Norwegian permaculture garden. Help needed!

[Quantonium]

Hi!

We are two guys from the southeast of Norway (A place called Asker, not far from Oslo) planning to convert our garden lawn into a much more (hopefully) productive permaculture style garden! It's not a particularly large space, around 60 m^2. We are complete beginners and have no practical knowledge whatsoever. We do have a certain amount om theoretical knowledge from reading and watching vids but we need some support from you guys!

So here are a bunch of questions, if you have any tips to give us about a few of them or even all of them, it would be much appreciated!



1.REMOVE LAWN OR SHEET MULCH ON TOP?

How should we deal with the lawn? Is it a good idea to dig up the lawn cover and start a mulch bed or even just start planting straight into the bare soil with mulch on top, OR should we rather just do a sheet mulch on top of the lawn and let the lawn decompose underneath over time? Is there any risk of the lawn coming through the sheet mulch and would it in that case be better to get rid of the lawn alltogether? We might try out both techniques but any input from you guys on this would be great!

2. TOP UP WITH MULCH EACH YEAR/SOIL COMPACTION DUE TO SNOW?

In a sheet mulch layered raised bed system, do we need to "top up" with mulch/manure/compost etc every year or does it just stay as it is once settled and decomposed? What about winter time? Here in Norway there's A LOT of snow during winter, and wouldnt that compact the soil beyond whats good?

3. TILL THE SOIL?

The soil here underneath the lawn is quite compact and with a lot of clay especially as you go deeper. There's also a lot of big rocks. If we plant something straight in the soil, is it advisable to till the soil first to improve soil structure and aeration? Or would such tilling destroy the humus/microbial layer in the topsoil? Or do we do this just once as we start it up and then leave it? Again, what about soil compacting due to heavy snow?

4. COMPOST SOIL VS WILD FOREST SOIL

Whats the difference between composted soil and soil from the forest floor? Do we have to buy ready compost soil, or could we just go out in the forest behind our house and grab some soil from there to use in our garden?

5. COMPOST SYSTEM

We are going to start up a hot composting system, made with recycled pallets. Do they need to have a "roof"? Should we have one warm compost put together all at once and then another ongoing cold compost? Again, what about winter? temperatures get down to -20 celsius quite often, how would this affect the process, it would obviously freeze, but is that ok?

6. THE BIG BROWN IBERIA SNAIL

Norway has a big problem with the Iberia snail, the big brown one. How should we deal with this? Killing them is not really a desirable option, we are looking for ideas on natural, peaceful ways of distracting them/keeping them out of the garden in the first place! Any herbs/flowers that they hate? Can we make a barrier around the garden? What about natural predators, which ones are they and how do we attract them into our polycultural diverse garden?

7. A LITTLE POND

We want to start a little pond as well, should we also grab reeds/plants from a nearby large semi natural pond and plant them in our pond to get instant aquacultural activity, or wait for it to happen naturally? How do we keep the water from getting stagnant?

8. BUY WORMS FOR WORM TOWER?

We wanna have several worm towers in our garden, should we just wait for "normal" worms to come to our tower filled with manure and kitchen scraps, or do we need to buy and supply composting worms? Where do we find these worms to buy? What about the winter, will the worms die and come back or do we need to supply new ones each year?




Thanks for taking the time to help us in our project and therefore helping the earth as a whole! Gardening is definately the sustainable way forward!

Mads & Mikkel - Grindegutane

[hit or miss]

It looks like you have your work cut out for you! I don't permaculture but I do organic garden so here's my take on your questions.

1.REMOVE LAWN OR SHEET MULCH ON TOP?
In my lawn I have made beds that are about 1m in width and as long as you want. In the past I have turned the soil over with a spade for each bed and then tilled them. Sheet mulching would work also, if you have the compost and mulch to cover that much area. I would weedeat the grass down short as I can and layer with cardboard/newspaper then compost and mulch. I'm moving into not tilling this year and it seems to be working. I leave grass in the walkways.

2. TOP UP WITH MULCH EACH YEAR/SOIL COMPACTION DUE TO SNOW?
I'd refresh with compost an mulch on top of what is laid down each year. It will get used up and disappear as the soil breaks it down and the worms feed on it.

