Heavy rain in the night & all this morning. Finer & windless this afternoon. Everything very sodden. Dug another trench. Have now almost finished the amount I intend doing of the new bit. Stuck in 2 more briar roots. Shall plant about 6 of different heights & see how they do. Collected another sack of leaves. This amount (about 10 sacks) fills the frame. Covered over with fine soil & shall not disturb till next year.

7 eggs.

[1] Orwell noted collecting 8¹/₂ sackfuls. Peter Davison

Much of Tokyo is covered in concrete and pavement. In the photo above, a low traffic small street has impermeable pavement. There is a wide, unnecessary brick sidewalk in the foreground built to accompany a recent apartment building. Two private residences also have concrete car-parks and cement surrounds. If you look very closely, to the left of the red traffic cone, a canna flower is breaking through the concrete and blooming.

Up close, the flower is brilliant on a sunny November day. Even more remarkable is that the plant has somehow managed to break through the pavement. How did it get there? How does it survive the city’s relentless drive to bury every grain of soil? Do the neighbors appreciate this floral beauty and the power of nature over the built environment?

After the jump, a closer view of the plant in its context.

In the context of such poor urban design ,this brilliant canna flower breaking through provides some hope that nature will regenerate despite our best efforts to displace it.

Press Release
Soil Carbon – the missing link in COP 15

Thursday 26 November 2009

New research from the Soil Association reveals that if all UK farmland was converted to organic farming, at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each year – the equivalent of taking nearly 1 million cars off the road.

Patrick Holden, Soil Association Director, said:
“Unless we are successful in tackling climate change, we won’t be able to feed the world’s growing population, however we farm. This report shows that agriculture can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while producing food sustainably.

“Our findings add fresh evidence to the strong case for agri-environmental farming made in the IAASTD Report, produced by 400 international scientists and endorsed by the UK Government.”

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 89% of agriculture’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential is from carbon sequestration – a fact that Governments seem to be ignoring in the critical run-up to climate change talks in Copenhagen (COP 15) in December.

The research’s key findings are:

• On average organic farming produces 28% higher levels of soil carbon compared to non-organic farming in Northern Europe, and 20% higher for all countries studied (in Europe, North America and Australasia).
• In the UK, grasslands and mixed farming systems also have a vital role to play, and soil carbon may go a long way to offsetting the methane emissions from grass-fed cattle and sheep.
• The widespread adoption of organic farming practices in the UK would offset 23% of UK agricultural emissions through soil carbon sequestration alone, more than doubling the UK Government’s pathetically low target of a 6-11% reduction by 2020.
• A worldwide switch to organic farming could offset 11% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Raising soil carbon levels would also make farming worldwide more resilient to extremes of climate like droughts and floods, leading to greater food security.

Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director said:
“This research underlines the immediate and profound effect that organic farming techniques could have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and globally.

“Climate change means that business as usual in our food and farming systems is no longer an option. To minimize tropical deforestation and maximize soil carbon sequestration we need to move to healthier diets based on unprocessed, seasonal produce and grass-fed meat in moderation rather than intensive poultry and pork.

“With dietary shifts we could feed the world sustainably, address the health and diet-related ill-health time bomb, and help meet our GHG targets. This should provide a no-brainer basis for inclusion in the COP15 treaty.”

Ends

For press enquiries please contact press@soilassociation.org or call
Clio Turton, press office coordinator: 0117 914 2448
Jack Hunter, press and e-comms officer: 0117 314 5170

Notes to editors:

[1] Read the full report and summary of findings here:
http://www.soilassociation.org/Whyorganic/Climatefriendlyfoodandfarming/Soilcarbon/tabid/574/Default.aspx

[2] Soil carbon facts & figures:

• Soil is a major store of carbon, containing three times as much carbon as the atmosphere and five times as much as forests. About 60% of this is in the form of organic matter in the soil.
• The large size of this store means that soil carbon changes can have significant effects on the level of atmospheric CO2. Each 1% increase in average soil organic carbon levels could in principle reduce atmospheric CO2 by up to 2%.
• Soil carbon losses account for a tenth of all the CO2 emissions by human activity since 1850. However, unlike the losses of carbon from the burning of fossils fuels, the soil carbon store can be recreated.
• The principal component of the soil carbon store is humus, a stable form of organic carbon with an average life-time of hundreds to thousands of years.

