How to Create a Food Forest in the Midwest – Part 1

Why a Food Forest?

In a culture that encourages us to have more money, bigger toys, larger savings, new cloths, and an endless supply of technological gadgets, we should be stepping back and asking, “why?” Do we really need one more gadget? Do we need another nick-knack? Do we need the latest cell phone or computer? Do we actually need the new shirt or pair of shoes or could we just simply wear the ones we already have? We have been trained by a consumer-based culture that more is better.

The reality is that most of these items we are collecting have a short shelf-life. Even our savings accounts, retirement funds, and inheritances we will fade in a relatively short time. Maybe they will last a few years, a few decades, or if we are are extremely wealthy they might last a generation or two. In the context of a century… our stuff will be gone in a heartbeat. But, what if we could pass on a legacy that would last 50-100 years or more? What if our legacy could provide food, shelter, and play areas for your children or grandchildren? What if our legacy provide pollination for wildlife, shelter for birds and animals, and purified the air? What if we could leave a legacy that actually provided a source of LIFE?

In my humble opinion, one of the most practical ways to accomplish a legacy of this caliber is to plant a midwest food forest. In permaculture, we use this phrase to describe a forest of edible and restorative plants working in harmony with one another.

What is a Food Forest?

Generally speaking, every forest is jam packed with edible fruit trees, nuts, berries, and fungi. Over hundreds of years, natural succession helps establish these systems and create a healthy and balanced growing environment. Using permaculture, we are essentially designing a system that works in tandem with nature to speed up the process. Instead of productive abundance taking 100 years to be established, we can design it to take only a handful of years. A food forest uses intelligent design to restore and remediate land that would otherwise take centuries to return to a normal state. Instead of working against nature to maintain a mono crop, perfectly green lawn, or a patterned landscape of tropical annuals, we use perennial species that will last foe year. This is especially useful in areas that have suburban forests, because in most cities our forested areas are only 50-70 years old (at best). Historically speaking, many wooded areas were harvested between 1940-1975 for lumber and then either naturally regrew or were replanted. Even the city land behind my house in Kansas City, MO is a fairly young forest and only has a handful of old growth oak trees that are older than 100 years.

A note on removal of invasive species:

Most of the forests in the Midwestern city areas are in similar shape and are nearly all facing the invasive honeysuckle bush invasion. Amur honeysuckle, or Lonicera maackii, was introduced to gardens in New York in the late 1800’s and by 1924 was already labeled as “weedy species”. Since then, it has spread throughout the east coast and midwest and it’s shrub-like structure shades out low growing species in younger forests. It’s red berries are generally ingested by bird species and the seed spread in their stool to other areas. Removing this species is often the first step for Midwesterners starting a food forest.

Once the invasive species has been removed, the land is ready for replanting and reforestation.

How to Plant the Food Forest – Part 1

1 – Land Preparation: In our recent project, we had a great deal of invasive honeysuckle to remove, which was obviously very time consuming. Digging it up is the most effective way, but you can also use a chain saw and cut it off at the ground. When you cut it, you will have to use chemicals to kill the root or it will simply grow back. Obviously, I prefer NOT using herbicides, but there are some natural alternatives that contain orange oil, agricultural grade vinegar (15-30%), and epsom salts.

It’s imperative to properly rid the area of the invasive species, because skipping this step will allow the old species to return and choke out all of your design work. When removing undergrowth species, I prefer to do it in early spring so it’s warm enough to work and you don’t have to worry about ticks or fighting through the leaf growth. If you are fortunate enough to have goats, they will take care of the leaves and branches, but you’ll still need to dig out the root or it will grow back quickly.

The second step in preparing the land is to examine your soil and structure. This is your time to consider amendments. You can bring in compost from a local company, collect fallen leaves from your fall clean-up, add bone or blood meal, or sulphur for acid loving areas. Before adding anything to the soil itself, make sure you are testing and observing your site. Get to know the land you are working with and begin with the end in mind. Know the type of soil your plants will prefer, so you can create the right environment for them.

midwest food forest — Cleared plot for a newly planted food forest in Kansas City, MO

2 – Plan out your design: For every project, I generally need about 10-15 hours of preparation and research before I even begin planting. Winter months are a great time to do this, because we often are not outside as much. Research species according to your soil type (acidity, organic matter, etc.) and carefully consider how much water will be retained in that area. Factor in sun exposure both in it’s current state, but also imagine the area once the plants have reached their mature sizes. How might this change your design?

Once I have the basic questions answered, I can then start looking at individual species and seeing what looks good together on paper. I will go through 3-5 different designs and purposely make myself change out some of the species in order to think outside of the box. Here are a few factors to consider:

What is my top story tree? Will it produce nut or fruit? Will that impact my soil acidity over time? How tall will my center piece trees get? Will that impact my shade?
Do my understory trees or shrubs have compatible soil requirements?
How it my spacing? What will this look like in 3 years? In 10 years?
Do I have at least 4 layers in my food forest?
Have I including at least one nitrogen fixing plant in my system (legume, locust tree, clover, etc.)?
Is there multi-seasonal interest for the eye? For nature?
Have I considered season-long pollination?
Do the plants that I have selected require a male and female plant for fruiting?
Do my colors and leaf textures work well together?

Finalizing Your Midwest Food Forest Design

Once you have created a few different drawings of your layout, I would recommend sitting on it for a few days and then coming back to it later. Run the ideas by a friend and get their feedback. When I was initially planning my layout, I incorporated too many alkaline loving plants next to my blue berries, which do best with slightly acidic soils. I was so focused on the fruit and berries that I liked, and the way they would look together, that I missed a pretty big piece of the puzzle. The result would have been an environment where likely neither would have thrived, so I was relieved to have the insight from another permaculture eye.

Before planting, plant on spending at least 10 hours of researching and planning out your design. As you plan, research various species, their growing zones, and read the reviews of others online. Often plants will say they will work in certain zones, but after a few years of consumer reviews, they change the rating on the species. For this reason, I tend to stay away from varieties that have not been tested in my region or ones that I am unable to find adequate reviews.

Personally, I like to order plants from places with one zone colder climate, so I know they can take the various types of weather we experience in the Midwest (KCMO).

The second part of this article will be available next week, including a few options in planting species for a wood-edge (sun/shade) area with clay soil structure. In the upcoming article you’ll learn how to amend the soil, perform bio-remediation for areas that may have had pollutants, and how to space the plants appropriately. The next article will include pictures of a newly planted food forest and close up pictures of the various species used in it’s design.

