At some point you may want to try to attract a specific animal, insect, or plant to live on your property. I have heard people talk about wanting to have more birds, butterflies, and other things visit, and or live on their property. Many times, people will plant a specific plant, put in a bird house, or a water feature in the hopes that they will attract wildlife. But then they are disappointed when over time the visitor does not come. I have learned that it can be tricky to attract living things to your property. But there are some things you can do that will greatly enhance your ability to attract animals, insects, and birds if you first understand the living organism first.
Every living thing needs three things to survive. Insects, animals, and plants all need these three essential things to thrive and live in an environment. If you want to attract specific insects, animals, or plants to your property, you need to supply them with the correct, water, food, and shelter.
First, every living organism needs water. If you can provide the water that the living system needs, you have over come the first obstacle. Not only do they need water, but they need the correct, amount, type, and source of water. Some animals need running water, while others need standing water. When you research what water the living organism needs that you want to attract, you have to keep in mind the depth, flow, temperature, mineral content, and a number of other things. To make the environment livable for a specific creature, you need to supply the correct amount of water. It is not about making water available, but about making the correct amount, and type of water available.
For example, if you want to attract bees to your property, one way to do that is to give the bees a shallow pool of water that they can stop in and drink from. Most people only concentrate on the flowers or the food bees need of attract them, but water can also attract bees. This article talks specifically about bees and how to provide water for them: Thirsty bees
Source: Root Simple – low tech home tech
Purple-throated carib hummingbird feeding.
Second, all living organisms have a need food. Everything has to consume some type of food to survive. For plants it is not only minerals from the ground, but also energy from the sun. If you can supply the correct type of food for the living creature, you can attract it, and encourage it to stay on your property. Food sources could include plants, insects, and other animals. If you want to attract certain types of birds, you may need to also attract the insects that they use as a food source. Food sources can very drastically from one species to another. It is very important that you research what food source, and types of food the organism needs that you are trying to attract.
For Example, if you want to attract a specific type of bird to your property, you would need to research the type of flowers, that those birds are attracted to. Birds are so varied in their food sources that research is key. Hummingbirds enjoy different flowers than a swallow would enjoy. And if you are trying to attract birds of prey, it is not the flowers that will attract them, but the animals that are attracted by the flowers.
Apiary in South Carolina
Third, all organisms need some type of shelter. Shelter serves several purposes. It allows the creature to stay out of the elements if it needs to. It can keep snow, rain, sun and other elements away when they could become to harsh for the creature to survive. But it can also provide a place for the creature to hide from predators as well. Shelters will be different for most living creatures. If you want to attract a specific type of bird, you will probably need a specific type of nesting box.
On thing that we have tried is to create an area where insects can find a home on Quail Run Farm. We have created our Fairy Hotel to try to encourage insects to take up residence. We have also encouraged Kestrels to take up residence on the property by having a Kestrel nesting box put in place.
CONCLUSION
If you want to attract a living organism to your property or yard, you need to do some research. If you can find out what type of water, food, and shelter the organism needs, you may be able to get it to take up residence in your yard.
You will also want to eliminate habitat for the predators of the creatures you are trying to attract. Pets can also keep certain creatures from finding your property a place they want to habitat.
The opposite is also true. If you have a pest that you want to get rid of, you can declare war on that pest by eliminating one or all three of the things they need to survive. For example, you don’t like snakes around your yard, then eliminate the food source, or the shelter for the snake. You will find that you can do things to convince almost any living creature to move on, and find water, food or shelter in another yard.
One of my favorite times of year, is after the spring starts to warm up some, the desert comes alive with color. Most people think that the desert is a colorless, lifeless place. But it is teeming with color and life if you just know where to look for it.
