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Austin Durant

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Austin Durant

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June 29, 2018

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jardindaustin

Spring garden update. 1. Front bed is taking nicel

Spring garden update.
1. Front bed is taking nicely (strawberry, onion, leek, purple bean); something ate the cilantro seedlings
2. Opened the coop for the first time and let the new chicks (10 weeks old) explore a larger area
3. thorny blackberry fruits are coming in!
4 & 5. Cannabis growing fast (although it's likely either male or a hermie)
.
#permaculture #urbangarden #urbangardening #zone10a #socal #southerncalifornia #backyardgarden #urbanchickens #cannabis

Finally transplanted this cannabis seed to its "fo

Finally transplanted this cannabis seed to its "forever home", a 5 gallon container. I found the seed in some flower from a gorgeous plant gifted to me by @ablovin, so I know it has good provenance!
I amended native soil (which is clayey) with compost, then added worm tea, a little urine, some chicken manure, an unhatched egg, and irrigated with rainwater. Hope this little diva appreciates the extra attention! 😍
#urbanpermaculture #cannabis #plantmedicine #urbangardening #california #zone10a #outdoorgrow #hemp #growyourown

Successful transfer of the new flock to their coop

Successful transfer of the new flock to their coop!
They're taking to the outdoors nicely, just being chickens! They haven't discovered the built-in feeder and waterer yet, and they haven't gone "upstairs" but hopefully in time their curiosity will guide them!
The older hen (from my first flock) has also been mildly curious. I'm keeping her out of the coop for now until they get to know each other.
#backyardchickens #chickens #urbanpermaculture #bielefelder #urbanchickens #zone10a

Planted the first summer bed out front! #trellis

Planted the first summer bed out front!
#trellis
#urbanpermaculture
#urbangarden
#nobaresoil
#plantguild
#zone10a
#socal
#urbangardening
#polyculture
#california
#companionplants

Chick update-- week 7. Chicks have grown big! Samm

Chick update-- week 7.
Chicks have grown big! Sammy is probably a cockerel (male). Any chicken experts out there who can confirm my suspicions? They're just about ready for the great outdoors (my backyard).
#backyardchickens #chickens #urbanpermaculture #bielefelder #urbanchickens #zone10a

Spring front yard garden update! 🌱 Created a ne

Spring front yard garden update!
🌱 Created a new raised box from the rotting beams I got last fall. Plan to plant summer annuals like tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc.
🥒 Added a hog panel trellis arch to train the squash and cukes up and provide shade in the coming long hot summer!
🪱 Refreshed the boxes with finished compost from our municipal landfill. It's free! Although I suspect it isn't very biologically active given it is a windrow hot compost product. Worm tea to the rescue!
🌱 Transplanted a small comfrey root into the hugel under the mulberry, and it seems to be doing well given all the rain we've had! I expect to have to start irrigating in the next month or so as we transition out of our wet season.
🌱 The mulberry is fruiting! And a few more of the stems are re-sprouting.
🌽 Plan to plant a few milpas in the hugel (three or four sisters, like corn-beans-squash-amaranth) after chopping and dropping the tillage radish, grass and castor plants
🌀 Still contemplating a design for an herb bed (spiral?) outside the front door, that would get half-day morning sun.
#permaculture #urbangarden #urbangardening #zone10a #socal #southerncalifornia #backyardgarden #comfrey #herbspiral

2023 "Album Cover" shot on pasture. I also got to

2023 "Album Cover" shot on pasture. I also got to meet Kevin from @pernnialpasturesranch, share some kombucha with him, and see some of his herd. Amazing local regenerative ranch!
.
#regenerativeagriculture #regenerativeranching #socal #grassfed #pastureraised #sandiego #PerennialPastures #regenerativemeat #regenerativebeef