January 17, 2017January 17, 2017

People Care: Practicing Permaculture for Kids | by Kris Edler

Of the three tenets of permaculture, as depicted by Bill Mollison, the notion of “people care” is, perhaps, the most essential. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my journey in permaculture (permanent culture / agriculture) is in focusing my efforts on the next generation. Let’s be clear, this is not an article about global warming, the melting ice caps, or a lesson in how to recycle more. There are plenty of well-researched articles written by scholars who have given their lives to such topics. This is about the importance of permaculture for kids. This article comes from my own experience working in youth ministry, 15 years in education, and as a neighbor with seemingly revolving doors on his house so the kids can come and get snacks before seeing the chickens.

Regardless of your beliefs regarding global warming and the many political agendas surrounding it, the reason you clicked this article is because you care about kids. So, based on that fact alone, we have something in common. This common ground allows us to have a healthy dialogue about WHY we do what we do. At the foundation of my journey in permaculture is the value of interacting with kids in order to help them be a part of a community that seeks to better the world they will one day inherit. These kids are not just future leader of tomorrow. They are tomorrow’s leaders – TODAY. They are impacting the world around them with vigor and passion.

Classrooms, worms, and the conversations with kids

kids in nature wildflowers — Junior High student from our school permaculture class on a wildflower hunt

As an educator for the last 15 years, I have taught in public / private school classrooms. I have been a keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences and seminars. I have written school curriculum and served as student council advisor for 10 years. In spite of platforms, I have learned that the most meaningful conversations often do not take place in the classroom or surrounding an assignment on Ralph Waldo Emerson (though I love his work). The most heartfelt times did not take place in a prom planning meeting or even at our end of the year parties. Those events were memorable and exciting, but I tell you, the most profound conversations took place outside, in nature, and usually in the garden. Something profoundly different took place during the times I worked with students in the garden and their hands hit the soil.

When these young adults came outside and their hands hit the flowerbeds, their guards went down, their defenses lowered, and their hearts opened up. Conversations would range from home and family, sports to God, and from dreams to fears. Whether we were out feeding chickens or chopping down wood in the forest beside the school, those moments were the most meaningful in my career as an educator. So, what did I learn? I learned that the sowing into the next generation is more than just giving them an assignment – it is sowing seeds with them.

Kids don’t need another manager – they need mentors

So, how then do we learn to be centered on the next generation? Simply put, we take time to care. Kids spell “love”, T-I-M-E. That is it. Take time to talk, weed slower, and get less done. To be honest, when I worked with 27 junior high students in my gardening class, I quickly learned that I could get more work done in 2 hours on my own than after a week of having them do it with me. However, speed is not the goal. Quality of weeding is not always the litmus test for impact.

If we want to change a life, we have to be willing to value families before we value function. We have to value people before a project.

People Care in Permaculture

This core value of permaculture addresses the fuel for our projects. The reason we care for the earth is so that we can leave it as good or better for the kids who will live long after us. We want them to experience a better world in which they can experience a greater level of abundance than we have. Just think, when you were a child, kids rode bikes in the streets, would play out in the woods until the sunset, and would roam the neighborhoods as though it was their kingdom. We did not have to worry about a fraction of what kids today are faced with. And today, parents are terrified to let their kids go outside alone in many suburban areas. We need to impact our communities far beyond new recycling bins or switching to reusable shopping bags. If we think that stopping there is going to make a difference, we are kidding ourselves and petting our wounds by drinking overpriced coffee. Instead of settling for merely recycling to do our part, we need to be regenerative in our approach in order to reverse the damage we have already done. No longer is it enough for us to be “organic”, but we now need to restore the broken systems that even the USDA accepts as “certified organic”. Regenerative agriculture can no longer be a novelty form of gardening, it needs to become the norm if we are going to fix the damage we have done to our neighborhoods.

People care in permaculture is not only the “why” in caring for the earth, but it’s also the “why” behind the fair share aspect of permaculture. We want families to receive based on what they have sown. In permaculture, we seek to see families supplied for, fed well, educated to the highest degree, and kids receiving the support system they deserve. Each of the values in the permaculture system are hinged on the value we have for people – primarily kids.

Permaculture for Kids :: How to Step Out This Year

Instead of merely gardening in your backyard this year, invite your kids (or grand kids) to join you. You might not weed as quickly, and you might need to buy a few boxes of bulk popsicles at Costco, but it will be worth it. Here are a few ideas to get you started with the kid friendly garden. The seeds you sow by opening up your garden to others will produce a much greater fruit that you could put on your table. Don’t get me wrong, it does have its challenges, but even those are not insurmountable. I am a single 35 year old guy, and can tell you that even the single community can invite neighbors from the houses next door to take part. If you don’t have neighbors, find a foster care home to serve or invite over, or call your local Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization. If people care is important to you, make time for it.

Don’t settle for a flower for one. Grow a garden for all.

January 15, 2017January 16, 2017

Lessons in Lifestyle Permaculture | by Kris Edler

Seasons of change and transition are often challenging to navigate, no matter how many seasons of life one has experienced. As I am in the midst of one of those seasons myself, I am continually asking myself, “Why is this so challenging?” The answer to that is so simple, it is often overlooked. In short – People. People and relationships are complex, ever-changing, and the most precious commodity in the universe. Learning to navigate our journeys while being centrally focused on people are essential tools in a permaculturists belt. These lessons in lifestyle permaculture are a reflection of one of the core components of the practice – People Care. While many articles, blogs, and videos teach the earth care and money making principles of permaculture, the aspects of inter-personal relationships are often underplayed. When ignored though, the system goes out of balance. In most cases, earth care is the “what”, fair share is the “how”, and people care is the “why”. Without the foundational WHY being cultivated, the practices we build on top do not matter that much.

Have you ever been in a season of life when you lost your WHY?

In 2007, I was a part of a group of educators who helped found a small private school in South Kansas City. Over the last decade, The Daniel Academy went from 65 students to over 300. We purchased 18.5 acres of land in the city and an old church campus to hold our classes. Immediately, mentoring these young adults became my “why” and the fuel for my teaching job. Everything I did from that point forward was for kids and to see them thrive in the context of healthy families. Creating a school that was more of a community than an educational sphere became a foundational value that I functioned from. In 2010, we started a gardening and permaculture class for the junior high and high school students, and every quarter had between 5-35 students, depending on the season. Over the years, I can still tell you which students planted which nut tree groves, which families paid for and planted the apple trees, which students planted the wildflowers, and who helped plant the understory in the food forest. I can still picture some of my first students, Graham, Christopher, Becca, Bria, and Austin out in the courtyard planting Missouri native wildflowers.