One of the first plants to show its true colors is the Globemallow, or if you prefer the scientific name, it is called Sphaeralcea ambigua. It is also know as desert mallow, apricot mallow, desert hollyhock, mal de Ojo, and sore-eye poppy. This plant can grow up to 3 feet in height, and spreads 2-3 feet in width. It has fuzzy leaves that contain white hairs on both sides. The number of leaves increase as the plant grows in age. The flowers are a 5-petaled, bloom in spring, and are usually an apricot to orange color. It is a perfect flower for ornamental, desert, drought tolerant gardens. It is also used in a lot of natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects in desert regions.
Cultural Requirements:
Full Sun
Natural Rainfall, but watering will increase flowering
Desert soil, tolerant to clay, but prefers good drainage
Propagates by seed
Not only is it beautiful, but it can also be used in some medical uses.
Crushed leaves can be made into a poultice for skin inflammation and a soothing shoe liner for blistered feet. For the poultice use warm water. Fresh flowers and leaves can be chewed for a sore throat, hoarseness, or minor stomach problems including within the small intestine. A tea made from dried plants for the same symptoms at 1 part plant to 32 parts water, but in this case don’t remove the water from heat, allow it to boil for 20 – 30 minutes, returning the level of water to 32 parts before using. Drink a cup of tea 3 times a day until the complaint ends. – Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West – Michael Moore, 2nd Edition, Page 273-274
[amazonjs asin=”0890134545″ locale=”US” title=”Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West”]
One of the things we try to do on the farm is reuse as much materials as we can. We re-purpose wood, and other building materials. Not only does it reduce the cost of the project, but it also reduces the amount of stuff that eventually ends up in the land fills.
Enter our Goat Enclosure. The goal is to create an enclosure that is big enough for the goats we will be getting in the next Month or so, and reduce any cost that may be associated with it. The cost for this enclosure was a total of $18.00. I did use two new 4×4 posts for the corners of the enclosure. The sides are made from repurposed 2x4s that are then covered with some old cedar fencing that we salvaged from a 30 year old wood fence.
Cedar boards reclaimed from an old wood fence.
Chadd removing nails from the piece of plywood we used for the roof.
We also did not want to purchase roofing for it, so we re-purposed old campaign signs from the recent city council election. (Thanks Ben Reeves for giving us your old signs). I did have to modify the structure of the roof so that it was the correct width to use the campaign signs.
Shed roof made with old Eagle Mountain City Council campaign signs.
I used wood screws to attach the 2x4s to the 4x4s as cross members, and then used an air staple gun to attach the cedar boards to the 2x4s and to also secure the campaign signs to the top of the enclosure.
The enclosure is four feet tall, four feed deep and eight feet wide. The front is partially enclosed, and we will probably be adding a gate in the near future.
This is the front of the finished project
Front of goat enclosure.
It will be interesting to see how the campaign signs weather in the sun and the elements over the years. I think it will work nicely for the goats when the arrive on the farm.
Now all we need is some hay and the goats. I am also going to use the chipper/shredder to turn the end of the fence board we cut into mulch. If I can’t do that then, we will burn them in our wood stove this winter.
GREAT NEWS! We have teamed up with the Eagle Mountain Kestrel Project, Legend Engineering, and a couple of other residents to bring you the Eagle Mountain Kestrel Cam. We have picked one of the nesting pair of kestrels and have installed a webcam into their nesting box. Shon Reed, an Eagle Mountain resident, has worked hard to get all of the elements needed to make it happen. It should also be noted the Shon is a very excellent photographer, and you can see his work by going to his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/shon_reed/
The Eagle Mountain Kestrel project is designed to help increase, and preserve the American Kestrel population in and around Eagle Mountain. There have been a number of kestrel boxes placed around the city on public and private land. Eagle Mountain city keeps an updated list of the location of these boxes: http://www.eaglemountaincity.org/community/kestrel-boxes. Quail Run Farm currently has one of those boxes and is now helping the project spread the word with a 24/7 live webcam. We are hoping to see this mating pair of Kestrels lay a clutch soon.
