Avocados and alligators

An update from Victoria Farm, Florida

By Kip Bellairs

We continue to work on establishing a forest garden as the primary agricultural effort here, and although progress has been slowed somewhat by the needs of work, school, family and life in general, we are still making headway. Construction of a 450-square foot greenhouse is finally complete. This has allowed us to start to propagate the multitudes of perennials that we will need for the shrub and herb levels of the forest garden system. The canopy trees are now mostly in place with only a few open spaces available due to recent losses from weather. Lately, most additions to the forest garden have been nitrogen fixers and/or mineral accumulators. Elaeagnus shrubs of several varieties have been mixed in between orchard trees, as have different alders and black locust. Comfrey root cuttings have been planted for their nutrient-mining abilities inside most of the deer fence circles protecting the orchard trees. While the perennial nitrogen fixers continue to grow, fertility is maintained with annual green manure crops. At the beginning of the summer rains, a mix of organic cowpea and buckwheat was broadcast in the larger open spaces of grasses between rows of crop trees. Both grow almost unabated by the normally competitive bahia grass. They are then cut when the cowpea first flowers and left to breakdown in place. The bahia jumps right back to cover the soil and mop up any extra nutrients at risk of loss through our torrential summer rains.

The compost pile is maintained from the first mowing of orchard grass and leftover compost from the previous year. This is primarily used for making actively aerated compost tea and for potting mix. Compost tea is brewed several times per year and sprayed on the leaves of all trees and shrubs. The tea coats the leaves, protecting them from leaf spot and rust, and then drips down into the mulch to enrich the soil below.

Wayward weather
Our local weather continues to follow unusual or record-setting patterns. In August of 2008, Tropical Storm Fay passed almost directly overhead, bringing 23 inches of rain over one week. Many trees were inundated when our pond went from 1/8 acre to almost 1 full acre. A few were lost. A particularly nasty plague of mosquitoes followed. Hurricane Hanna threatened us a few days later, passing mercifully to the east. Hurricane Ike was in motion by then as I left for Totnes in Devon, England to attend a forest garden class given by Martin Crawford at the Agroforestry Research Trust. Again, luck was with us because Ike stayed well east of the coast. After the storms, we had displaced predators lurking around the area. One of our rescued turkeys was taken, as was a fawn who lived on our property with her mother. Large feline tracks were seen in the orchard, possibly from a bobcat. An alligator was also spotted floating ominously in the pond. The rescue pigs, chickens and turkeys went on protective lockdown until conditions improved. The winter of 2008-9 began warmer than usual with many deciduous trees either not going into dormancy or coming out early. This changed in late January when we had three consecutive overnight freezes, with temperatures dropping to 26F (-3C). Twelve days later followed another three with a 28 low. Our papayas and macadamia were killed; one mango and avocado, both lychees, two bananas and two carobs were frozen to the ground. The dry season of late spring brought a second alligator to the pond. Thankfully they didnt stay long as our pond doesnt offer as large a banquet as they could find elsewhere. The drought that year was particularly bad, and in May there were two wildfires burning within five miles of us. Pieces of ash fell all across the farm.

Kip and Emily with Lucas in his bee suit in between them

Keeping the wind away

In December of 2009 we planted 500 bare root cypress trees from the State Division of Forestry to serve as a windbreak on the moist southern and western edges of the growing area. January of 2010 brought longer, more intense cold, with eight freezes,
22 GGI No 25 Summer 2010

WE MUST CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLES NOW

Before global warming gets completely beyond control Full information is available from the Movement for Compassionate Living, Ireene-Sointu, MCL, 105 Cyfyng Road, Swansea SA9 2BT Please send s.a.e. and extra stamp for leaflets. The well researched booklet Abundant Living in the Coming Age of the Tree (2.00 + 35p postage) is available from Alligator mississippiensis look but dont touch! MCL c/o Veggies/Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham NG7 6HX. Website: www.MCLveganway.org.uk including one night with temperatures dropping below 25F (4C). Some less hardy trees were damaged and a few were killed. Crazy weather notwithstanding, throughout both summers and into the fall and winter we have been able to enjoy our mulberry, persimmon, avocado, guava, grapefruit, orange, limequat, jujube and fig crops, eating or juicing all that we were able to harvest. The wildness and beauty of the country is never lost on us, and the farm work itself has become a pleasant form of meditation.

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Making compost tea

After some trials, we settled on this method to make a fungalrich compost tea. First, mix 2 pounds of compost with 2 cups of steel-cut organic oats, 1/4 cup of kelp meal and enough water to moisten slightly. This is done in a 5-gallon bucket and set in a cool dark area for a week or so. When some white fungal strands are visible on the compost mix, it is ready for brewing. Just after sunup on brewing day, our Dirt Simple tea brewer (basically a tank with an aeration pump) is filled with 25 gallons of water and aerated for 30 minutes. The compost mix is then put in a nylon bag and suspended in the water. Next we add 4 ounces of kelp meal to the water and aerate for 24 hours. This makes a rich coffee-coloured, earth-smelling brew, ready to spray after filtering. If growing conditions have been difficult or our trees and shrubs are visibly stressed, we will add a cup or two of kelp meal to the tea just before pouring it in the sprayer. The tea is then liberally applied at full strength to all leaf surfaces in the morning hours while the temperature is still relatively cool and the oxygen level in the tea is adequate to sustain the microbes in it. In this way, only two pounds of compost will treat over 100 trees and shrubs on our 1.5-acre forest garden site, freeing us from the need to have a huge compost pile. Editors note: the picture on the inside front cover is Kip spraying an olive tree.
GGI No 25 Summer 2010

Your legacy for the future, helping the work of Vegan-Organic Network
Would you consider benefiting the work of the charity by including a legacy in your will? Such gifts are presently tax-free and are extremely helpful, making an enduring contribution to the promotion and continuance of vegan-organic ideals. Such legacies can be made by anyone, in the UK or anywhere else in the world, and are normally simple to insert in your will. You can consult your legal advisor, or for those resident in England or Wales we can supply a simple form of words for your will. Legacies of land and property can be made, in which case your qualified legal advisor should be consulted.
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