Episode-1668- Rod Woods on Permaculture on Small Acreage

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Thrash Metal and Permaculture!

Rod Woods is practicing regenerative agriculture and permaculture on 2.78 acres in New Braunfels Texas. I personally love talking about doing permaculture and homesteading on land of this size. There seems to be a big focus on urban scale and broad scale stuff but not much on 2-10 acre parcles.

To me this is disappointing because such land parcels are what most homesteaders end up with when they flee HOAs and city life but don’t want to move out to the middle of nowhere at the same time.

Rod Joins Us Today to Discuss…

Why he started homesteading
Why he has focused on “organic methods”
What he sees as the secret to compost tea
Why he says that he grows dirt not plants
Why he feels permaculture is a “missing link”
Lessons from nine years of gardening and raising sheep and chickens
Where Rod is now and where he hope to move next on the journey

Resources for today’s show…

Join the Members Brigade
The Year 1668
Join Our Forum
Walking To Freedom
GenForward.com
TSP Gear
PermaEthos.com
Sawtooth Tactical – (sponsor of the day)
Bulk Ammo – (sponsor of the day)
This Hard Land – By Bruce Springsteen

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22 Comments

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Evelyn

9 years ago

I just opened the page, haven’t even listened yet. But just had to say what an awesome cover photo. That just brightened me right up even more than I already was.
Evelyn

Mike Centex

What a fungi! I enjoyed the interview with Rod, he’s not scared to learn and try new things. He’s seems at home in his own skin (and that T shirt). I find permaculture tends to attract optimists and that’s what makes it fun.

I like the idea of diversifying the compost. It may help connect the continent through the true underground!

All Plants Unite!

Uniting Permacultuists everywhere – lol

Mike Vertrees

Top 5 Metal Bands
1. Motorhead
2. System of a Down
3. Pantera
4. Rage Against the Machine
5. Tool/A Perfect Circle

Good Show!
Last time I was in Austin I saw Lynch Mob on Friday night, and Cinderella on Saturday.

Barb

Reply to Mike Vertrees

Motörhead must be first on all lists of this kind. 🙂

Like !

Paul

When I go hiking in some nice woods I’ll grab a bit of ‘duff’ and then add it to my compost.

Most permaculture questions get answered with ‘It depends’…but diversity usually is the answer. I often say – ‘It depends and diversity wins’. If A,B and C are all viable options figure out how to do all three and nature will decide the best answer.

I enjoyed the conversation – thank you.

Richard Hauser

Confused on how he is doing the microgreens.
If he is growing them in rockwool, then it sounds like he is doing hydroponics. Is he using the compost tea in the hydroponics? Claimed he can’t grow plants without fungi, but then grows them in rockwool!?
Not saying I disagree or anything, but would like clarification as this sounds really interesting to do hydroponics without buying weird dried bat dung and stuff.

EricM

Reply to Richard Hauser

Hey Richard,

I can tell you that microgreens do amazingly well with compost tea! In the winter when I want something green to eat I will use a standard 10×20 tray and line it with two layers of paper towel, and water solely with compost tea. I do not do anything fancy to make the compost tea either. I have a five gallon bucket with a few cups of compost in it and an air stone in the bottom. I usually let it bubble for a few days before using it.

Reply to EricM

Is this a hydroponic tray of growing media or a tray of soil? i.e. is the compost tea the only input?

Rod

Richard here’s my best answer. In soil fungi break down organic matter into nitrogen to feed plants. In a hydroponic system plants get nitrogen from the nutrient solution. Yes by definition I am growing my microgreens hydrponicly. Hope this answers your question
Thank ya’l for the comments

Author

Modern Survival

Reply to Rod

Where do you buy this rock wool from? I would like to trial it side by side with soil.

Once the quail aviary is built I will have a lot of compost to work with but not huge amounts. I see a function stack on steroids here.

So is your hydroponic system self sustainable? i.e. fed by inputs you can generate yourself? I lost interest in hydroponics when it seemed that it would force me to buy a whole bunch of specialty inputs and especially when some of those inputs had possible health hazards (Bat dung is an inhalation hazard). This lead me towards aquaponics where all I was putting in was fish food and electricity. If I can just use compost tea for my nutrient solution that would be REALLY interesting.

Roxul Pro Rox SL 960 is what I’m using found it in San Antonio at a insulation supply.

Eric Huggins

Trying to bring back that old country road feel… waving at cops… in my Slayer shirt. Love it!

Chris H.

There were a couple of books on soil that Rod mentioned during the podcast that I couldn’t write down because I was driving at the time. Any chance that you could give those again? Thanks!