Permaculture at Derryduff August 6, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Gardens, Permaculture, water , trackbackThe summer break from Kinsale College has givien me some time to spend on the site at Derryduff and I have been developing the gardens and landscaping here over the last couple of months.
In particular, a large extension to the small pond has now been created, with multiple potential uses:
-swimming hole- glorious to have!
-general large store of water in the landscape- not as high up as I would have liked as it is below the house but invaluable nevertheless;
-micro-climate creation- the edge around a large pond may serve as a protection against frost for early spring vegetable i could grow there, as a body of water can keep the immediate environment from freezing;
-added reflected sunlight to the northern terraces above the pond;
-potential for edible water plants
-potential even for small-scale fish-farming ( something I know little about, but many of my friends and neighbours around west Cork are also creating large ponds with this in mind).
-general wildlife habitat, especially good for frogs which may keep down the slugs
-adds tremendous beauty to any site
The pond was constructed by the one and only Big Johnny D with a 6 ton digger- the largest suitable for my sloping and narrow site. We stripped off the peat bog that lay on top and used this to make a series of terraces for blueberries above the pond.
The sides of the pond were constructed with what at first seemed like good clay, but on closer inspection appears to be a fine silt- not ideal for ponds as it wont seal in the water that well. However, a second visit with the digger and another couple of hours of battering, squashing and compressing the sides and it now seems to be holding well.
A few days ago I hosted a 1-day Introduction to Permaculture course here at Derryduff which was well-attended, also by some local farmers and small-holders which is a gratifying indication of the spread of interest in PC to the general population.
We covered Permaculture design Principles, a tour of the gardens, fruit and woodlands, and conducted a practical mulching of some terraces where we constructed a hooped climbing support for berries or vines.
These hoops are made of lengths of 10mm iron re-inforcing bar or “re-bar” commonly available from builders’ suppliers. they are threaded through lengths of 3/4″ alcethene pipe to make them softer to handle and tie plants to. 2m high chicken wire can then be fitted to this support which is a really quick and handy way to establish a trellis or climbing support
.
Many thanks to all who participated. I plan a series of similar courses covering different aspects of permaculture design and practice starting this autumn. Please check the “Courses” page on this blog for more details.
Comments»
The pond looks great Graham. Who needs to live by the sea? Speaking of local farmers, I met one who is coming to the course next year. I think this is a very good sign. Maybe they’ll start providing us all with lovely seasonal veg.
See you at the Green Gathering.
Klaus
nice pond Graham… great to see you are now a member of the West Cork ‘pond set’. Big Jonny D indeed, you’ll get him a reputation! Well done, great to see you don’t spend the entire summer holiday on Blackpool Pleasure Beach…