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Candlelight Farm Permaculture Education Centre



http://www.candlelightpermaculture.com.au/resourcesItems/CFTour.html
-- 
Lawrence F. London, Jr.  Venaura Farm
http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden
/permaculture /intergarden/orgfarm /ecolandtech
lflondon@mindspring.com  london@metalab.unc.edu
Title: Candlelight Farm Permaculture Education Centre
 N A V I G A T I O N    B A R
I S    S P A C ES U B   N A V I G A T I O N    B A R

 

Resources - Online - Candlelight Farm Tour


C A N D L E L I G H T   F A R M   D E S I G N

 

Passive Solar House

The rectangular-shaped house is made from compressed rammed earth bricks. The long axis is east-west, so that the front of the house is north-facing. This allows the free absorption of winter sunlight which contributes to the moderation of the seasonal house temperatures. In effect, the house temperature rarely goes beyond 18 to 28°C day and night, season to season. In fact, the house works so well that the minimum internal winter temperature is often higher than the outside maximum during the day. While a typical winter temperature range may be 3 to 14°C, the house temperature ranges from 15 to 19°C.

The house has verandahs on the west, east and south sides and only an eave overhang of about three-quarters of a metre of the northern side. The verandahs protect and shield the house from the harsh summer sun. As the sun angle to the horizon changes as winter approaches, more and more of the northern wall is exposed to direct sunlight. The bricks have a high thermal mass and can thus absorb heat. A clear roof of polycarbonate sheeting in the solarium also allows winter sunlight absorption. A bladed solar pergola prevents summer sunlight penetration.

 

 

 

 

Wastewater Treatment

The domestic waste treatment has two components. A dry, composting toilet (DOWMUS) minimises water use (no flushing). All of the greywater from the bathroom, kitchen and laundry is passed through a settling tank which allows lint, food scraps and other solids to be captured. The effluent is then pumped to an infiltration area which is about 702m (7 x 10 m). This system of trenches, filled with stone and subsurface irrigation pipe, disperses water over the whole area. A large range of plants including sugar cane, bananas, canna lilies, vetiver grass, comfrey and sweet potato effectively absorb nutrients and water.

Research has also been undertaken to determine the nutrient stripping capability of indigenous wetland reeds and rushes. Both submergent and emergent macrophytes have been tested, in trials testing both pond and subsurface conditions. Results indicate that while all wetland plants store nutrients, some are more efficient than others in absorbing, storing and moving nutrients.

Zone 1 Gardens

Zone 1 is the area nearest the house which is visited the most. Here, vegetables and herbs which are used daily are grown and harvested. The types of food crops grown varies from season to season. In summer, we grow vine crops such as watermelons and pumpkin, and others such as tomatoes, capsicum and eggplant. In winter, we grow broccoli, cabbage, onions, parsley, lettuce, kale, silverbeet, brussel sprouts and spinach. Some of the excess is sold to a couple of organic shops in town. These garden beds are usually companion planted. We intermix vegetables with herbs such as rosemary, lavender, sage, chives and garlic to help repel pests and improve soil fertility.

Many of the garden beds are seasonal, with changes to the types of vegetables grown while retaining perennial herbs. The main food producing gardens are located on the east and south sides of the house.

Zone 2 Orchards

A large range of fruit and nut trees are grown. Fruit trees include apple, lemon, orange, mandarin, plum, peach, guava, mulberry, fig and nectarine. Nut trees include pecan, macadamia, almond, chestnut and quandong (Australian native peach). While most of these trees are young, many are producing.

Soft fruit trees, such as plums and fig, are netted in the chicken pen (to minimise bird attack), while most of the apples and citrus are grown outside this fenced area. Many of the fruit trees are companion planted, with nasturtiums, tansy or rue grown underneath the trees to repel pests.

As another activity of the farm, about 100 fruit trees have been bagged in 100 and 150L bags as advanced stock for sale in a couple of years time. The apples are multigrafted (two low chill varieties) and there are olives, weeping mulberries and seven different varieties of citrus. These will be sold as advanced organic fruit trees in a year or two.

Zone 5 Natural bush

The original farmland was very degraded and eroded. All of the top soil had long gone and only clay was left. It has been a slow process to rehabilitate and replant the creekline area with local plant species of casuarina, grevillea, hakea and acacia. In addition to these shrubs, bamboos have been planted to help reduce soil erosion. Both clumping and running bamboos have been used in the revegetation project.

Poultry

Chickens, ducks, geese and emus are kept on the farm. All food scraps go to the chickens or geese before it is raked up and put on the compost pile. Even newspaper and cardboard have been thrown around the pen. You would be surprised how well this breaks down and makes great soil. Fodder plants, such as tagasaste, honey locust and leucaena, surround the pen and provide shelter, and some leaves and seeds to their diet.

The geese love to be let out and go for a wander to the dam or creek. They graze weeds and make lots of noise when people are nearby. No wonder people say that they make good "guard dogs".

The emus are really just big chooks, although the chickens don't think so! They roam around the perimeter of the property and eat many invasive weeds such as flatweed and plantain. More permaculture practitioners should incorporate the use of native plants and animals in their designs. We should be farming and harvesting kangaroos and emus instead of sheep and cattle, and developing and promoting our own edible plant species.

Aquaculture

The farm has one large dam which contains marron (a freshwater crustacean), fish and aquatic plants, which provide shelter and food for the animals. Many other tanks are used to grow a range of aquatic plants for wetland restoration, greywater treatment experiments and to restock dams and waterways.

Generally, more protein can be grown in water than on land, and there are several small ponds around the house where water chestnuts, taro, watercress and lotus are grown and harvested. Eventually, marron and fish will be able to be harvested from the dam.

 

Propagation areas

Seed collection and germination are important activities at the farm. A shadehouse (geodesic dome) keeps plants cool in summer. Plants are grown until they can be planted in the yard or sold to nurseries or the public. A hothouse is used to keep frost-sensitive plants alive and well during winter. Over the years, the hothouse has also allowed us to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in winter and to house the chickens at night.

A large range of plant species are cultured and maintained in the nursery areas. These include bamboos, fodder trees, fruit trees, herbs and vegetable seedlings. Cuttings are struck and plants are "potted on" until needed or sold.

 

 

 P E R M A C U L T U R E   S Y S T E M

Copyright 1999 - Candlelight Farm Permaculture Education Centre - Last Updated 24 July 1999