The most recent meeting of the Observatory’s Environment topic group reviewed evidence to “Identify Regional Natural Environmental Priorities for the West Midlands”. Evidence highlighted by the group will inform work by the region’s Defra Agenda Group (DAG) to identify regional environmental priorities. The DAG comprises Government Office for the West Midlands, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Advantage West Midlands and Animal Health.

The overall aim of the project is to respond to a request by the Delivery Board for Public Sector Agreement 28 – PSA 28 to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future. Each region has to develop a set of regional priorities for the natural environment to meet this aim, and has the following objectives:

• To establish spatially a set of regional priorities for our natural assets (air, water, soil, biodiversity, landscape and land management) and people’s relationship with them using the best regional evidence we have.
• To catalogue the environmental evidence that we use to identify our priorities
• To identify the issues associated with the priority environmental assets
• To produce an integrated regional map of our natural environmental priorities to highlight key areas for targeted consideration of delivery, to alleviate threats or realise opportunity.

The project involves two phases:

• Phase 1: To identify the regional issues and evidence associated with the natural environment themes of Air, Water, Soil, Biodiversity, Landscapes and Land Management. This is expected to be finished by the end of 2009.
• Phase 2: To use the evidence to inform a Stakeholder Workshop in January 2010 at which the natural environmental priorities for the West Midlands will be agreed.

At the recent Environment topic group meeting, members were able to feed into the first phase of this project and provide useful feedback on the sources of data and evidence used to inform the process. Constructive comments were received on the visualisation of the evidence and other potential issues that should be considered at the final Stakeholder Workshop in January.

The final Stakeholder Workshop is being planned for the 13^th January, where 25 key stakeholders will consider and validate the issues identified, and develop a small number of environmental priorities. If you have any interest on this project or want to know more, leave your details in the comment box below.

Thanks to Martin See (Environment Agency), Paul Cobbing (Government Office for the West Midlands) and Amanda Pearce (Natural England) for the information provided to produce this post.

(Photo by Island 2000 Trust Conservation)

A little info about Jatropha Curcas or Jarak…

Jatropha curcas, locally known as pokok jarak produces seeds which contain 28 – 35% oil. It is believed to be brought into the country in the 1940s by the Japanese army who used the biofuel from the Jatropha seed for their war vehicles. Crude Jatropha Oil (CJO), through transesterification is refined into high quality biodiesel; which burn with clear, smoke-free flame. Jatropha biodiesel readily mixes with petrodiesel, and used in any diesel engine without modification. Jatropha is resistant to draught and grows almost anywhere, and on any type of soil: sandy, saline, gravelly and even shallow treated peat soil will have good yield provided AW-EM ORGANIC SOIL ENHANCEMENT being used.

This info is depicted from the internet…BIONAS as the only company that is 100% involved in this business. In fact the seeds, now it can produced up till 44% oil to be used with diesel and also petrol. It is very nature friendly and less smoke…

In a sudden flourish, after seeing my pal Sarah’s garden this weekend, I spent my lunch digging up some of the flags and tentatively laying out the garden path:

Before - House Return Looking Back At The House	After - House Return Looking Back At The House
Before - Garden Path From Centre of Garden	After - Garden Path From Centre of Garden
Before - Garden Path From House Return	After - Garden Path From House Return

The first flags lifted and the sand and cement underneath

Island flower bed

It’s nice to see it shaping up to fit the layout I have planned for it. Seeing the path in approximate place has made me think about slight changes to the plan, too. For example, I need to consider where the two or three trees I intended to plant are going to go. I expect to spend several hours standing around looking at the garden from various viewpoints, not just to admire my handiwork, such as it is, but to figure out what to do next.

Edible walls are a new idea alongside green roofs and green walls: maximizing urban space for plants and food. A New York Times article discuss how a collaborations between garden designers and a metal fabricator to create relatively simple soil and drip water systems that support lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, leeks, and even baby watermelon. The article mentions an antecedent in espaliered fruit trees in European cities during the Middle Ages. Recently, edible walls are being used in a Los Angeles homeless shelter to feed the residents and generate a small income.

201413     ทฤษฎีของระบบดิน-เครื่องจักรกล     Theory of Soil–Machine System

ลักษณะเฉพาะทางกายภาพของดิน เนื้อดินและการกระจายขนาดของอนุภาคเม็ดดิน การจำแนกประเภทดิน โครงสร้างของดิน น้ำในดิน พฤติกรรมเชิงกลของดิน สมบัติทางพลวัตของดิน เครื่องมือไถเตรียมดิน เครื่องจักรกลที่ใช้ในการฉุดลาก ผลของการบดอัดของดินต่อการเจริญเติบโตของพืช การวิบัติของดิน

(Physical characteristics of soils, texture and particle size distribution, soil classes, soil structures, soil water content, mechanical behavior of soil element, dynamic properties of soil, tillage machinery, traction machine, effect of soil compaction on plant growth, soil failure.)