This year, for multiple reasons, I came to the realization that my time at the school was nearing an end. I had been sensing the transition and have a burning desire to take the impossible step into “the next assignment” (forgive my teacher talk). I am not the first one to have been here, nor will I be the last. We have all been there, in that painful place between the last season of life and the ambiguous next season. We have all felt the intense series emotions that accompany transition and asked the question, “How in the world am I ever going to get there?” The answer, like most in life, can be found in the garden. Permaculture practice does not end at the garden gate, in fact, it often begins there.

It is important to embrace tough seasons, challenging relationships, and trying times. After all, the very best gardens have a foundation of crap.

Lessons in Lifestyle Permaculture

Here are a few of the lessons in lifestyle permaculture that I have been learning. Perhaps it will help others in learning to navigate their seasons from one garden to the next.

1 – Understand your WHY

For me personally, I have always thought I was project driven. I thrive when there is a large task, project, or an event to plan. My heart comes alive in doing acts of service for others and being able to see them loved well. In December 2016, when I moved my desk, some of the chickens, and my other belongings out of the private school and into my home, I began to reimagine my ideal backyard set up. It was my opportunity to give order to my own castle. So, I arranged my desk to look at the back window, and had the chickens in the perfect line of sight. I rearranged my shed and garage, and started drawing up the next phase in my urban permaculture yard. It was / is a picturesque set-up that I can find few practical faults with. The last two weeks, looking out from my desk, I had a profound realization…

I do not like chickens that much. Even heavier… I do not really enjoy permaculture (itself) as much as I thought. Believe me, I was shocked. For three days, I sat and pondered while I continued to clean and organize, until the realization hit me. There are no sounds – no people. At the school, I was surrounded by kids, teachers, families, and parents. Every twenty minutes someone would come into my office to sit, talk, or just hang out. At the time, those interruptions were annoying and seemingly inconvenient. Now, being at home, I have realized that those students, kids, and families were the WHY behind the projects.

It’s true, I raised chickens primarily because it gave me a platform to interact with students. I taught 11-12th grade English because I loved seeing the “ah-ha” moments on their faces. I worked in my office with the door open so that parents and kids could come inside and visit. In fact, I even studied permaculture to give me a connect point with families outside of the traditional classroom. This entire time, I thought the projects, hugel-swales, raised beds, writing assignments, and books were my passion, but I was wrong. I misunderstood my own passion, which was really caring for PEOPLE.

2 – Strengthen remaining connections and build new ones

When undergoing seasons of transition, take Bill Mollison’s advise, “For every element, establish 3-4 connections.” Often when our life experiences change, we focus on what was lost. We look too heavily on the “sink” or the waste. This is easy to do, because we experience a sense of grief and mourning, which is healthy and normal – for a moment. Instead of staying in the place of loss though, we must look to what remains. Strengthen the connections that have weathered the storm, because often times those are the most healthiest points anyway. In an ice storm, the branches that break off are often the ones that likely needed pruning anyway. Focus on restructuring from the remaining framework and make additional connections to strengthen that which remains.

Often times, remaining connections will experience stress and pain, but instead of ignoring it, tend to it. Let the wound have “sensation”, because it’s a sign of life still existing there. Apply healing salve to broken limbs, set bones right again, and prune back the dead leaves. Focus on the trunk and root system and be prepared to nurture it over a period of time. Yes, recovery takes nurture, and most importantly, nurture from community.

Use these times of transition to build new connections. Add limited additional elements to your system. Not only will this help you learn something new in the process, but it will also take your mind off your circumstances. Instead of focusing on the valleys, look up to the hills and find the longest-highest contour point (where the water comes from). So, let’s be practical. In times of life transition, embrace relationships where you can be vulnerable. Let people call you higher. Invite people into your home, even if they don’t invite you first. Make the phone calls you have been dragging your feet on, and try a new project or two in order to keep the hands busy. Don’t shrink back – take a step forward.

3 – Think long-term and begin with the end in mind

Seasons of loss are followed by rebirth. Death is not the end, but rather a beginning. In the garden, when sometimes dies, we do not throw it away and remove it from our property. We compost it and re-add it back into our system in a changed (often healthier) form. Even diseased plants can be composted, but need to be treated with a higher core temperature to kill the bacteria, but after a short time (18-days in the Berkley method) the compost can be generally re-added to the garden without fear.

lessons in lifestyle permaculture — Vision Board Night 2017

One of the practical strategies in lifestyle permaculture is to begin with the end in mind. If you want a long-term food forest to feed your children, don’t limit yourself today by only planting lettuce and tomatoes. In our every day life, one of the practical tools I use is creating a vision board. As yesterday was National Vision Board Day, I had 15-20 folks over last night to just dream about their futures and get a little creative. Participants cut images and words out of newspaper and magazines, and glued them on their own vision boards to hang up in their offices, closets, and bedrooms. Keeping the longterm vision in front of us on a daily basis helps keep our eyes fixed on the bigger picture and allows us to visualize what the future might look like. For me, seeing my vision board every day helps me make smaller decisions that are like “steps” toward the bigger goal.

4 – The problem is often the seed of the solution

Problems are real and cause stress. Conflicts are painful. Relationship bumps are challenging and stir the heart. Emotions, both positive and negative, are real and should be experienced without shame. Getting stuck in the place of pain is obviously never the goal, but glossing over it is not helpful either. Often times, the pain points we experience in transitional times are the seeds that we need for the days ahead. I remember Geoff Lawton saying, “You don’t have a slug problem, you have a duck deficiency.” The slugs are natural parts of the ecosystem and should not be reason to burn an entire crop at the first sign of their presence. Their presence is an indicator that the system is in need of attention and nurture to bring it back into balance. The problem is often the solution. Those slugs, with the introduction of ducks, can be turned into eggs, meat, and fertilizer. Not to mention, those problematic slugs provide hours of entertainment for families when we get to watch the ducks on a feeding frenzy. The problems do not indicate the end or death; instead they merely indicate a system which needs nurture (not neglect).

When using permaculture as a lifestyle model, ask yourself some key questions about the problems you are facing:

A – What is the pain point I am experiencing? Why does it matter to me?

B – What is the opposite of this pain point? How can I build toward this to create a better reality?

C – What type of nurture is needed in order to bring about this change? What connections need strengthening? What pests / diseases need to be “heated up” in order to bring back the balance.

5 – Polyculture not Monoculture

In the garden, planting a mono-crop is often easier in the short-term. It requires no other connections with plants, little thinking, and can be accomplished in a short amount of time. In the long-term though, the mono-crops experience nutrient deficiencies, devastating disease, require fertilization, etc. When the mono-crop is finished producing it’s fruit, it is done. Nothing next. In contract, a polyculture with multiple, perennial species, a different approach is taken. It takes more careful planning, time to evolve, and a little nurture, but it will create a balanced and self-sustaining system that has perennial abundance. Polyculture systems experience less disease, continue fruit and supply, and a supply for both humans, insects, and animals. Polyculture systems create the platform for abundance.

