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Lukkas
Lukkas
10 years ago

Just a friendly proofreading:

‘Like attacks like’

ChrisJ
10 years ago

I love it when Geoff is on TSP!

Ben Falk
Ben Falk
10 years ago

Jack – awesome!
Hey, what are you thinking is the easiest way to do the duck pond soil thing? Seems like it could involve lots of moving poor soil around than good soil out of the pools… lots of material handling… Would love to do it more though. Do that in the paddies now.

Greg
Greg
10 years ago
Reply to  Ben Falk

I’m wondering about this too. But also, what if you don’t even use a kiddy pool at all? Just modify the swale by adding impermeable clay basins that act as permanent kiddy pools. When it rains, they fill with the swale, and as the swale seeps in, the “clay pool” areas would remain wet much longer. This is a very interesting idea overall. Your point about mosquitoes is good though, those buggers ruin outdoor time pretty quick around here…

Great interview BTW!

Greg
Greg
10 years ago

Yea, the limestone isn’t going to help much. lol! Locally we have a vast surplus of red clay. My idea might not work for you – just trying to see if there is a 100% sustainable solution that might work for those who don’t already have a bunch of kiddy pools lying around. 😉

But yes, you would dig about 2 feet 4 inches below the swale line, pack in about 4 inches of clay, and then line the “walls” with clay. This way you would be cutting in 6X6 mini ponds in your actual swale. After the clay is set, you would fill a foot of good soil in there, and then – fill the remaining foot with water which would hopefully not soak through the clay too quickly.

I only have 0.18 acre, so not much to work with, but my swale empties into a small pond, along with all the run off from the roof of my house though a series of french drains under the deck. I did not pack the pond with clay, but that stays filled all the time with at least 4 inches of water, until middle of hot summer when it dries to thick mud. I had never thought of growing rice or watercress in that thing, but it would be perfect for it…

The float out issue shouldn’t be a problem as (ideally) the soil would be almost permanently submerged… I guess that depends on how fast water moves through your flooded swales though.

Anyway, just an idea!

Derrick
Derrick
10 years ago

Just listened, sent message on YouTube channel being a subscriber. PLEASE expand and do many videos on the Duck Ideas. Quite amazing, really changing though processes!

Evelyn
Evelyn
10 years ago

I like that challenge… The smallest chicken tractor on steroids possible. It is interesting to contemplate how small a tractor can go especially in a close urban setting where tractoring chickens isn’t normally practiced.

Roundabouts
Roundabouts
10 years ago

If you have the chance to take the on line PDC I highly recommend it.

Ms. Albatross
Ms. Albatross
10 years ago

“It’s boring being scared.” This off-hand quote by Geoff at the end hit me where I live….

RonBoots
RonBoots
10 years ago

Listened to this one twice. Mr. Lawton is an amazing guy doing some great work. You can tell he is a master at this stuff. Great interview Jack.

Jose Garcia
10 years ago

Jack,
Regarding using kiddie pools to grow plants after the ducks leave, would you drill holes in them for drainage? If you do though, you can’t reuse them in a rotation. Am I missing something?

John
John
10 years ago

Jack, I’d like to hear a show dedicated to plants that grow underwater or boggy soils. Primarily those for food and fodder.

Evelyn
Evelyn
10 years ago

Jack,
What about those curvy water features in the spill-ways to aerate the water. The water travels down hill in figure eight fashion creating turbulence and collecting air. I saw it in one of Geoff’s desert videos. A solar panel would provide enough electricity for a weak water pump to create a small fountain too, or to pour water into a troump like aerator to keep evaporation low. You could also set up the tromp to compress just enough air to keep a small pump running. Bill Mollison posted his lecture on tromps on facebook about a week ago. I’m sure there is more to it than is posted but you have his book and it is in there, he flashes the page number in the posted lecture.

Evelyn

Gary
Gary
10 years ago

Jack
you mentioned you saw a video with Geoff from a proptery in Wisconsin. Do you know the name of the video or a link
thanks

Brooke
Brooke
10 years ago

Geoff is so awesome and such a wealth of knowledge! I love hearing him talk and his life must be amazing going around the world and working with permaculture and all the awesome people involved with it.

As one of the commenters posted above, I really took to heart Geoff’s quote of “Being scared is boring.” It really is. You get nothing done and it gets lonely being scared. Working with something you know is fighting back the current system and way of thinking and is also changing the world for the better is so NOT boring!

surfivor
surfivor
10 years ago

I await clarification in some future episode on the ducks/aquaculture in kiddy pools as the conversation here seemed to gloss over alot of things or move kind of fast ..

So Jack has ducks in little kiddy pools .. does he have a larger duck pond ?
How does Ben Falk or people in northern areas have ducks if all the water freezes in the winter ? Just wondering, obviously I don’t know much about ducks ..

Grow wild rice, water chestnut, water cress in kiddie pools or swales ?

It seems like Geoff Lawton doesn’t have any books that he has written ? Just curious. I was not able to find any

Carl
Carl
9 years ago

Great show. Have only listened to half so far. I have a challenging property with a backyard slope that goes to small river and a recessed pond-like area. Am looking to add dirt the pond area and have ducks go after. If there weren’t already large trees growing there I would opt for putting in fish.
For the aquatic plants, some more that I’m looking into in addition to the ones mentioned are mayhaw (a small fruit tree) and Pacific crab apple. The name for the wild rice is zizania aquatica. When stored, the seed needs to stay in a container with water or it won’t germinate.

Zoe
Zoe
9 years ago

As a 2nd generation vegetarian, happily eating the way I was raised, I have no problem with others who follow their own traditions. I do take exception with your example of meat eater and vegetarian cooking for each other. A meat eater can prepare and eat a vegetarian meal without violating their personal ethics, and without becoming ill. If you came to eat at my house, I would prepare a delicious meal that we could both enjoy, taking into account your dietary restrictions and mine. I would also refrain from bashing your dietary choices, politics, and religion. That is just good hospitality.
I would prefer to focus on what we have in common and how we could learn from and benefit each other.

Zoe
Zoe
9 years ago

Vegan and vegetarian are a bit different.

Zoe
Zoe
9 years ago
Reply to  Zoe

I wonder if you are assuming that, as a vegetarian, I would be unable to accommodate your need for Paleo diet meals? That is not the case.
Surely you don’t expect your hosts to violate their deeply held beliefs in order to make you a more comfortable guest? I suggest you contemplate a middle ground where everyone can be comfortable. Remember, the host/guest relationship is a two way street.