The purpose of this post is to give you a little insight into how the cam is setup, and the effort that was taken to bring it to you. One of the unique things about this box is that we also have a 24/7 weather station about 200 feet away, this station is collecting the weather data to go along with the video feed. You can view this weather data, by going to our Weather Underground feed (Station ID: KUTEAGLE19).
The nesting box is on top a 30 foot pole, that was made from repurposed 4X4s wedged between 2X4s on either side.
The height of the box, and the poles materials has made it difficult to check the box, and putting a webcam in the box would be impossible without the donated time of Brian and Jordan, and the use of equipment from Rocky Mountain Power.
Brian and Jordan donated their time, and Rocky Mountain Power allowed them to use a bucket truck to help install the camera after hours. I want to thank Brian and Jordan for donating their time after work, and Rocky Mountain power for allowing them to use their truck when they were installing the camera.
Rocky Mountain Truck
After we ran power to the pole, and extend our Wi-Fi coverage, we were able to install the web cam. The webcam was purchased for the project by Lonny Reed the owner of Legend Engineering in Heber City, a Civil Engineering, Survey and Land Planning company.
Brian and Lonny Read looking at the camera and working on the strategy to install it with little impact on the falcons.
Once the camera was prepped for install, Brian went up in the bucket truck to install the camera. Lonny and the rest of us were on the ground looking at the camera to help Brian find the best angle after it was installed in the nest. Shon was out of town during the install, but was being constantly updated on the progress and sent the live feed so he also could give input on the install.
Looking at the feed while Brian is installing the camera.
Brian installing the camera.
Taping the cables in place.
Kestrel pair watching as the camera is installed from a close by power line.
Eagle Mountain can now enjoy the views from the webcam. We have the feed available to everyone on the Quail Run Website. You can view the camera by going to this link:
The page includes a place where you can leave your comments, and start a discussion on what is being seen. You can even share your favorite photo from the webcam in the comments section.
Let us know what we can do to improve the project, as well as learn more about these beautiful and powerful birds.
It should also be noted that we had some other birds watching us while we were installing the camera.
Red Tailed Hawks looking on from a near by power pole.
Once we were done with the actual camera install, we needed to complete the configuration, get the website setup, and make sure that it could be accessed via the internet.
Working on the wireless and port forwarding for the website and live feed.
“For all Hobbits share a love of things that grow.” is a quote from one of my favorite movies. I agree with Bilbo, there is something about things that grow. But in order to grow, you need soil fertility and top soil.
Quail Run farm is in the middle of the Utah High Desert. Yes, we have access to water, and can change our environment some to help encourage plant growth, but our biggest hurdle is soil fertility. Soil fertility is the part of the soil that allows for plant growth. In the desert you have a hard time growing things because of the lack of soil fertility. For plants to thrive, they need to have nutrients, minerals, organic matter, and moisture.
Because of the lack of vegetation in the high desert, it is hard to build the top layer of Organic material that plants need to thrive. We have started to use a few techniques on the farm, from hugelkultur, permaculture, and Back to Eden Gardening. In short, Back to Eden Gardening, is the process of allowing the land to take care of itself, by mimicking the way that nature preps the soil for plants. Basically God set the Earth up so that it could take care of itself, and we are just trying to mimic the way God has setup fertile areas in a not so fertile area. And to do that, we need a lot of mulch. It is suggested to have a deep mulch, and by deep mulch we are talking about 6-8 inches of mulch.
Mulch has several different purposes. Mulch is used to conserve moisture, improve soil fertility and health, reduce weed growth, and increase the visual appeal of the area. If you go into the forest, and look at the soil horizon, you will notice that the forest has a nice layer of mulch on top of the soil. This layer is what we are trying to reproduce. The mulch layer can be made from a lot of different materials. You can create mulch from leaves, grass, peat, woodchips, bark, straw, pine needles, or most paper products. One of the most common forms of mulch used in the urban setting is that of not bagging your lawn clippings. A lot of people use a mulching mower and don’t even know the benefits it is giving their lawn. On a larger scale, you may even see what is called Forestry mulching. A lot of farmers do this by cutting and chipping trees, and brush and the leaving it where they chipped it. You may have even seen them do this along roadsides to clear brush as well.