When crisis arises in our personal lives, we often bunker down and try to hide ourselves away. After a rough day in the office, I would frequently go home and have a glass of wine and a PINT of Ben and Jerry’s Ice-cream. Nursing my wounds with ice-cream is an unfortunate go-to, but is usually followed the next day with regret. Likewise, instead of isolating ourselves in our momentary hang-ups, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in the place of community is a much healthier approach. When your brother falls down, stretch out a hand to help him up. When a neighbor is cold, give them a blanket and food. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sounds simple, but it is much easier said than done. It requires us to establish and nurture connections, and be vulnerable. That risk is always worth it.

It is all about the WHY

At the end of the day, what I have discovered in this season of transition is that understanding our foundational WHY is the key to thriving in times of change. For me, these lessons in lifestyle permaculture have taught me to value family before function. People are the foundation stones for any project, and at the very center of my being is an innate desire to be in family and a part of a community who is in it for the long-haul. For me, that is permanent culture. People care is the foundation of my journey in permaculture.

Why do I do permaculture? I believe that families today deserve the very best food, produced in the very best way, and that kids deserve to live in a community that is flourishing with abundance. I do permaculture because when I leave the earth, I want to leave it to the next generation BETTER than I found it, which means that merely “organic” is not enough anymore. We need regenerative systems to heal the damage we have already caused. Millennials, we are way past the point of needing “sustainability” and organic food – we need a culture that heals families, land, and hearts. We have to leave this planet better than we found it or we have failed. Because of our endless greed, narcissism, and egocentrism – we will have failed the ones who will come after us. This is why permaculture is more than tomatoes – it’s about a legacy.

November 19, 2016December 20, 2016

Overcoming Permaculture Destination Addiction Part 2 | by Kris Edler

Because permaculturists are are often futuristic in thinking, it’s easy to get excited about the future and miss the opportunity where we are in the moment. Many times, I find myself day dreaming so much about the mature food forest I will one day steward and I miss the fact that I need to be applying compost to the soil today. In the first part of these series on Overcoming Permaculture Destination Addiction, we talk about how to BE right where your feet are and to enjoy the plot of land you are stewarding today.

In order to stay in our power-allies, we have to set up careful parameters in order to keep ourselves focused and living intentionally. When a permaculturist is focused the system thrives with intelligent design and abundance. When we get distracted, we end up with 30 half-finished projects around the property. Learn how to select the most important projects here, with “Five Keys to Healthy Building”. For me, there are three dangers that often creep up that are easy derailments of my efforts. These dangers have applications both in and outside of the garden.

Danger #1: Planting Outside of Your Zone

We have all been at the greenhouse and saw “THE PLANT”. You know the one… it’s the one you don’t have in your garden that is so perfect and exotic that you absolutely have to buy it. Even if the plant is just outside of our growing zone, we usually still buy it with the thought in mind that we can nurture it, mulch, or maybe even take it in the greenhouse for the winter. The fact remains, the plant often looks good at the plant store, because it was just shipped there from Florida and is full of fertilizers. That is a short lived reality. Once those two factors wear off, we all know how the story goes – the plant struggles in our midwest garden, will sometimes make it through one winter, but is usually a pitiful stem in the second season…and dead shortly thereafter. A mistake I have made more than once myself.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fun to plant outside of our planting zone and sometimes (rare as it may be), we can make it work. However, there is a reason those planting zones exist. That zone is what is optimal for the plants growth and ability to thrive. Yes, the little plant might survive in your garden, but the chances of it thriving in a system it wasn’t intended for are slim. As a gardener, I have to deny myself the momentary pleasure of buying that tropical plant in order to give it a better chance in the system it was created for. Zones exist for a reason – they are the unspoken boundaries of the landscape that allow for abundance. We cannot simply erase these invisible lines simply because we desire the tropical tree enough. We cannot wish away the boundaries that nature has drawn.

Danger #2: Letting Books Frame Your Reality

When I first started researching permaculture, one of the ideal trophies many people touted on about were their “herb spirals”. These seemed to be the golden children of permaculture design that everyone wanted to have. As I read my first few books, I started to think to myself, “If I don’t have one of the spirals like this – I’m going to be a bad permaculturist.” So, during my first PDC, I was waiting for Geoff Lawton to introduce the concept, however, when he finally talked about it, he told us upfront that it was NOT a design for everyone. Lawton actually tried to talk us out of creating one before he gave the mechanics of designing it. He specifically said, “there are some growing scenarios that make it a really wise choice, but there are 10 other scenarios that make it a permaculture fantasy.” They key to a healthy system is doing what IS right, not creating something because it FEELS right. So what makes it right? The system. It is the difference between a system being able to sustain an element and the element actually being good for the system as a whole, where they both thrive because of its introduction.

Just because it’s do-able in someone else’s system, does not mean that it is the best course of action for your scenario.

Danger #3: Jumping the Gun

One of the hardest lessons I have learned in permaculture is that real growth takes real time. Real abundance takes ground work above all else. I have planted hundreds of trees and bushes the last few years, and some of them do really well while others thrive. The difference is generally found in how much time I spend nurturing the soil vs. how much time I spend playing the with leaves. On the trees which I have mulched, wood-chipped, composted, and sprayed with beneficial micro-organisms, I see immense growth and health. However, there are some trees that I focused on foliar sprays which have really struggled. The lesson learned regarding my apple trees is to allow 3-5 years of root growth on new fruiting trees BEFORE allowing them to have fruit set. This creates a tree that will be healthy for 100 years, but requires me to forgo the momentary pleasures of a few apples. The waiting process is painful, but it’s worth it in the end.

This month, I took some young 7th grade students out to the apple trees to look at the branches during the fall. On the trees, you can see the buds setting for the next season. I told them how we have been waiting for several years to have apples, because the focus has been on root growth, and how next year there will finally be apples! Here is the Facebook post I wrote that day:

“…Because I am a garden nerd, I know that next year I will have more apple blossoms than ever before. I can see the bud set starting this fall for the next year. We are nearly past the tree infancy stages and entering our first production years. We have labored hard to create the soil that they could thrive in, and have provided companion planting guilds to ensure a healthy eco-system. All the while, we have strategically plucked the blossoms and early fruit to prevent apples from forming the first few years. However, this fall, I see buds forming for next year that we will allow to produce fruit! The promise of fruit – finally! If I open up the buds to take a peek at the promises before their time, I cannot simply close them back up and hope for them to bear later. Once opened, they cannot be closed. The buds need the hardening off of the winter to prepare for the year ahead. Otherwise, should I act in haste, the fruit sets will fall to the ground. As a gardener, I watch and wait, and I do my part today to tend the soil and provide a covering.”