3. TILL THE SOIL?
The winter freeze/thaw cycle will help with compaction. Healthy soil will also help. You could till to start with and then work at rebuilding the soil food web as you go.


4. COMPOST SOIL VS WILD FOREST SOIL
Compost is organic material that is rotted down to make humus. You could certainly make use of some of the good top layer of forest soil depending on what trees grow there. Don't get greedy, leave some for the trees though.

5. COMPOST SYSTEM
I'm using a two bin system made from pallets. One working and one to turn into. I may add a third, if I see a need for it.

6. THE BIG BROWN IBERIA SNAIL
I don't have a solution for this. Maybe some diatomaceaus earth sprinkled around the plants will discourage them.

7. A LITTLE POND
I would start some plants from the wild if you can get them. Planting them in pots can help keep them from taking over too. Some kind of pump system to move the water will help with stagnation. Ponds are great but do take quite a bit of upkeep and prior planning to do right.

8. BUY WORMS FOR WORM TOWER?
Do some research on vermicomposting. I would wait to see what your natural population of worms is before buying more.

Good luck! It seems you might be more interested in organic gardening than permaculture, although there seems to be some overlap. I still haven't been able to wrap my mind around the whole concept yet.

[applestar]

I'll post a reply in detail later on, short on time right now, but do read the "HAY as in Ruth Stout" thread in this forum. See if you can find the Ruth Stout videos anywhere -- they seem to have been taken down. Also Emilia Hazelip video that was mentioned. I have a new link for the French version but the English version no longer seems to work. These may have surfaced elsewhere since I last looked though.

If you have large rocks, I believe it's been mentioned that tilling is would break the machines and you need to plow. But I'm a proponent of sheet mulching myself. In larger areas, I favor digging (possibly tilling to help in the process) the paths and piling the dug up path material (including sod placed upside-down) on the rows, then covering the rows with paper or cardboard, then mulch.

[Quantonium]

Thank you very much for the answers! We've learned a lot, and it will be fun to begin! We've gotten cow compost, soil, hay, planks, stones and other stuff! Seeds are ordered as well!

Have a nice day!

[soil]

1.REMOVE LAWN OR SHEET MULCH ON TOP?

in the beds I would cut the grass and flip it over, on the paths just cut the grass low and then mulch.

2. TOP UP WITH MULCH EACH YEAR/SOIL COMPACTION DUE TO SNOW?

all you need to do is keep adding mulch material, don't worry about the snow. the thing with cold climates and soil is the freeze thaw cycle. basically when it freezes the soil water expands and so does the soil, when it thaws it does the opposite. this keeps the soil aerated and gives you physical decomposition of organic matter, rather than microbial which kicks in come around spring time.

3. TILL THE SOIL?

imo it depends on the soil, tilling initially and adding amendments and going no till after that can help with really bad soils( do not till when wet or dry its gotta crumble in your hand yet still hold somewhat ) if the soil is not so bad id just fork some compost into the topsoil and call it a day.

4. COMPOST SOIL VS WILD FOREST SOIL

you can make your own compost, the stuff in the forest will work but its most likey far more fungi dominated than bacterial. most veggies like a bacterial dominant soil. that said, you can easily supplement the compost you make or have to buy( in bulk not bags) with some forest compost. don't take all of the forest soil from one spot either, that hurts the land and is not permaculture.

5. COMPOST SYSTEM

being where you are it would probably help to have a roof of some kind. but its not needed to make compost. as far as temperatures go the compost will freeze in the winter, and simply start back up in the spring. if you are really on it, I would just hustle and compost from spring to fall. and have a lazy pile over winter.

6. THE BIG BROWN IBERIA SNAIL

find out what eat the brown snail and introduce them

7. A LITTLE POND

the diversity of plant and animal life keeps it from going stagnant. if you leave it to its own demise it will go stagnant and first, then the natural succession has to go through and it will turn from muck to healthy pond all by itself. only problem is nature takes its sweet time.

8. BUY WORMS FOR WORM TOWER?

build it and they will come. if you want to buy worms, buy them for a worm bin.