Permacultureglobal.org - the interactive map and database of the Worldwide Permaculture Network

Labbe-Watson Homestead

Details

Commenced:	01/07/2010
Submitted:	10/08/2011
Last updated:	07/10/2015
Location:	168 W. Meadow Rd, Rockland, ME, US
Website:	http://midcoastpermaculture.com/
Climate zone:	Cold Temperate

My Projects

(projects i'm involved in)

Labbe-Watson Homestead

Rockland, US

Followers

Back to Labbe-Watson Homestead

Grading-mulching Aug 2010

Project: Labbe-Watson Homestead

Posted by Jesse Labbe-Watson over 10 years ago

Finish grading by hand. Mostly with a hoe.

The quackgrass (Agropyron repens) is the first plant to rebound. I took a calculated risk and decided to leave it in the landscape to help with slope stabilization. I considered an application of herbicide to kill it, since it is about the most dominant plant in the landscape. I decided to leave it though, so the rhizomes could bind up the newly disturbed soil and prevent erosion. Thank you for your most excellent services quackgrass, now be on your way!

Three years old and this year our peach tree probably gave 50 lbs of peaches! When the crop was starting to ripen i was practically subsisting on peaches, eating something like five a day. I was hustling trying to get the terraces graded and seeded, hoping to get a leg up over the quackgrass.

Quackgrass hiding in the slopes between terraces and running in the understory of my young apple tree. Another thing i learned is that you can have success by controlling quackgrass using sheet mulching, but you must do it in the right time of year, namely Spring and then Summer. If you sheet mulch in the Fall, all you do is aid the quackgrass by killing off it’s competitors.

I used oats and rye which are considered fall cover crops. the oats will die over winter. the rye will have to be tilled in if i want to kill it. I was a little thin on mulch, so i cut what nearby verge was long enough and used it.

I used the machine to create a temporary scar on the landscape. Now with the earth bare, i have an opportunity (and the duty) to repair the damage i've done. So i'll do successive cover crops on a shallow-till schedule to quickly rebuild the living soil and increase the organic matter content.

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to comment.

Courses Taught Here!

Project Badges

Administrators

Team Members

(close)

Legend of Badges

Note: The various badges displayed in people profiles are largely honesty-based self-proclamations by the individuals themselves. There are reporting functions users can use if they know of blatant misrepresentation (for both people and projects). Legitimacy, competency and reputation for all people and projects can be evidenced and/or developed through their providing regular updates on permaculture work they’re involved in, before/after photographs, etc. A spirit of objective nurturing of both people and projects through knowledge/encouragement/inspiration/resource sharing is the aim of the Worldwide Permaculture Network.

	Member A member is a permaculturist who has never taken a PDC course. These cannot become PDC teachers. Members may be novice or highly experienced permaculturists or anywhere in between. Watch their updates for evaluation.
	Permaculture Matchmaker One of these badges will show if you select your gender and the "I'm single, looking for a permaculture partner" option in your profile.
	PDC People who claim to have taken a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course somewhere in the world.
	PDC Verified People who have entered an email address for the teacher of their PDC course, and have had their PDC status verified by that teacher. Watch their updates for evaluation.
	PRI PDC People who’ve taken a Permaculture Research Institute PDC somewhere in the world.
	PDC Teacher People who claim to teach some version of PDC somewhere in the world.
	PRI Teacher With the exception of the ‘Member’ who has never taken a PDC, all of the above can apply to become a PRI PDC Teacher. PRI PDC Teachers are those who the PRI recognise, through a vetting board, as determined and competent to teach the full 72-hour course as developed by Permaculture founder Bill Mollison – covering all the topics of The Designers’ Manual as well as possible (i.e. not cherry picking only aspects the teacher feels most interested or competent in). Such teachers also commit to focussing on the design science, and not including subjective spiritual/metaphysical elements. The reason these items are not included in the PDC curriculum is because they are “belief” based. Permaculture Design education concerns itself with teaching good design based on strategies and techniques which are scientifically provable. PRI PDC Teachers may be given teaching and/or consultancy offerings as they become available as the network grows.
	Aid Worker The individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to be involved in permaculture aid work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture aid worker experience. Watch their updates for evaluation.
	Consultant The individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to do paid permaculture design consultancy work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture consultancy experience. Watch their updates for evaluation.
	Community Project Community projects are projects that help develop sustainable community interaction and increase localised resiliency.