Overcoming Permaculture Destination Addiction

So, be patient. Wait. Tend the soil where you. Be wise. Observe the plot of land that you are responsible for stewarding and ask yourself what is best not only for the individual tree, but also the planting build; not only what is good for the guild, but also the system as a whole. Be where are you are right now and care for the plot of land you are responsible for.

Don’t worry about what land you are going to steward in the next 10 years, just enjoy today and get outside in the garden.

November 19, 2016December 20, 2016

Permaculture Destination Addiction Part 1 | by Kris Edler

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, unless you are a permaculture ninja, then the food forest is always more established on the other side of the hugelkultur swale. Whether you own 300 acres in the country or 1/4 acre in the city, I am sure we have all had the occasional case of property envy. This happened to me immediately as I started my permaculture design course (PDC) with Geoff Lawton. I started researching properties all over the United States that would provide the environment for the ideal food forest. As I went through the PDC, I started imagining swales, 7-layered systems, hugel-beds, herb spirals, and the multiple zones for growing and production. Unfortunately, those moments of dreaming quickly made me realize that I wasn’t happy where I was. I had a horrible case of destination addiction… permaculture destination addiction.

It is easy to get lost in the fantasy of “if I only had that property, then I would…”. Though it is helpful to dream, it is also dangerous if we allow ourselves to stay there. Not only do we have the opportunity to be happy and fulfilled where we are, but we also have the ability to experience abundance. Bob Fraser, a Christian leadership author, says, “Your ministry is right where your feet are.” In the case of the permaculture ninja, our opportunity for abundance is right where we stand. It is true, I might own another property in 20 years that will be very different than the ones I manage now. However, the reality is that I am stewarding land right now that needs my care, attention, and focus. I need to build right where I am as though I were going to be there for the next 70 years. I need to live in the present and not in the possibilities of the future.

What system are you stewarding today?

A permaculture friend of mine has a stunning little property in a suburban area that has a lot of old growth. He has hickory, oak, large maple, etc. Because of his desire to build a picture perfect permaculture property, he is longing to put in a food forest. He wants all seven layers with each one expressed in a way that it looks like a picture of Sepp Holtzer’s property. However, with the amount of old growth and shade he has on his property, having a 7-layer system is just not reality. He would have to cut down sections of the old growth to allow more sunlight and would need to amend the soil because of the high tannins in the acorns. In essence, he would need to kill off part of his 150+ year old system in order to add in a few bushes and understory shrubs. IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!

J.R.R. Tolkien says, “He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.”

Be where you are – Avoid Permaculture Destination Addiction

Instead of fighting against the natural succession that has already taken place on the property, he has the opportunity to work with nature instead of against it. Instead of the 7-layer system, he could be expanding the understory to include gooseberries, currants, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, etc. Instead of a regular vegetative layer, he has a property that would be perfect for mushroom production. He has a stunning overstay for raising chickens, ducks, turkey, or goats in the dappled shade of the forest. The maple trees are mature enough to be tapped for syrup, and the acorns are attracting the neighborhood deer and wildlife for hunting. This may not be a 7-layer food forest, but it really is a horse of a different color. There is a rare and unique system being offered right where his feet are.

Overcoming the temptation to “be” somewhere else is much easier said than done. Personally, I could spend all day dreaming about the future, white-boarding it out and making new designs. however, when I do that, my current system goes into chaos because I am not tending the garden the way that I should. Creating designs and white-boarding is an excellent practice, I outline a few tips on how to do it here, but we have to overcome the planning paralysis and become people of action and intelligent design.

Action, for a permaculturist, has to be not only balanced, but also optimized to express earth care, people care, and fair share. Our actions in the garden should pass the following questions:

1 – Am I doing what is right for this plant by creating an environment for it to thrive?

2 – Am I doing what is right for the companion planting guild that surrounds this plant?

3 – Am I doing what is best for the system as a whole?

Notice these questions do not involve topics primarily focused on the gardener. I am only one element in the system, and that system is quite simply bigger than I am. The questions are not asking, “Are avocados my favorite fruit?” This question has merit, sure, I want to grow something I enjoy. However, the reality is that I live in Missouri, so growing an avocado is not what’s best for the tree or the system as a whole…no matter how much I enjoy guacamole. In Missouri though, I can grow annual tomatoes, peppers, and other ingredients for salsa. I can grow perennial stone fruits for apple pie, berries for preserves, and grains for bread. Instead of focusing on avocados, it is best for me to appreciate the ground my feet are standing on right now. It’s best for me to intelligently design the system I am in and ask the healthy questions of how to optmimize it for abundance. Maybe in the future I will be in a system for avocados to thrive, but it is not today.

Because permaculturists are are often futuristic in thinking, it is easy to get excited in the moment and miss the opportunity where we are. There are three dangers that a young permaculturist or gardener should be careful of in order to create a healthy system. These are carefully outlined in part two of the Destination Addiction series, which you can read here.

Now, stop reading and get outside and into the garden!

November 13, 2016

Overcoming Planning Paralysis | by Kris Edler

As a type-A, leadership driven, slightly OCD personality, I know what it is like to get stuck in the planning phase of the building process. This brain freeze in the midst of a project is often referred to as planning paralysis. Overcoming planning paralysis is something that every good permaculturist struggles with at some point in time. From the very beginning of my permaculture journey, PDC leader, Geoff Lawton taught me that, “for every hour of work on a new project, you should have 10 hours of planning and observation.” At first, I thought, “NO WAY!” After all, I am a doer, a mover, and a shaker… not a philosopher. However, after realizing just how easy it is to walk around a property and get lost in your thoughts, or how fast time flies when you go out to the chicken coop “for a minute”…I quickly found the wisdom in his words.

Chicken tractor system on contour — Chicken system on contour

One of my favorite ways of thinking through a new process or idea is by using a white board. I have one in my office, another two 8′ wide ones in the meeting room, and a portable one in my shed. Wait… I also have one portable one in my car and another one at home in the front closet incase an idea hits me in the evening. Sure, I use a whiteboard app on my iPhone, but honestly I prefer the size and functionality of using the markers.

How Do We Overcome Planning Paralysis?