The problem we have, on Quail Run Farm, is that there is not a lot of tree litter. Because there is not a forest on the property, we don’t have an abundant source of mulch to use for our gardening. So we have decided to create our own.
First, we have to spend some money and buy some equipment. We use Big Blue (our 1973 Ford Tractor, that has a bucket) to haul the mulch around and do any heavy lifting that may be needed. We purchased a 5 X 10 foot utility trailer so we could collect the material that we are going to convert to mulch. And we purchased a chipper/shredder to be able to convert the material we gather into mulch. (We looked into renting or borrowing the chipper and trailer, but after crunching the math, we came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper in the long run to just purchase the equipment.)
The chipper/shredder.
Second, we needed to collect the material that we wanted to turn into mulch. So I put the word out on a local community on Facebook. I basically asked for anyone who was going to throw away leaves, trees, bushes, and like to give us a chance to come collect them before they threw them away. We had a lot of people respond. (And we still have more to go collect and to get back with.)
A bunch of juniper trees a developer removed. The resident said we could haul them off.
Loaded trailer with the juniper trees.
Kids helping secure another load from several different houses in Eagle Mountain.
Pile of trees, and branches ready to mulch.
More stuff waiting to be converted to mulch.
This bark was left over from some trees we had cut into firewood. We will also be converting it to mulch.
Third, we need to convert the material that was collected into mulch. To do this we used the chipper/shredder we purchased. It works really well. I would usually do a bag of leaves and then either the bark or the branches we collected. Once the shredders bag was full I would then dump it into the bucket of Big Blue and then transport it to the garden area.
Chipping some of the big stuff.
Shredding a bag of leaves.
Emptying the bag into Big Blue.
Forth, we need to use the mulch. Once we have the mulch created, we then would put it on the garden beds, and in between the rows of already planted spring crops.
Mulch over garden bed, getting ready to plan.
Mulch between rows of plants.
Mulch between rows of plants.
As a note… Sometime things don’t go as you plan. For instance, don’t let the chipper/shredder run out of gas in the middle of chipping a large tree branch. Parts of it will get stuck in the chipper, and it will require you to remove the blockage before you can use the chipper again.
Cleaning the chipper after it ran out of gas in the middle of a large branch.
Since we moved to Quail Run Farm three years ago, we have seen a variety of wildlife. There is usual the wildlife you would expect to see in the high desert. My favorite sights is the majestic flight of the local birds of prey. We have seen eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, owls, and many other different types of birds of prey. A lot of people have posted pictures of the birds, scenes and other wildlife around Eagle Mountain on the Scenes From Eagle Mountain Facebook page.
It has been fun watching a mating pair of Red-Tail Hawks raise their second season of babies on a high voltage power line in the agricultural lot next to us. They have a nest in one of the cross beams, and can be seen perching on the power poles.
Two Red-Tailed hawks, hunting near City Center in Eagle Mountain Utah. Photo: Shon Reed
We have seen other types of birds of prey including several different types of owls. You never have experienced the full power of these birds, unless you are face to face with one trying to get it to exit your chicken coop. You can read all about that experience here: http://www.momzoolife.com/2014/02/07/the-web-of-protection/.
Owl near Eagle Mountain. Photo: Shon Reed
One of my favorite Birds of Prey is the American Kestrel. Eagle Mountain is home to many kestrels. Driving though the city you may notice several poles, with boxes on them placed in locations in and around Eagle Mountain.
Kestrel nesting box. Photo: Aimee Kieffer
These poles and nesting boxes have been the product of the Eagle Mountain Kestrel Project, which Quail Run Farm has had the pleasure of being part of. If you are interested, you can find the location of these boxes by visiting the Kestrel Pole Location map. The mayor of Eagle Mountain, Christopher Pengra talked about this project in his February 2016 State of the City blog post.