(201413 มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์)

201434     วิศวกรรมการจัดการดินและน้ำ     Soil and Water Management Engineering

น้ำฟ้า การซึมและการระเหยของน้ำ การคายน้ำ ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างดิน น้ำและพืช การพัฒนาแหล่งน้ำ หลักการชลประทานและการระบายน้ำ การควบคุมการพังทลายของดินการอนุรักษ์ดินและน้ำ

(Precipitation, infiltration, evaporation and transpiration; relationship of soil, water and crop; water resources development; principle of irrigation and drainage; control of soil erosion, soil and water conservation.)

(201434 มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์)

203352     ปฐพีกลศาสตร์     Soil Mechanics

การกํ าเนิดดิน สมบัติทางกายภาพของดิน การจํ าแนกดินทางวิศวกรรม การสํ ารวจและทดสอบดิน ความหนาแน่น การบดอัดและการปรับปรุงคุณภาพดิน ความสัมพันธ์ของดินและนํ้ าในมวลดิน การไหลของนํ้ าในดิน หน่วยแรงในมวลดิน กํ าลังและความมั่นคงของดิน ทฤษฎีการรับนํ้ าหนักแบกทาน การยุบตัวคายนํ้ าและการทรุดตัวของดิน

(Soil genesis; physical properties of soil; engineering soil classifications; soil investigation and testing; density, compaction and soil improvement; soil and pore water relationship, flow of water in soil; stress within soil mass; strength and stability of soil; bearing capacity theories; consolidation and settlement.)

(203352 มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์)

203353     ปฏิบัติการปฐพีกลศาสตร์     Soil Mechanics Laboratory

หลักเบื้องต้นในการทดสอบดินทางวิศวกรรม การรวบรวมและแปลผลข้อมูล การรายงานผล การประยุกต์ใช้ผลทดสอบในงานวิศวกรรมโยธา การปฏิบัติการในงานเจาะสํ ารวจดินการเก็บตัวอย่าง การทดสอบสมบัติทางกายภาพ การจํ าแนกดินทางวิศวกรรม สมบัติทางวิศวกรรมการบดอัดดิน ความหนาแน่นของดินในสนาม ความซึมนํ้ าของดิน

(Principles of engineering soil testing; data collection and interpretation; report, applications of test results in civil engineering works; laboratory works on soil boring, sampling, physical properties, engineering soil classification, engineering properties, soil compaction, field density, permeability.)

(203353 มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์)

203452     การสํ ารวจดินทางวิศวกรรม     Engineering Soil Exploration

การวางแผนการสํ ารวจดิน การใช้แผนที่ภาพถ่ายทางอากาศและทางธรณีวิทยาเพื่อการสํ ารวจ วิธีการสํ ารวจ การเก็บตัวอย่างดินและการทดสอบในสนาม การสํ ารวจแหล่งวัสดุ การแปลและสรุปผลการสํ ารวจ การเขียนรายงานการสํ ารวจ หลักการของเครื่องมือวัดพฤติกรรมของดินในสนาม การติดตั้งและการตรวจวัด การปฏิบัติงานในสนาม

(Soil exploration planning; use of aerial photograph and geologic maps for soil exploration; exploration methods, soil samplings and field tests; material investigation; interpretation and conclusion of exploration results; exploration report writing; principles of geotechnical instruments, installation and monitoring; field works.)

(203452 มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์)

It gives a gallon of toddy every day, the local ale of Keralites, one third of whom live by extracting it  from this too familiar tree. They give it to the cooperative, that owns a network of distributories. Being the cheapest drink, all workers go direct to the “shop”, after a day of hard work, where, sometimes they spend the whole day’s earnings.

Toddy is collected by cutting the flower bunch, which the botanists call the inflorescence, and collecting the juice coming from the cut, rich in starch and vitamins,  sweet when fresh. Our tapper at home is a family friend. He gives Rs. 50 per tree per month. All this, I learned when Ravi my Bihari son-in-law whanted a “bottle” from him.

If the flowers are allowed to grow, the inflorescencs is cut and used as a boucquet, considered auspicious and a must in marriage ceremonies, when receiving the deity of god, coming home on the back of an elephant, or simly as decoration, during festivals in temples.