In the past, when finishing an idea, I would let the board sit and sometimes erase it without following through on any of the components. The nagging fear in the back of my head has always been, “What if I forget something and mess it up? Maybe it’s better to wait until I have the perfect plan before starting anything.” Regardless of how much planning I do though – I will forget something and will find things I want to improve upon. Period. No plan is ever going to be perfect and no prototype is going to be the end-all-be-all. So, how do we then get out of the project planning phase and start overcoming planning paralysis?

Using white boards to overcome project paralysis

Step 1 – Think with Strategy

Embrace the inner planning addict and let yourself have whiteboard time. Think, dream, and go big! Look for problematic areas and potential hang-ups. Examine the possible fruitfulness of the project and who you might include on your project dream team. Draw pictures, diagrams, make lists, and color code with 11 different colors of markers. GO FOR IT! Tweak one part of your process though, and add a column in your brainstorming for “Steps to Get Started”. The addition of this simple column in your planning will help you formulate the initial strategies for moving forward. Sure, the idea might fail, but at least you will know how to get moving.

Step 2 – Bring Someone Along with You

Even if you never want to pursue the idea, take someone else along with you for the ride – a student, intern, family member, friend, or co-worker. It is always good to have an extra eye on a project, but it is even more beneficial to have someone who can see things differently than you. Don’t bring someone with you who will agree with everything you say. Remember, you want to examine a full-spectrum. At the end of the brainstorming session, maybe you decide the project is not for you, but it’s possible that the person thinking along with you will want to take it on (or know someone who could). Fruitful conversations deserve their seeds to be planted.

Step 3 – Take a Picture of Your Brainstorming

Do not erase the board and walk away! Take a picture of your work to capture it “as is”. This visual can often be helpful to look back on, especially if there are images or diagrams. Plus, it is fun to look back on concept drawings from previous projects after a few years. Trust me, you can learn a lot from your own drawings and note-taking.

Step 4 – Type it Out

The last two steps are the most important in overcoming planning paralysis. After you have taken the picture of your brainstorming time, type it out. This simple step makes it searchable on your computer, easy to send to others, and helps make the process more streamlined. Often times when white boarding, we think conceptually. Something happens when we start typing and our brain begins to make things more linear. A natural process begins to develop and clear steps begin to form. The fact is, the pictures and images of the white boards often get lost in our photo albums of 400,000 other pictures of kids, trees, and mushrooms. However, making a digital file folder to organize your dreaming can give you the ability to go back and search them later.

Step 5 – Take Actionable Step Toward the Goal

The last step is the most important in the process of overcoming planning paralysis. Take a practical and actionable step. It doesn’t have to be huge or involve a bunch of money. Your step might simply be to share the idea with another person. Projects that involve people get traction. Remember, every good idea is like a seed that deserves a chance to be planted. Who knows what fruit might come of your actions, but if you never try – you will never find out.

Let’s start planning and see what happens! For more information on Healthy Building, click here.

September 11, 2016December 20, 2016

What to do with Wood Ashes from the Campfire | Kris Edler

What to do with Wood Ashes from the Campfire

I recently spent the weekend burning brush from a tree that fell on our permaculture test site at The Daniel Academy. At the end of the weekend, I realized I had a small problem involving the amount of wood ashes remaining after the fire had long cooled. In permaculture, one of the keys I learned from my PDC leader, Geoff Lawton, is that “the problem is often the solution.” So, I asked myself what to do with the wood ashes from the campfire that remained? How could I give those nutrients back to my environment in a useful way?

When looking around a permaculture property, there are many uses for wood ash which can be a great source of nutrients for your soil. However, it’s important to know that with wood ash, your kindergarten teacher was right in saying, “A little dab will do ya.” Use only a small amount and increase after a few weeks to make sure your soil pH says in the safe zone. The reason for this is that ashes are extremely alkaline on the pH scale.

Wood Ash is Highly Alkaline

pH for vegetables — best pH for vegetable garden

Because wood ash is a high pH (often 9-13), we have to carefully consider what to do with ashes in our garden. Optimal soils for most vegetable gardens have a pH of 6.0-7.2, so adding something like wood ashes can have a drastic effect on pH and do so very quickly. However, using it appropriately can really help nature walk out it’s course of keeping your soil in balance.

Wood ashes are naturally occurring in nature and are a great way for nature to “reset” an environment. In the Great Plains, the Kiowa Nations would often do controlled burns in order to reset and manage the land. Next comes California, as devastating as wild fires can be to homes, it’s actually natures way of resetting the damaged landscape and ridding it of invasive annuals that we have brought to the area. In upstate Washington, the fires clear out understory and add nutrients back to the soil to feed the remaining old growth forests. This being said, though fire can be a source of destruction, it’s also a source of life in certain circumstances.

Nutrients in Wood Ash

Potassium and potash are two of the prime nutrients are available from wood ash. The burning process makes them readily available for absorption by your plants. In fact, potash is so soluble that if it gets wet between the burning process and the time you spread it on your plants, much of the nutrient value will have leeched into the nearby soil.

You can learn more about how to improve your garden soil here: Ways to Improve Garden Soil

How to Use Ashes in the Garden

There are countless ways to use wood ashes in your garden and around your property, but understanding the soil make-up of your area is the first step before application. You can easily find out the average pH by purchasing a test kit from a local garden center. You can buy kits to test it instantly (lower accuracy) or purchase a kit online that will test it overnight to get a better reading. Either way, once you know your starting point, you can adjust your pH using organic compounds, like wood ash, to get into the optimal range. Remember, start by adding only a small amount and give the soil a few weeks to adjust before adding more. It’s also important to note that various parts of the property could have very different pH readings.

So, now let’s get to it: How to use wood ashes from the campfire…

1. Use it in the compost pile

This is especially useful if you are composting a lot of fruit waste, because fruit (being acidic) can really lower the pH of your pile, making it a wet / slimy mess. You can bring it back into balance by sprinkling a shovel full of ashes over the top. Always make sure your ashes are completely cool before using.

2. Sprinkle them around berry bushes and fruit trees which prefer alkaline soil or extra potassium.

I generally use them first around apple trees, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. They will enjoy the extra sprinkle a few times a year, especially in the early spring or late fall.

3. Sprinkle on plants to deter pests

This application will only require a small amount of ashes to create a fine dusting. If you do not have ducks to control snails and slugs, then wood ashes can be a great deterrent. Carrots and turnips can also be susceptible to the flies and larvae, which can be deterred by the ashes as well.

4. Light use in the vegetable garden

Often root crops like carrots, turnips, and beets will appreciate a sprinkle of ashes in the springtime worked into the soil. Just a light dusting is more than enough. I often use my wood ashes a few weeks before planting and then let it rain a few times before planting seeds. Other plants that love the extra potash are beans, peas, and legumes. Just remember, when using ashes in the garden, always test your soil first, so you stay in the optimal zone (6.0-7.2 pH) for growing veggies.

