Category: Sustainable Agriculture

Permaculture in an Organic Vineyard at a Radical Ecovillage

I live in what is probably North America’s most radical ecovillage, Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. I moved here over 15 years ago to live in the country closer to the land, and to devote my life to reducing my impact on the planet.

Spring is the time for getting the garden in. Part of my garden is in my organic vineyard. I don’t just grow grapes. I grow cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and melons between my grape vines. And in the past few years I’ve also been growing perennial flowers to provide an additional cash crop from the space. I use comfrey within the rows of grapes to smother the grasses and other weeds that would otherwise rob the grapevines of water and nutrients. Most vineyards would just spray herbicide to control the weeds. Permaculture is possible even in a vineyard.

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Early Spring Self Sufficiency On an Ecovillage Homestead

Living sustainably and self sufficiently is a lot of hard work. You have to take the opportunities to get work done when the weather allows, but you also have to take time to appreciate the natural world around you when you have the chance. This is early spring for me in the ecovillage where I live.

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Starting Jackfruit from Seed the Super Easy Way

While in Florida this time I started some jackfruit from seed and planted a few trees before I left. In this video, I demonstrate the super simple process and reveal some tidbits about this delicious tropical fruit. In only 2-3 years you can have a jackfruit tree that produces fruit if conditions are right.

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Low Tunnel on Wheels For Season Extension and Pest Control

Permaculture is all about stacking functions and creating symbiotic systems, and I try to follow these tenets in how I keep my vineyard. I intercrop my vineyard with vegetables, flowers, and green manures, not only to make use of what would otherwise be empty space, but to reduce competition with the grape vines and to cut back on the need for mowing and other maintenance.

I’ve been doing some experimenting with my low tunnel this season, not only planting crops under it, but adding wheels so that I can easily move it on and off the bed. It’s great for season extension and for protecting the crops from rabbits and deer, and it fits and moves perfectly between the rows of grapes in my vineyard.