The hard cover of the inflorescence, with a net like inside membrane, was used to make a torch, even in my childhood!

Have you seen a whole coconut? It has a fibrous cover, to protect the nut inside, because the whole thing falls down from a height of even fifty feet. It is very, very difficult to peel it (I should enjoy a European doing it even with the sharpest knife!). In Vetekkaran pooja, 12000 nuts have to be broken in front of the deity.  A sharp thick iron bar is planted in the soil, with the sharp end pointing upwards. The fibrous nut is brought down forcefully to hit the instrumet, when a dent is made in the outer cover, without damaging the nut inside. Now they have designed an instrument which is an innovation of this method and can be wielded even by girls.

Ropes are made from the fibrous cover which we call chakiri. it is the traditional occupation of women in the coastal districts of Keralam, from Alapusha to Kollam.The fibrbre comes loose, after soaking chakiri for months in the backwaters. The Coir Board is selling an incredible variety of coir products, including door mats. Global recession has hit this cottage industry too.

Inside the fibre is the hard shell called chiratta. It is a valuable fuel, traditionally used in the heavy ironing box. It is also used as a ladle, by fixing a handle to the shell. Artists use it to carve figures of people, animals etc.

When the nut is tender, the sweet water inside the shell, is a nutritious beverage, now available in most towns. It contains pure glucose which can be given intraveinous, I read somewhere. The soft white kernel is light food.

The ripe kernal is the source of oil, commercially used for making soaps and detergents. A Keralite will not enjoy his food, if it is not laced with coconut oil. Papadam fried in other oils is unpalatable.

The leaves of the tree, resembling in shape, the wings of a peacock, are used for making nets or mats, by weaving the individual blades together. These are used for thatching the roof or making a screen for the open bath sheds, where women take bath.

The tree trunk can be sawn into beams for making furniture, roof of houses etc.

This is my own observation. People leave the root clump, after cutting off the trunk, because it is very heavy and impossible to cut into pieces. Its inside can be scooped out, by a suitable tool, leaving the outside shell which can be used as a big bharani, as we call it, for storing mango pickles etc.

Now you tell me, is there any other tree that gives all parts of its body for human beings?

Earlier today AM, my Other Half, pointed out that of the two rows of beetroot seedlings down at the western end of the main garden bed, only in the higher row were the seedlings growing well. The plants that have germinated in the other row were in general smaller and fewer in number.

I have no explanation for why this should be so, only suspicions. Pretty sure I sowed roughly the same amount of seed in each furrow. AM hypothesised that perhaps the protective pavers holding down the mulch were too close on the northern side of the lower row, meaning the seedlings weren’t getting enough sun. Whether she’s right or wrong I can’t say, but I moved the pavers back a little, just in case.

I read in the most recent issue of Warm Earth Organic Gardening that a garden bed needs to be fairly level for best results. As the various photos of my bed included on this blog show, it isn’t very level, with a low ridge down the middle of it sloping away to each of the long sides. (I had too much soil, basically.) And certainly one row of the beetroots, the better performing one, is higher than the other.

Mind you, the magazine included no explanation of exactly why gardens should be level, so I don’t know how much credence to give that as an explanation for the difference between my two rows. I’d best do some further research, I suppose.

The disparity will probably be less pronounced once I thin both rows out some time in the next few weeks, to give the remaining beetroots the space to grow properly. Until, then, I’ll keep an eye on things – I can always top up the lower row with extra soil and/or seed if it looks like it’s needed.

And I guess, in the end, the proof will lie in the quality of the beetroots harvested, from both rows.

Dirt makes your food. Dirt makes your plants. Dirt changes your weather. People mine dirt to get metals that make your iPhone. Dirt is linked to war, drought and climate change. Without dirt there’d be no life as we know it. So watch the movie, Dirt! Dirt has already won 3 awards and was featured at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival so you can’t go wrong and you’ll learn plenty too.

Watch the video and full post at FoodCycles.org.

Prevent winter damage in your garden: mulching reduces compaction and soil erosion that can commonly follow heavy rain.

[Note: brackets indicate holes in the notes that I will fill for permanent copies, wanted to get this done today, so you know I haven't disappeared.]