Preserving our natural beauty extends to our birds of prey, too. This year a resident by the name of Shon Reed worked with Austin Robinson, an Eagle Scout, to build nest boxes for American Kestrels. Shon also worked with Brian Smith from Rocky Mountain Power to get utility poles in the ground for mounting the nest boxes to. He also organized volunteers to place these boxes throughout the City. The next step is to get those boxes on a map so residents can observe the birds as they use the poles and boxes. This work is a testament to the selflessness of the people who live here. – Mayor Chris Pengra
Kestrel sitting on a nesting box on Quail Run Farm. Photo: Aimee Kieffer
The Forest Preserve District of Kane County also has a kestrel box program that they are working on.
The Forest Preserver District of Kane County has about 30 kestrel nest boxes in the field. Occupancy was just 8 percent in 2015 but the district remains optimistic. it checked with Audubon chapters around the Midwest with similar programs and learned that kestrel box programs often have low success in the first few years, followed by dramatic improvement once a few boxes become occupied. – Jeff Reiter (Dailyherold.com)
Giving the kestrels places to nest is just part of the equation. There are a lot of factors in increasing the kestrel population in an area. Nesting boxes are the first step, but not only do we need to give them a home, we need to protect and increase their hunting areas.
Eric Cirino, for the Audubon, recently wrote an article entitled, “Are Kestrels the New Poster Species for Pesticides?” The article points out that even after the ban on DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) the larger birds of prey have seen an increase in population. But the population of the American Kestrel is still on a steady decline. “According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, there are about 4 million American Kestrels living in the Lower 48, Mexico, and nearly all of Canada and Alaska. That’s 66 percent fewer kestrels than there were in 1966.” Eric continues to draw the conclusion that the reason why the kestrel populations are still declining is because of the urbanization of its hunting grounds, and the use of other pesticides that kill the kestrels main source of food.
Wohler confirms that kestrel populations in Long Island have dropped significantly over the past several decades, too. Rampant development and pesticide use on farms and suburban lawns in the area could be the root of the cause. [Source]
Kestrels have a wide variety of food sources, but the majority of their food is insects.
American Kestrels eat mostly insects and other invertebrates, as well as small rodents and birds. Common foods include grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, and dragonflies; scorpions and spiders; butterflies and moths; voles, mice, shrews, bats, and small songbirds. American Kestrels also sometimes eat small snakes, lizards, and frogs. And some people have reported seeing American Kestrels take larger prey, including red squirrels and Northern Flickers.
…
Current declines stem from continued clearing of land and felling of the standing dead trees these birds depend on for their nest sites. The American Kestrel is also losing prey sources and nesting cavities to so-called “clean” farming practices, which remove hedgerows, trees, and brush. An additional threat is exposure to pesticides and other pollutants, which can reduce clutch sizes and hatching success. For kestrels in North America, a larger problem with pesticides is that they destroy the insects, spiders, and other prey on which the birds depend.- allaboutbirds.org
Quail Run Farm is doing what it can to help protect the habitat and hunting grounds of the Kestrel, and we would like to ask you to help us with this goal. There are two major ways that residents of Eagle Mountain can help increase the kestrel population.
First, keep open land that is ideal for kestrel hunting areas. We can let the City Council and other elected officials know that we support keeping areas as agricultural and open for kestrel habitat. We recently had a developer propose a 60+ home development on what is currently agricultural land in close proximity to Quail Run Farm. A group of residents got together and were able to stop this land from being rezoned from agricultural to residential. In doing so, we have increased the chances that the kestrel population in Eagle Mountain will grow. I am not talking about improved green space, that most developments are required to put in. I am talking about preserving the native, natural green space that attracts the kestrel to the area. One of the things that makes Eagle Mountain unique is the natural habitat we have. There is no need to manicure, develop, and plow down all of the areas in Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain currently has an area of 41.7 Square Miles, there is plenty of space for development, as well as keeping native open space intact.
