35 Acres of Olives

[SilverSurfer_OG]

O yeah and now that i think of it how about some ground cherry or cape goosberry. I am using these in dryer parts of my garden and in small beds made with rocks. Yet to grow them out as i started them late last summer. They have survived the winter under cover in pots and should be ready to spring back to life soon.

They are said to make great wine with a yield greater than grapes per acre.

Just a thought

 

[h.h.]

I only mention the buckwheat because it's what I shave local. Google cover crops and figure what will work in your area.
It sounds like a lot of water is staying on top and you're farming weeds. I'm guessing the ground was once cleared and you have more invasive type weeds.
I like to figure out what "weeds" are helpful and which ones are invasive and weed selectively. A lot of work on 35 acres. Chop and drop can amplify the invasive ones. Mulch will help there. You might just want to cut back the water and observe. Shorter and more frequent watering periods might produce less runoff for the weeds as well.
Not sure what a herd of sheep would do to the compaction. Not sure it would be good. I like the chicken tractor idea. Use a cover crop to feed the chickens. Free range may also work with the trees for protection. Geese are cool as well. Fewer eggs but good. I think a bit more white so probably a bit lower in cholesterol.
Check with some of the recyclers for mulch. I have a friend getting a truck and trailer load weekly for free. Organic? Not certifiable. In 3 years it will be when the trees start producing.
Depending on how you're selling them might determine how you treat the field. The buyer might have his own trailers, crew, and machinery, in which case they can be pretty picky.

 

[MrFista]

High carbon mulch (non leguminous straw) will promote fungi and when they get established free living N fixers will join the party if required (e.g. very low N soil).

Rhizobia are extremely expensive for legumes, all N fixation is extremely expensive. If the soil has N the plants won't make rhizoids. If it needs N, provided the bacteria is present rhizoids will be formed and free atmospheric N is yours for the taking.

I like ML's advice - An olive guild. Lavender, lemongrass, thyme, oregano, artichoke, purslane, pomegranite, roses, salvia, sage, grapes, additional beneficial flowers and herbs.

I also like the idea of running some type of stock (bird or beast) on the property. Clover rows between the trees and a chicken tractor sounds excellent but only if you have the time to move it each day and collect eggs. After a while the clover will not do so well as N levels go up, then plant something else for the chickens - greens and (clumping, not creeping) grasses.

 

[MrFista]

Also, a water problem might be solved by storing rainwater in a pond adding diversity beauty and recreation to the property.

 

[C21H30O2]

Thx MrF, lot of good info in those posts. I'm thinking some type of clover and growing a high carbon mulch then do some other crops in between like "Lavender, lemongrass, thyme, oregano, artichoke, purslane, pomegranite, roses, salvia, sage, grapes, additional beneficial flowers and herbs."

There is already a pond on the property and a stream at the bottom of the property farthest from the road.

This will be a farm inspired by the "one straw revolution." let the revolution begin.

 

[jaykush]

This will be a farm inspired by the "one straw revolution." let the revolution begin.

lol be prepared for things to die then. fukuoka lost a large majority of his orchard when moving from the farming that was done to nature farming. but then expect things only to get better and better and better as the years go by, not the opposite.

 

[C21H30O2]

lol be prepared for things to die then. fukuoka lost a large majority of his orchard when moving from the farming that was done to nature farming. but then expect things only to get better and better and better as the years go by, not the opposite.

Yes he lost most of his orchard the first time he moved back to the family farm but that's before he refined his theory. You can't let things grow naturally after years of unnatural growth, you have to make the change subtly.

So there will be some experimentation but i hope to learn from others failures and wisdom. That's why I'm here. Thx JK.

 

[C21H30O2]

Any recommendations for any other companion plants which might reduce watering, fertilize, and/or increase the fungal dominant mulch?

 

[ijim]

A cover crop such as Alfalfa will let you water less. It will shade the soil from the sun and retard hydration. But Alfalfa also has a auto toxicity problem. It leaves toxins in the soil that will kill itself out after a few years. These toxin don't harm other plants. That is why farmers rotate their fields with corn, hay or non legume crops every few years. The toxins will leach from the soil in a couple of years so you might want to think about planting say a quarter of the orchard with Alfalfa every two years.

 

[prowler]

Thank you for a very good topic! Very interested indeed. I can't grow olives up here but all of this information helps a lot with other trees and future gardening plans generally. Actually i'd like to see more of this kind of gardening - allowing nature to help us by pushing it a bit to wanted direction.

I have currently some apple trees, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, basil and other herbs and plan to introduce other beneficial plants aswell: Potatoes, carrots, peas etc.

...and some animals too when the time comes.

So please keep em coming! Let those thoughts out.