Stefan Sobkowiak - on the Beyond Organic NZ Tour (Mar/Apr 2015) www.beyondorganicnztour.com
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Beyond Organic NZ Tour - 2015 Stefan Sobkowiak, M.Sc, MLA
www.miracle.farm
Proudly sponsored by
I’m not here to change your way of growing
Want to work in an inspiring environment?
Want to save years of trial and error?
Save 1,000’s of Dollars?
Want a business that can gross
$10/m2 and regenerate life?
$10/m2
With
• Less work • More yield • More fun?
That can be profitable in first year?
While you grow in peace, joy and patience?
Dreaming? Unrealistic?
Reality Check: Lost 50 turkeys to a raccoon in one night
Lose 45 chickens to a mink in a day.
There are marvellous days
And challenging days
Days of great joy
And great heartaches, nursery eaten!
Zone 5b (Canada) warmest zone
Brief History
Purchased conventional orchard in December ’92 It was 12 years old
4,000 apple trees (dwarf M-26)
on 5 ha
Brief History
Organic transition '93-'96 Certified organic '96-'00 Not certified since but
maintaining organic standards.
Brief History: Replant
Decline '01 Start nursery '02-'03 Nursery trees ready fall '03 Trees all eaten winter '03 Start over '04 Ready fall '05 Trees eaten winter '05 Start again '06
Lesson learned: Plant in the FALL
And protect young trees with guards Use mouse traps or poison in nursery when snow
Brief History: Permaculture Orchard
2006 tore out, redesigned
2007 replanted 0.5 ha. As Permaculture Orchard 2008 replanted 0.5 ha 2009 replanted 0.5 ha
(Total 1.5 ha = 3.75 acre)
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My Mission: 1000ha, 1000 people, 50 countries adopt Permaculture Orchard model
That's why I am here
My OBSERVATIONS:
Nature is well designed
Nature has stood the test of time
We can copy nature
Killing is not the solution(pesticides, fungicides, herbicides
1% vs 99%)
People demand better and are informed
Let's return to a model in harmony with nature
Many examples of the model are being established
France, Conservatoire d'Aquitaine Sweden, Alnarp, Swedish Univ. of Biol. Sciences New Zealand La Pocatière, Qc, ITA La Pocatière +100 private properties or farms
If a Permaculture Orchard is in your future? You're in the right place
How is a Permaculture Orchard different?
By design:Polyculture not monoculture
By design:
Design the solutions into the orchard
Solutions last a long time
Different by biodiversity
Allies do most of the work (fertilize, pest control, mowing)
Different: INFORMATION vs INPUTS
INFO vs INPUTS
1X in the life 1X or more per season of the orchard ex. TRIOS
Different: working with nature
Different: Marketing
(our farm
membership Upick)
Different: planted by harvest date multi-species and cultivars/ row
How Beyond Organic? I was organic, not a functional ecosystem
I tried to diversify 100 sheep on 5ha
Large scale monoculture is not a functional ecosystem
Focus on the positive (what can I DO) not on the negative
Details of Permaculture Orchard
TRIO: NAP (1 nitrogen fixer - 2 fruit trees)
(1 nitrogen fixer - 1 fruit - 1 nut)
Each fruit tree is next to a N-fixer
TRIO: N (n-fixer)-Apple-Pear or Plum
Repeated Pattern: N A1 P1, N A2 P2, N A3 P3... A1 = Apple cultivar 1, A2 = Apple cultivar 2, A3 = Apple cultivar 3 P1 = pear (or plum) cultivar 1,...
Orchard Pattern is not a bad idea
MONOCULTURE Orchard pattern IS a bad idea
N nitrogen fixers we use
(Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) Honey locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia) Black locust
Shrubs: Caragana Seaberry (Hippophae r.) Buffaloberry (Eleagnus
commutata)
(Eleagnus angustifolia) Russian olive
Goal: never 2 apple trees touch...
In the row and between rows
DUH!!!
Paradigm shift for Fruit Growing industry.
TREE TRIOS give 60-80%? of positive results
Layers For NewbiesHorizontal - Trios
1 - 2 - 3 N - A - P
Vertical 1 2 3 4 5
Canopy Trios Shrub Herbs Ground Cover
Layer 2 = Shrubs: 1-4/ tree
Gooseberry Black and red currant Haskap Aronia Amelanchier Raspberry Rhubarb