Chick update. The sole hatcher is doing well (plum

Chick update. The sole hatcher is doing well (plump already!) I don't know its breed or gender yet; it came from a mix of eggs. I also bought three Bielefelder chicks of the same age to round out the mini-flock. That breed is easy to identify the sexes: females have the distinct "chipmunk stripes" (males don't have those stripes). They're all growing fast! Soon they'll be ready for backyard life outdoors.
.
#backyardchickens #chickens #urbanpermaculture #bielefelder #urbanchickens #zone10a

Only one of the eggs I incubated wound up hatching

Only one of the eggs I incubated wound up hatching. This one hatched on day 24. I think the humidity was too low for the others. I waited 29 days, after which I was certain they wouldn't hatch (they began to smell). I was devastated, but took it as an important lesson to pay attention to the details.
#urbanchicken #urbanchickens #backyardchickens #babychicks

Eagerly (egg-erly?) awaiting the arrival of a new

Eagerly (egg-erly?) awaiting the arrival of a new set of chicks! I got fertilized eggs and have been incubating them in this device. It's been 21 days... they should be pipping and hatching soon!
Anyone have experience with this device and with incubating their own chickens?
.
#permaculture #backyardchickens #zone10a #urbangarden #urbanchickens #sandiego #california #dryland #chickens #chickensofinstagram #incubator

Harvested this beautiful svelte 3 lb. (1.4kg) Napa

Harvested this beautiful svelte 3 lb. (1.4kg) Napa/Chinese cabbage from the annual bed out front. The leaf tips at the center of the head were turning yellow, indicating to me it's getting ready to flower. With our no-frost weather, early bolting is an issue! Anyhoo, I was right (2nd pic), it had just begun to flower, and I caught a worm red-handed! Off to the kimchi factory with you! (cabbage, not worm)
.#urbangardening #urbanpermaculture #zone10a #drylands #socal #california #regenerativeagriculture #kimchi #napacabbage #baechu

Engaged in some sheet mulching today. Gotta plant

Engaged in some sheet mulching today. Gotta plant that rain that's coming our way.
My layers for this patch:
1. Mow lawn ("weeds" haven't flowered yet so just mulched yard in place).
2. Amended with gypsum and chicken manure. (I suspect the soil lacks calcium, so critical to plant health!)
3. Cardboard
4. Wood chips!
Need a few more cubic yards, but a good start!
.
#permaculture #urbanpermaculture #mulberry #stackingfunctions #zone10a #drylands #california #sandiego #regenerativeagriculture #woodchips #planttherain #sheetmulching

Mulberry: toughest sum'bitch on the block. This p

Mulberry: toughest sum'bitch on the block.
This precocious, fast growing perennial plant (and darling of the permaculture world, due to its many uses) was thriving in my backyard, giving fruit before even turning 1. Then, construction began (September) and it was in the way. Before I knew it, it was delimbed and ripped out of the ground. Horrified at the gory scene, I replanted the severed root ball out front, in a newly planted sheet mulched area.
Then, about a week ago (early January), the first signs of life emerged. Only on one stem so far, but that's a good start!
.
#permaculture #urbanpermaculture #mulberry #stackingfunctions #zone10a #drylands #california #sandiego

I recently installed a fence around my front yard.

I recently installed a fence around my front yard. It created a new pallette on which to paint my permaculture vision! There's a pseudo-hugelkultur from a large tree that was cut down. Studying the water flows now that it's our rainy season. Plans to plant banana, mulberry, fig, lemon, olives, lavender, and more!
.
#permaculture #urbangardening #gardening #regenerativeagriculture #zone10a #california #planttherain #hugelkultur #drylands

I installed (inverted) screen filters onto my drip

I installed (inverted) screen filters onto my drip irrigation system. Now I can add liquid fertilizer (concentrated urine) directly into the line. 💛 The next time the timer runs, it automatically dilutes it and sends it to the garden! The "hardest part" (as if any part of drip irrigation is that difficult) was making adapters for the filters so that they would fit the opposite way. Thanks to @calikim29 for the inspiration!
#dripirrigation #urbangarden #zerowaste #fertigation #permaculture #zone10a #drylands #urbangardening #water #urine

