasty 😊

If you want an easy way to help your local pollinators, then consider building a water station! Many plants and crops rely on pollinators, so the more you attract and help, the healthier your garden will be (for example: "“Bee pollination improves crop quality, shelf life and commercial value.”)

For a basic one, you will need:

• Tray or dish
• Rocks
• Water

The tray or dish is to hold everything, and the rocks are to give the pollinators something safe to land on. Without the rocks, you will likely end up with drowned bees. Due to evaporation, you may have to fill the dish once or more a day.

HOWEVER, although that is the most common method, there is another one that I prefer that was taught to me by local beekeepers. They use a refilling dog bowl instead of a dish, so it doesn't have to be filled as often.

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While this was advice from beekeepers, the watering stations are not limited to honeybees; you may see all sorts of native pollinators visiting.

If you can't buy a refilling bowl, here is a tutorial on how to DIY one.

No matter what you choose, though, the pollinators will appreciate it! I do suggest putting the water in shade to limit possible algae growth.

"The rock powder, usually basalt, is often scavenged from local mines or quarries, where it exists as a waste by-product. ERW companies collect the rock powder, sometimes milling it further to reduce the grain size. Then they truck it to farms, where it is used in place of ag lime.

Studies show that volcanic rock dust can raise the pH of overworked soils, improving productivity." Modern Farmer

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Have you heard of The Great Dust Bowl? It was a series of dust storms in the USA that were so intense, they killed crops, livestock, and people during the the great depression.

The situation was amplified by a drought, but the dust was also human caused.

“Following years of overcultivation and generally poor land management in the 1920s, the region—which receives an average rainfall of less than 20 inches (500 mm) in a typical year—suffered a severe drought in the early 1930s that lasted several years. The region’s exposed topsoil, robbed of the anchoring water-retaining roots of its native grasses, was carried off by heavy spring winds. ” Britannica

This dust storm was so thick that it blocked the sun.

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“Dear Mr. Roosevelt, Darkness came when it hit us. Picture taken from water tower one hundred feet high. Yours Truly, Chas. P. Williams." An unknown author writes to Roosevelt

Under the hands of desperate farmers, grasslands turned to landscapes so lifeless and dangerous, that many people abandoned their dreams and left.

One of the practices that amplified this disaster (that is a current farming practice to this day) is rototilling. During this, you flip the soil over, which can make planting easier. This comes with many problems, including:

• Destroying the soil microbiome. Healthy soil means healthy crops.
• More weeds. As you flip your soil you are allowing dormant seeds a chance to thrive
• Soil Compaction: As the soil gets more compact, it becomes harder for roots to work through it.
• Washing or blowing away top soil. Top soil is where the heathiest soil is, and it can be washed away if left uncovered
• Drying the soil. By leaving the soil exposed you are letting the sun bake out any moisture

Fixes:

• Crop rotation. This is a pre-medieval technique where you rotate what crops you grow in what soil. This can add nutrients to the soil, avoid nutrient depletion, reduce diseases, and reduce pests.
• Cover Crops. Never leave your soil bare. Cover crops can save your soil.
• Water Catchments. These slow down the movement of water, encouraging the soil absorbing it. Examples: bunds or swales.
• Alternative farming. Such as aquaponics or hydroponics.
• Food forests. Instead of rows of monoculture, food forest combine several different types of plants in a way that mimics a forest.
• Reducing food waste. To take pressure off food production. In Canada alone, $31 billion dollars worth of food waste is thrown out a year.
• Mulch. Putting mulch down can protect your soil while also keeping down weeds.
• Planting trees and bushes. Even if it is just on the outside perimeter of your crops, trees and bushes can help hold soil in place, reduce wind, and improve the general health of the area.

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More Info:

• https://youtu.be/xFqecEtdGZ0

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Did you know that you can grow your own bath sponges?

"Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family.” Wikipedia

Luffa plants are from southeast Asia, and can be grown in places with a long warm summer. The fruit can take a long time to grow and toughen it’s inner fibers (about 150-200 days), but after that time, they are ready to become sponges.

Explaining it simply, you peel the skin, wash the insides, hang them to dry, then you are done.

“Getting all the seeds out can be a challenge, but the drier the sponges are, the easier the seeds will fall out. Save the best ones for next year. You can also cut open the sponges in any shape you want to remove seeds or make a loofah fiber mat.” luffa.info

When done, you can use the sponges for bathing, washing dishes, and even as industrial filters.

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/4ioU11rQyd8
• https://youtu.be/oq4ZgAGd-JM

"Findings in both studies showed that the more silverleaf nightshade was mowed, the more it developed ways to avoid destruction, Kariyat said. The taproot went down further, nearly 5 feet deep, in the first generation of mowed plants. More spikes popped out on the stem as a defense against caterpillars feeding on the flowers. The flowers became more toxic to caterpillars, leading to less pressure from natural predators."

Full Article Link

For 31 straight days last summer, temperatures in Phoenix hit or topped 110 degrees, the longest such streak ever. That searing Arizona heat dehydrates crops and evaporates water the state needs to conserve.

Creating shade is one way to combat the problem.

By using solar panels, farmers can simultaneously protect their plants, save water and lower their energy bills – and some are doing just that with help from federal programs designed to encourage this sustainable method of growing.

Photovoltaic panels are placed above the crops, harnessing the sun’s energy while providing valuable shade.

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I'm thinking about adding a rain collector to use in my garden but I have some concerns about construction materials.

One concern is that I'm not a huge fan of using a plastic container to store water. The idea of water sitting in a plastic barrel that could be exposed to heat from direct sunlight doesn't fill me with excitement. I was wondering what other materials or containers I could use that might be better for storing rain water. One idea I had was to modify a metal keg to collect water. They would be smaller but I could use multiple if I wanted.

The other concern I have is about roofing materials. Is it safe to use water collected from a roof with shingles in a garden for vegetables? I'm wondering if there might be any run off from the materials used for roofing.