5. Use them your lawn instead of lime

Wood ashes are a great substitute for adding lime to your lawn. The easiest way to spread the ashes is to do so just before a good rain, so it soaks into the ground quickly. This helps with the solubility and also prevents the dust from being tracked indoors or getting on your shoes. I often use my grass seed spreader and put it on the lowest setting and broadcast the ashes that way. Doing it by hand or with a shovel can often create piles in the grass which will over alkalize an area.

Now that you have a good use for those ashes, go outside, make a campfire and have a s’more (or three) and let us know how you have used the ashes when you are finished. Again, make sure they are cool before spreading. Remember, the problem is often the solution. Happy gardening.

September 10, 2016September 11, 2016

5 Ways to Create a Kid-Friendly Garden | Kris Edler

5 Ways to Create a Kid-Friendly Garden

In a culture of video games, Pokemon Go, and fast foods – we desperately need to get kids and teenagers back outside. Getting your children in the garden is easy, as long as you recognize they are not going to “enjoy” merely pulling the weeds or dead-heading flowers. However, there are some really creative ways to create kid-friendly garden that will encourage activity, creativity, and connections with nature.

As a teacher at The Daniel Academy, a Pre-K through 12th grade private school in south Kansas City, I work with students and families on a daily basis. Getting these kids outside to explore and imagine is truly one of my passions.

Before I share any of the tools and tips, it’s important to stress here that the overarching idea is that YOU GO OUTSIDE WITH THEM. No toy, decoration, or tool is a replacement for spending actual time with you kids. There is not a replacement for laughing with them, getting dirt under your nails together, and talking with them. Regardless of age, quality time is the goal and the garden is just a place to make that happen.

That being said…Here are a few tips that are easy to integrate in your urban or suburban backyard.

1 – Literature directional signs from their favorite books

It isn’t hard to get kids to enjoy reading, as long as you make it fun. Making these directional signs are a great way to keep the family busy on rainy days or weekends. We painted these with our students this summer using acrylic paint and then added a clear polyurethane varnish to seal them. You can hang them on posts, trees, or on the side of your shed. Now, of course, you can always do signs from movies or TV shows, but I think we can agree that encouraging reading is a better practice. Check out mine here (IMG_7679… IMG_7680…)

2 – Hobbit / fairy furniture to spark imagination

The boys generally aren’t going to be real impressed with a fairy garden, but give them a place to rock their action figures and they are all set. Use sticks to create fences or have the kids help you make your own furniture from popsicle sticks or wire. I have a few of these around the school and one in my backyard, which the neighborhood kids helped me design.

3 – Involve animals

Whether you create a place for your dogs or get a few backyard chickens, there is always room for animals. Kids love working with animals, especially when it’s outside. In our gardening class at the school, my students will argue about which group gets to feed and play with the chickens. They would rather be in the group with the birds than eating and picking berries or tomatoes; when kids turn down food – you know it’s a big deal. We have purposely selected a lot of heritage chicken breeds that have “cool hair” or have personalities that are more social. The rock star rooster in the picture is Cogswell, he’s a favorite of our students and loves all the attention he can get. The kindergarten classes even wave to him on their way past multiple times a day!

4 – Birdhouses, feeders, and watering stations

Attracting wildlife to your property or backyard engages the kiddos whether they are inside or out. In the middle of winter, it gives that extra bit of interest looking out the window. I still remember being a kid at my parents house in Millington, Michigan and watching the birds out the window. My mom always did well at keeping the bird feeders full, so there was never a dull moment out the front living room window. It was a collection of simple acts (mostly from my parents), like filling the bird feeders, that helped cultivate a love of nature that has lasted into my adult years.

5 – Interactive fitness areas

Now it gets fun! Start thinking beyond a basketball hoop or volleyball net, though those are a great start. This summer at our school, we added pull-up bars for the gymnasts and a cool tire-run section using old tires from the side of the road. You can hit two birds with one stone and not only help get kids moving, but also give them a lesson in repurposing and recycling as well. With Pinterest out there, we have no excuse for up-cycling with our kids and finding creative ways to get them moving.

If you have enjoyed one of these tips, please share this with some friends on your favorite social media network. Enjoy your afternoon – and GO OUTSIDE and take a few kids with you.

August 6, 2016September 11, 2016

Three Ways to Improve Garden Soil | Matthew Capps

Three Ways to Improve Garden Soil

One of the main ideals of Permaculture is to catch and store energy in whichever form it takes. Most people spend heaps of cash importing what they need and disposing of their waste, when if they only examined their system a little, they would discover that what they pay the trash collector to take away is actually a valuable resource if harnessed and stored correctly. This is problem of biological waste is often an opportunity to improve garden soil. The ideal system is one in which no “waste” is produced; every byproduct of every element is captured and channeled to some other purpose. In essence, we capture the waste (aka. sink) of one system in order to feed another. Of course, this is physically impossible per Newton’s laws of thermodynamics, but for the practical purposes of everyday life, we can actually come quite close. So, let’s just get real – how do you find cheep and easy ways to improve your garden soil?

1 – Kitchen Compost

This is probably the best understood method for recycling resources, but surprisingly few people actually do it. If we are honest, the few that do compost, never actually get to use what they create because it’s in a forgotten corner of the yard. Whether from fear of the smells and sights of rotting vegetables or merely the inconvenience of gathering scraps and toting them to the compost pile, most people miss out on this simple and productive system. It does take a bit more work, but for a serious gardener it is more than worth it as piles of fertile earth become available.

You can compost vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells and coffee grounds (in moderation), however meats, dairy and fats should be avoided as they will stink and attract pests. Unless, of course, you are using the Berkley Method of Composting, but that’s another article.

Where heat and moisture are concerned, the microorganisms that make compost have a goldilocks zone: warm and moist. Accordingly, if you live in a cold climate it is best to have the compost in the sun where the microorganisms can benefit from the heat, but if you live in a hot climate, you may want to put your compost in partial shade as too much heat will hamper the process or cause it to go anaerobic. If you live in a dry climate, you will also need to watch the moisture; a dry compost will not only kill microorganisms, but if overheated may actually catch on fire.

Compost should be turned regularly to provide oxygen for the microorganisms. This provides the perfect chance to check for moisture and heat. Also, compost should maintain about a 1:2 ratio of brown (leaves, twigs, dried stalks) to green (veggies, fruit, chicken manure), the term ‘brown’ referring to those materials higher in carbon and ‘green’ those higher in nitrogen. A healthy compost needs both. If properly maintained, this ratio should be enough to neutralize any odors coming of your compost. For a chart of compost items on the carbon/nitrogen continuum you can go to homecompostingmadeeasy.com.

