Zone5

The 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

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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.