Subject: raised bed organic gardening

From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 00:36:26 -0400 (EDT)

In the newly formed permaculture newsgroup, alt.permaculture,
the group consensus regarding having a newsgroup for organic 
gardening (at present there isn't one _by that name_) was not 
to start one for this purpose but to use our own permaculture
newsgroup. So, since organic gardening is part of permaculture 
we could do the same with this mailing list. To that end I would 
like to know:

1) If anyone here is actually involved in building, planting
and maintaining raised bed gardens on an ongoing basis
2) Is anyone using traditional hand tools to do 1), i.e.
English-type hand forged tools: digging forks and spades,
eye hoes of any type from any country, scythes or machetes
for cutting cover crops and hay mulch. What hand tools do you 
like best? What are recommended sources for these? 

After considerable prepping of my 6 acres with tractor +
plow and Soil Saver I am now building raised garden beds in 
a varity of locations. I hope to build a number of them using some
of the plans in Mollison's Designer's Manual, to include Mandala
and spiral gardens. Crenelated borders between beds and
adjoining plantings is a very worthwhile scheme and lends itself to 
easily and creatively extending planted zones into other, unplanted, 
areas of a site forming fertile edge zones and areas especially 
beneficial for wildlife. I do market garden and am especially 
interested in soil tilth and fertility. Cover cropping with legumes and
grasses as a way to improve soil, water and nutrient retention, deep tilth
and establishment of beneficial microorganisims, earthworms and colonies
of other useful insects (earthworms, dung beetles, spiders and ants are
very helpful) is becoming an important and useful practive for me, though 
I often let the soil seed bank supply a variety of interesting weeds to
harvest or reseed. 

Lawrence F. London, Jr. -+|+- Venaura Farm
[email-masked]   [email-masked]
http://metalab.unc.edu/london, /permaculture, /ecolandtech
EcoLandTech -+|+- InterGarden -+|+- Permaculture

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 12:38:08 EDT

Larry:
	Why are excessively expensive English digging tools more traditional 
than a fire-hardened pointed stick or a mattock hoe?   I thought permaculture 
was a worldwide thing, and not simply an extension of Anglo-Saxon tradition.  
:-)  

	I have raised beds but I never manage anything only one way.   I use 
a two digging implements in raised beds.  I move soil with a $3 shovel from a 
discount place and I loosen soil and cut small roots with a flat-blade spade 
that is likely older than most people on this list and the price of which I 
do not recall.  It is not English.   I bought it when I was 17 for my 
landscape gardening business.  I'm now 60.  Doubtless it won't hold up as 
well as an expensive, mortgage-your-house-to-buy English model, but I'll limp 
along with it.  

	Try John Jeavons.   He has perfected what you are talking about.

Dan Hemenway

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From: John Schinnerer <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 16:53:19 -0700

Aloha,

-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence F. London, Jr. [mailto:[email-masked]]

>and maintaining raised bed gardens on an ongoing basis

Yep...I've put about half of the (tiny) front yard where I'm living in
Biointensive beds a la Ecology Action (
http://www.crest.org/sustainable/ecology_action/index.html ).  The rest of
the former lawn is now decaying under chips & sheet mulch, waiting for me to
have more time to plant some small edible perennials and herbs and whatnot
amongst carefully placed rockpiles for heat/shade (as appropriate).  I had a
small bed where I lived previously as well.

>like best? What are recommended sources for these? 

I use the English-style spade and fork (and a widger for small transplants -
worth it just for the name... ;-), and a cheapo rake for shaping.  Oh, and a
piece of junk plywood for a digging board.  The spade & fork are the Spear &
Jackson brand, purchased at a small local gardening shop near where I used
to live in another part of Seattle.  I was pleased to find them there.  Most
larger garden/nursery places and of course the big box hardware stores had
nothing even close or had never even heard of those types of tools.  I find
the tools well worth the money, as I expect they'll outlive me...I looked at
the cheaper asian-made knockoffs and they were junk as far as good tools go.
Also, they were only available with the shorter handles...even the longer
handles on the S & J are a bit short for my lanky self.  I've tried to bust
'em and I can't, not even trying to pry up a really big rock that turned out
to be a water pipe... :-D

John Schinnerer

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From: Skye <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:37:05 -0600

Me again!

Regards raised beds and suitable tools - two points

Firstly - I envy all of you that can use raised beds. Guess it rains
sometimes!!! Here in a drier climate, raised beds make it extremely
difficult to maintain moisture - especially in porous soils. So, just a
comment - lets not advocate raised beds everywhere - keep it relative to
your climate. And some of us don't get much rain.

Secondly - after you have finished digging and hoeing your beds, you
should get to the stage of needing to harvest all that produce. If you
want good quality scythes etc, suggest you look to Japan. Their "kama"s
are of high-quality steel (remember they have lots of practice making
samarai swords) and come in a size to suit every need. Their knives
(splitting bamboo etc) are excellent. For more information contact
Matsumoto-san, a PC activist in Japan with good contacts with many local
factories that make high quality tools, often by hand. His address is
Noboru Matsumoto, 402 Shiyona-Zho, Kasugai-Shi, Aichi, Japan. Can't find
an email address for him at present, but Catherine Pawasarat
([email-masked]) should know it.

Good luck
Skye  
-- 
Skye - Apdo # 391,  Patzcuaro, Michoacan, CP. 61600 México. 
fax  (52) 01 (434) 24743
Profesor y diseñador en Permacultura
Director del Instituto de Permacultura de México A.C.
Talleres de desarrollo humano, planeación participativa y 
economía comunitaria.

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