A “cheater” alternative, if you just can’t bring yourself to hassle with composting, is to take your kitchen scraps to a corner of the garden and just bury them a foot deep with your shovel. Boom.

2 – Fallen Wood

One source of biomass and organic matter that is almost completely forgotten is fallen wood. After a windstorm when the trees shed their weak and dying limbs, people regularly bundle them up and set them on the street corner to be carried away. A treasure trove of sticks and logs can be easily harvested by a pickup truck or even a regular vehicle if you don’t mind vacuuming afterwards. When compiled, this wood can be used for hugelkultur swales, mushroom growing, or wood chips if you’re willing to rent a chipper. It can also be burned for wood ash, which is really useful for the home orchards. Apply wood ash around your apple trees and blueberry bushes. You can also use the finer wood ash in your chicken dust baths, instead of diatomaceous earth. DT is a highly controversial substance with livestock, because research is showing that the powder can get into the lungs of the animals (birds) causing respiratory problems. If none of these options are viable, you can store the wood to burn in the winter, heating your house and providing nutrient rich ash for your compost. You can even use the wood ashes, once they are cooled down to help alkalize the soil and add potassium (potash) to the soil.

3 – Weeds, Leaves and Grass Clippings

Last of all are weeds, leaves and grass clippings. These are the waste products that homeowners spend hours pulling, raking, bagging, and shipping off to a dump where they will do no good. Weeds and grass can be used as feed for chickens or goats; once dried they also make good scratch’n thatch to neutralize the odor of chicken manure and keep disease at bay. However, in the chicken coop, dandelion greens, plantains, and clover don’t last long at all! My girls devour it!

Leaves too can be used as mulch or mown over and put in the compost. Fortunately for the permaculturist, leaves are like fallen wood in that no one seems to want them. Bags and bags can be found by every driveway during the fall. By collecting them you can capture the biomass that it would have taken your trees 10 years to generate. My permaculture teacher, Kris Edler, shared in our PDC about how he will collect dozens of bags from his neighbors trees to add to his gardens and compost piles in the winter. By spring time, most of it has decomposed and is forming a rich layer of organic matter on the top of the garden beds. It is important to run it over with a lawn mower if applying to flower beds, to help the decomposition process.

A note on grass clippings: It is dangerous, however, to take bagged grass clippings from people you do not know, as these are often covered in chemicals from their former owner. They could have pesticides, herbicides, or other toxins that you may not welcome in your organic garden.

To use toxin-free grass clippings, you can add them around the open soil of flower pots to add instant nitrogen and help prevent water evaporation. These clippings go great at the base of tomato plants or the garden veggies, though I would not put them around the base of squash, because their stem does better when slightly dry. You can also dump a load into your chicken coop and allow the birds to forage through for weeds, bugs, and seed heads. There are so many things to do with great clippings around the yard, so don’t bag them up and send them away – save them for yourself to improve garden soil.

Catching and reusing energy is essential to a sustainable future, but with so much going to waste in our own neighborhoods, it only takes one good neighbor to make a difference for many. Building your permaculture property and organic garden can make a huge difference in the community, when it’s done well and with careful planning. Geoff Lawton says, “We should have 10 hours planning before the first hour of labor.”

We can talk and study about permaculture all day, but until we take these small, practical steps, nothing really matters. By taking a few steps we improve our neighborhoods, one yard at a time. Each of these three simple methods are great ways to use biomass to improve garden soil.

If you enjoyed this article, comment below with your own tips and tag a friend on social media. Thanks for the SHARE!

August 3, 2016September 5, 2016

5 Food Sources for the Resourceful Backyard Chicken Keeper | Matthew Capps

5 Food Sources for the Resourceful Backyard Chicken Keeper

Going to the mill and buying chicken feed is easy, but it has its drawbacks. With a limited spectrum of nutrients, mill feed can cost more than it’s worth, especially if there are healthier and more readily available alternatives. Eliminating bagged feed entirely may not be possible, or even desirable, but if we activate the resources at hand, we can greatly enhance the lives and quality of our birds. Here is a list of five food sources for the resourceful backyard chicken keeper to lower costs and bring balance to the diet of your flock.

1 – The Compost Pile

An active compost pile provides not only diverse food scraps, but also the insects that come to feed on them. On top of that, compost is still produced, simply taking a short detour through the chickens’ guts before being deposited back into the pile and surrounding land.

2 – Fermented and Soaking Your Chicken Feed

The bacteria in fermented feed are good for the chickens, and will make nutrients more bioavailable, increasing nourishment and lowering food intake. Whole seed chicken feeds can be easily fermented by soaking in water, adding a glug of apple cider vinegar, and leaving it until the concoction is slightly bubbly and smells fermented– the amount of time will vary by season and climate. Generally in Kansas City, if left in a potting shed overnight, it’s already bubbling the next morning. If the feed is left too long it will go bad, or create it’s own ACV scoby. If the food doesn’t smell fresh to you, it’s probably not fresh for the birds. If you see ANY sign of mold, discard it immediately. Remember though, fermentation will only work with whole seed feeds. You can get the recipe for our specialized whole seed feed blend by reading the linked article.

3 – Mealworms

Mealworms are an excellent source of protein for chickens and can be grown easily in a basement, closet, or garage. Their living conditions are very dry, as are their feces (called frass). All they need is an occasional fruit or vegetable scrap and a plastic tub to breed in.

4 – The Nightly Free Range

If chickens are released from their run about 30 minutes before dusk, they will almost always instinctively return to the coop before dark. Obviously, these are animals and there is no guarantee, so I’d watch them the first few times. In the meantime they will be able to find and eat whatever their current forage is lacking.

That said, before you try this idea, know your area and know your birds. Free ranging is a great resource, but if you have squeamish neighbours, live by a busy road, or frequently see predators, it could easily mean the demise of your girls. Watch carefully!

backyard chickens in Kansas City — Alternative Chicken Feed Options in Kansas City

5 – Rotational Foraging Systems

A rotational foraging system will keep chickens healthy and active with fresh ground and change of scenery. By the time they expend forageable plants and insects in one zone, they are moved to the next. As each zone rests, insects and vegetation return, capitalizing on the open ground and nutrient rich manure the chickens leave behind. If the zones are rested long enough (about a month depending on the climate and season) they will be teaming with life next time the chickens come around.

Taking care of chickens requires effort and care, and the value of our flocks will match the value of management we put into them. If we are willing to invest and think creatively, we will be rewarded by high quality, high production, and happy birds.