General performance
Details
The garden will be 1 year old in September 2023. So its still early days. But we have seen radical improvements in soil quality simply just by adding lots of compost made on site. It will take time to get the full reward of the investment in the soil but we are off to a great start.
Unintended positive side effects of practice
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The physical and mental health are possibly the most under estimated benefits of the process of growing food and sharing that le with others.
Unintended negative side effect of practice
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There are negatives sides to this experience, but they are expected.
Its hard to find like minded funders to support community initiatives. So we fund these from our own which can be heavy. Its taken longer than expected to start making an income from the sale of vegetables but we see that shifting as we get into the second year of production.
Knowledge and skills required for practice
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In the age of the internet all knowledge no matter how specialized is available on the net.
So while the practice is use considers very specific knowledge systems the information is generally available freely.
Labour required for practice
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The garden requires labour investment intensely at ties and then can go for long periods without any labour apart from gathering food. Working alone in the garden I try to work with nature as much as possible allowing weeds to grow and then doing mass clearing once a season. That ensures the weeds grow big enough to be of value in the compost and serve as a living mulch while growing.
Cost associated with practice
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Everything costs money. I try to save as much as i can by being as efficient as possible.
I sped what is necessary and no more. I would consider this a very low cost garden
Does it work in degraded environments?
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Taking the position that all soil is improved through compost and other natural organic materials, mineral elements & microbial life, all of which can be produced by the farmer ensure that any farmer anywhere can improve the quality of her soil.
Does it help restore land?
Climate change vulnerability effects
Time requirements
Details
Compost can take 3-5 months to have 5 cubic meters, but worm tea and other liquid enhances can be produced & applied immediately.