Eagle Mountain has a large power and gas corridor that runs from the north end to the south end of the city. We as residents need to try to keep that corridor free of residential zoning. Keep it zoned so that it stays native and is the ideal location for kestrels and other birds of prey to hunt. Lets preserve as much of their natural, native hunting grounds as possible. By placing nesting boxes along the power corridor, we can encourage the kestrel population in Eagle Mountain.
Second, don’t kill insects unless you have to. Not all insects are bad or evil. As long as insect populations are kept in check, they can actually be beneficial. And the majority of the time, the balance is kept if left to its own devices. If the insect is not causing a health risk, then we should maybe think about not using insecticides to eliminate it. Insecticides are non discriminating killers. By using insecticides to get rid of spiders, you are also eliminating other beneficial bugs as well. Kestrels require insects to survive, and as development continues, residents will spray their manicured lawns, and properties to eliminate the possibility that there may be a harmful insect.
The next time you spray an insecticide to kill a bug, think about the other bugs that may also be eliminated from the overspray, or what animals may be effected by the loss of that insect. If it is not a health risk, think about leaving it as is.
An article by Caroline Cox titled “Pesticides and Birds: From DDT to Today’s Poisons” in the Journal of Pesticide Reform discusses the dangers of pesticides and birds. Besides a long list of pesticides that kill birds, Cox discusses the secondary poisoning of predatory birds, the indirect effects of starvation and predation, and the more sub lethal effects. She concludes by saying:
Pesticides will continue to kill birds, reduce their food resources, and disrupt their normal behaviors as long as pesticides continue to be used. The only way to eliminate the effects that pesticides have on birds is to use nonchemical resource management techniques. On farms, in forests, on lawns, and elsewhere that pesticides are used, managers are finding that these techniques work well and make economic sense. Our job is to see that they are implemented more widely.
This is not a simple task, but one that is essential if we are to seriously heed the message of our miners’ canaries.
Everyone can do their part to help increase the kestrel population in Eagle Mountain. We can help the Kestrel Project by monitoring, installing, and facilitating the use of nesting boxes. We can help by encouraging the City Council and developers to leave natural and native open spaces. We can help by thinking twice about using pesticides, insecticides and herbicides on the properties we own or maintain.
Kestrel Facts
The kestrel does not build a nest but instead relies on taking over crevices, hollows in trees, and the nests of other birds. This makes it easy to attract them to nest boxes.(a)
The lack of suitable nesting sites is often the greatest limiting factor for kestrel populations.(a)
Kestrels prefer nest boxes over natural cavities, mainly because most natural cavities are more cramped than manmade boxes.(a)
The kestrel is an inhabitant of open fields, croplands, and orchards.(a)
Once widely known as “the sparrow hawk”, the name kestrel is now more commonly used.(a)
Although kestrels generally migrate southward in the winter, they return to their previous territories and nest sites year after year.(a)
Females tend to winter farther south than males.(a)
A kestrel family will eat upwards of 500 voles or mice per year as well as numerous grasshoppers and locusts.(a)
Kestrels generally begin breeding in early April or May, but often breeding activity reaches its peak in early June.(a)
The common name, American Kestrel, is used to distinguish the species that lives in North America (Falco sparverius) from its old world cousin, the European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).(a)
Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. This enables kestrels to make out the trails of urine that voles, a common prey mammal, leave as they run along the ground. Like neon diner signs, these bright paths may highlight the way to a meal—as has been observed in the Eurasian Kestrel, a close relative.(b)
Kestrels hide surplus kills in grass clumps, tree roots, bushes, fence posts, tree limbs, and cavities, to save the food for lean times or to hide it from thieves.(b)
The oldest American Kestrel was at least 14 years, 8 months old.(b)
Kestrels were once hunted by gamekeepers. However, they are now one of the few birds of prey that gamekeepers and farmers tolerate as they eat the rats, moles, and insects that farmers see as pests.(c)
Photos: Shon Reed allowed us to use some of his photos on this post. You can follow him on instagram. He has taken a lot of cool pictures of Birds of Prey around the farm and the Eagle Mountain Area.