Repost @darknectarcooperative Join us for our firs

Repost @darknectarcooperative
Join us for our first
~Monthly Urban Homestead Market~
(1st Sundays of the Month)
Sunday June 5, 2022
10am - 1pm
4516 North Ave in University Heights San Diego
Farm Fresh Produce, Home-made Artisan Foods, Potted Plants and Seedlings, Tejuino, Kimchi, Herbal Medicines, Broom-making, Hand-crafted Drums, and More!
Live music by greggfells
#urbanfarming #localmarket #buylocal #sandiegofarmers #herbalmedicine #plantsale #sandiego #regenerativeagriculture #urbanfarmer

Join me in western Montana, as I lead the food pre

Join me in western Montana, as I lead the food preservation track! I attended last year and am thrilled to be returning... details in link in bio 👆
Permaculture Technology Jamboree (PTJ)
June 28th-July 9th, 2022
Hands-On
Western Montana
Overview
This event provides hands-on experiences for people new to permaculture technology to collaborate, experiment, and innovate! Learn from expert instructors from a wide arrange of permaculture specialties
Build your homesteading skills
Gain hands on experience with various technologies
Join a community of other people who are bonkers about permaculture!
Format
Attendees can wander among fifteen different tracks and participate or observe as much or as little as they like. The instructors will see a project to completion in their given track.
1. Rocket: Building a Rocket Hot Tub and other Rocket devices
2. Natural Building: Cob, roundwood, plasters and paints
3. Food Preservation & Propagation (Preserve a Million Calories)
4. Terracing Dryland
5. Apothecary: Build a Robust Apothecary
6. Bodgering (Wood carving & turning)
7. Textiles
8. Permaculture Technology (solar, electric tractor, pedal powered devices)
9. Earthworks
10. SKIP (Skills to Inherit Property)
11. Homesteading
12. Drystacking Stones
13. Woodworking
14. Building a WOFATI (earth-sheltered, passive buildings)
15. Beekeeping
#permaculture #community #regenerativeagriculture #permaculturedesign #permies #montana #summercamp #drystack #homesteading #apothecary #bodger #woodworking #rocketmassheater #naturalbuilding

Building a top-bar beehive, using only on-hand mat

Building a top-bar beehive, using only on-hand materials. Design is based on a very thoughtful plan from the Barefoot Beekeeper in the UK (biobees dot com). Available free on his website! Still debating whether to start my own hive, or just give this away (space limitations on my property, and strict ordinance rules for keeping urban bees here). What should I do? Leave a comment beelow. 🐝
.
#beekeeping #urbangardening #permaculture #pollinators #naturalbeekeeping #zone10a #california #sandiego #beehive #diy #internationalbeeday #worldbeeday

Stinging Nettle tea! This infusion is super simple

Stinging Nettle tea! This infusion is super simple. I finally had some nettle "weeds" in my yard, so I took advantage. Made some tea by infusing the entire plant in boiling water overnight, then straining out (a sprout lid works perfectly).
#growyourownfood #urbangarden #permaculture #eatyourweeds #urbangardening #tea #nettletea #stingingnettle #zone10a #sandiego

I installed a "RO in a box" for my outdoor garden

I installed a "RO in a box" for my outdoor garden sink. All the equipment fits inside a tote, and I ran the lines through the handle, so the lid snaps shut, too! The "concentrated" (i.e. dirty) water is also diverted back into the garden. Portable, good for drinking water. This is hooked up to the city water line. Next up: getting a scalable version that can water the garden; and also filtering rainwater.
How do you filter your irrigation water?
#urbanpermaculture #urbangarden #permaculture #irrigation #water #waterislife #diy #reverseosmosis

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