Soil, Nutrition, Fertilizers, and Amendments
Lorraine Brooks, Cornell University Cooperative Extension 11/5/09

Soil – should:
- preserve plant growth
- reserve and purify water
- function as Nature’s recycling system
- provide habitat for a variety of living organisms

Tilth – the workable quality of soil

Soil Texture – description of how fine or coarse
The particles in soil are: sand, silt, and clay.
With ideal pore space, soil is: 45% mineral, 25% air, 25% water, 5% organic matter.
Sand has the largest particles, measuring 2.0 – 0.05 mm, and provides macropores.
Silt is next, 0.05 – 0.002mm
Clay is the smallest, aggregate > structure

Spaces between aggregates are macropores, which improve permeability and drainage. Most pores are micropores.
- Structure may be destroyed by compaction or excessive
tillage.
- Tillage of wet soils can damage structure.
- Loss of organic matter (no worms, no aeration; no
bacterial breakdown of leavesand insects, no
refinement of gross materials)
- Compaction squeezes aggregates into horizontal
strata.
Permeability – the rate at which water flows through the soil
Soil Pores
- micropores responsible for soil’s waterholding capacity
- with macropores – faster water flow
- with micropores – takes longer to dry out

Factors Affecting Soil Porosity
- texture
- structure
- compaction
- organic matter

Permeability – of sand, rapid; of clay, the opposite

Soil Organisms
- a 1/4 tsp. has 1 billion microorganisms
- located closest to roots
- main functionis to breakdown plant debris, etc.
- releases energy, nutrients, carbon dioxide
- creates soil’s organic matter
- most active at 70- 100 degrees F.

Ecohabitat of Soil
organic matter – plants – fungi ( mycorrhizal and
saprophytic) – nematodes (root feeders, and fungal and bacterial feeders) – arthropods -
- roots need oxygen for growth, and produce CO2 that
needs to leave the soil
Earthworms
- earthworms increase porosity by making permanent
burrows
- consume two tons of dry matter per acre per year
- partly digest organic matter, and mix it with the soil

There is an invasive problem with worms in the NE U.S. increasing the rate of breakdown of matter, so that it doesn’t coordinate with other species’ use of nuntrients/materials.

Plant Nutrition
– commercial fertilizer is synthetic; has fast release; can leach nitrogen into groundwater, if excessive for amount needed.
– organic preferred
– there are 17 nutrients plants need
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosporus, potassium,
iron, zinc, molybdenum, manganese, boron, copper, salt, [______________]
– roots take up nutrients primarily as ions dissolved n the soil’s water
– an ion is an electrically charged atom/grop of atoms; positively charged are cations, negatively are anions
– fertilizer only increasesplant growth if the plant is deficient in the nutrient applied.
Nitrogen – Phosphorus – Potassium
– N – nitrogen is for rapid growth, dark leaves
– P – phosphorus: cell division
– K – potassium: thickening of cell walls
– sulfur: nodulation of legumes, seed production of all plants, [________]
Ca – calcium: [___________]
[ ] – chlorophyll
Zn – zinc – growth hormones, starch, seed development
Fe – iron – chlorophyll formation

Deficiencies of Nutrients – most common are of the primary nutrients
– phosphorus and potassium are usuallly p lentiful in natural soil for landscape plants; might be needed for vegetables
– nitrogen is very mobile, goes to young growth first — lack: stunting, small leaves, slow to fruit — in excess: dark leaves, heavy
growth, [________]

Fertilizers
Previously, 5-10-5 proportion of the primary nutrients was usual; now some organics have the same, some not.
[Ex.: Home Depot 10-6-4, check online for affordable 50 lb. bags]

Ph is the one soil test done, if any — low number=acid, high=alkaline
– 6.2 – 6.8 is the desirable range
– Cornell has test kit to order
– if ph is low, apply lime – prevents butterfly moth egg deposits
– in North, soil tends to be alkaline
– if 5.0 – 6.2 [ ]
– if 7.8, apply granular sulfur (not available here, mail order cheap from Peaceful Valley Supply at groworganic.com) -
– rhododendrons and azaleas like acid soil
– Spring – green aphids, Fall – grey ones — with good soil, plants have more resistance to pests
– compost spikes high ph when new, and goes down later, which is why it’s good for it to be aged more than a couple of years
– concrete in city environment contributes to “sweetening” the soil — Bx. gardens are where brick buildings with cement have been
knocked down, soil is 8.0ph

For soil testing, call Donna the soil tester at the [GreenThumb/Cornell Extension] office.
Cornell Univ, Cooperative Extension, Urban Environment, 40 E. 34th St. – Suite 606, New York NY 10016-4402
t. 212.340.2997, f. 212.340.2908 llb84@cornell.edu http://nyc.cce.cornell.edu