The following is a small gallery or showing of the birds of prey that have been taken by Shon Reed and posted to various Eagle Mountain facebook pages.
Soil is defined as the top layer of Earth that allows the growth of plants. All areas have a different soil horizon, and that profile will change over time, and can contain all of the different types of soil discussed in this article. You can find out what your soil horizon is by digging a hole in the ground and then observer the cross sections in that hole.
Permaculture is not about changing one type of soil to another type of soil, but is about creating a top layer of soil, in your soil horizon, that plants will thrive in without having to change the underlying soil profile. BUT, it is very important to know what the soil type is that you are building your permaculture soil on. The underlying soil type will effect the temperature, water drainage, water retention, and the depth of your plants roots. Typing your soil can be very complicated. You will hear people classify soil by color, weight, and other measurements. I hope that this article helps in clarifying some of the different types of soil, and terminology used. Over time as you build your permaculture top layer, the underlying soil horizon will change. It will take years, but eventually the changes you make on the top layer will percolate down to the lower layers of the soil horizon. That is a great side effect of doing permaculture gardening, but it is not the ultimate goal.
According to the Unified Soil Classification system (USCS) there are 5 different types of soils. They include Gravel, Sand, Silt, Clay and Organic. But I would like to add an additional type, and that is of Peat. There are different grades of those types (poorly graded, well-graded, high plasticity, and low plasticity), but I will leave that for another post.
GRAVEL
Gravel is composed of rock fragments. These fragments can be in a lot of different sizes. It is pretty easy to identify gravel. There is really not a good test to verify it is gravel besides the look and texture. Because gravel has an inferior ability to retain moisture, nutrients, plant life in gravel soil is more sparse. One advantage to a gravel soil is that it does have a very high water drainage rate, so it can be good for plants that need a dryer root system. But it also does not retain nutrients.
SAND
Sand is more granular than gravel is, and is comprised of finely divided rock particles. It is finer than gravel, but is coarser than silt. Water drains rapidly, and also does not store nutrients for plants very efficiently. The nutrients are carried away usually to quickly for plants to be able to use them. You can test to see if your soil is sand by picking some slightly wet sand up. If you try to create a ball with it, it will not form one, will leave particles on your hands, and crumbles easily in your fingers.
SILT
Silt is finer than sand, but not as fine as clay. Silt is fine enough that it may also be found in suspension in bodies of water. Silt is usually what makes rivers, and lakes have a dirty look to them. When silt is wet, it will have a slippery feel, but when it dries, it will have a floury feel. Silt drains poorly, and is usually cooler than sand.
CLAY
Clay has the smallest particles. Clay can be easily molded in your fingers when wet, but when it dries, it becomes hard or brittle. If clay is wet, it forms into balls easily if rolled in your fingers, and feels sticky. Clay soil is cold, and takes time to warm, because it does hold moisture well. Clay also stores nutrients well. The downside is that when clay becomes dry, it becomes very hard and plants have a hard time growing in dry clay.
ORGANIC
Organic soil is soil that is primarily made up of matter composed of organic compounds. It usually contains the remains of plans, animals, and their waste products. Organic soil is usually created by the organic matter being broken down by bacterial or fungal action. Soil holds water, and nutrients, giving plants the capacity for growth.
PEAT
Some people classify peat with organic soil, but I feel it is in a class all of its own, because of how unique it is in its formation. It only forms in peatlands, bogs, and mires. Peat if rolled will not form a ball. It is spongy to touch and will release water if squeezed. Peat can be added to the other types of soil to increase its ability to retain water and nutrients.
So, which soil is the best?
The answer to this question is all of them in a mix. When you have some of all of the soil types mixed, you get what is called Loam. usually the composition is 40%-40%-20% (sand-silt-clay). The best type of soil to plant in is loam with the inclusion of organic matter. This way you get the best combination of draining, nutrients and moisture. But because it is almost impossible to create loam, permaculture may be the answer. It is impractical to create loam on a large scale in most environments. Loam is ideal for starting plants that then can be moved to your permaculture garden.
Loam is considered ideal for gardening and agricultural uses because it retains nutrients well and retains water while still allowing excess water to drain away. A soil dominated by one or two of the three particle size groups can behave like loam if it has a strong granular structure, promoted by a high content of organic matter. However, a soil that meets the textural definition of loam can lose its characteristic desirable qualities when it is compacted, depleted of organic matter, or has clay dispersed throughout its fine-earth fraction.
Loam is found in a majority of successful farms in regions around the world known for their fertile land. Loam soil feels soft and crumbly and is easy to work over a wide range of moisture conditions. [Source]
Besides doing the ball test, as motioned in the different soil types, you can do jar test. The jar test is explained at the end of this document: Soil Types and Testing. It will help you find where your soil fits, if it is sandy, clay, or loam soil.
Below is a video that explains loam a little better, with details on how to mix it.
Other Factors
Soil color can also tell you a lot about the soil, dark soils have high organic matter, aeration, available nitrogen, fertility, and a low erosion factor. Moderately dark soils have medium organic matter, erosion factor, aeration, available nitrogen and fertility. Light soils have low organic matter, aeration, available nitrogen, fertility and a high erosion factor. [Source]
Soil Temperature also has a lot to do with growing plants, and the type of soil you have under your permaculture can effect that as well. For the fastest growth, you want to try to keep your soil temperature at 65-70 degrees F. Above or 85 degrees and below 40 degrees you have no growth, and little to no bacteria or fungi activity.
But I think I have observed that your countrymen who have been obliged to work out their own fortunes here, have succeeded best with a small farm. … It is at the same time the most tranquil, healthy, and independent. –Thomas Jefferson April 29, 1795
If you know me, you know that I have a fondness for the Founding Fathers. I see them as men with great wisdom before their time. I give them, and God credit for the founding of the United States and the ability to setup a form of government that has lasted since 1776. I like to read their sayings, their writings and their letters. In doing so, I have come to understand them better, and to gain a greater appreciation for the country that I call home and love.
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by his friend CW Peale (1791)
Thomas Jefferson had a friend Charles Willson Peale that exchanged letters with him off and on. CW Peale was a known painter (he did this famous portrait of Thomas Jefferson), soldier, scientist, inventor, politician, and naturalist. He also started a natural history museum that included the skeleton of a mastodon that was found, excavated, and mounted by Peale himself.
Jefferson and Peale wrote to each other for years. The first letter was recorded in 1791. They continued writing to each other until 1826. The Jefferson Papers contain 188 letters between Jefferson and Peale. You can find them at founders.archives.gov.
There was a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to CW Peale on the 20th of August 1811. The August 20th letter contained this quote:
I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position and calling, it should have been a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.
There are a lot of other quotes form the founding fathers that talk about their love for farming, agriculture and gardens. Jefferson ends his letter with this statement, “Think of me sometimes when you have your pen in hand and give me information of your health and occupations, and be always assured of my great esteem and respect.”
I am most cheerfully accept your kind invitation of a renewal of correspondence … I shall get instruction in my new occupation, that of a famer, which thus may be diffused to others, as I am willing to put into practice every thing that promises to meliorate the condition of Man.
CW Peale, Self-portrait (1791)
Peale then writes a lengthy letter to Jefferson about what he is doing on his farm. I am going to include some excerpts from this letter in the post. I am hoping that the knowledge of these patriotic farmers will transverse the gap of time. I feel the same way today as Peale did when he wrote his letter to Jefferson. In a way, I want to also diffuse the information I have and will learn to others. It is my hope that others will be able to gain insight from our little farm’s failures and successes, and it a small way will also help meliorate the condition of man.
In the letter, Peale starts out by thanking Jefferson for his design of a Mould-board (curved metal blade in a plow that turns the earth over). He talks about how he is using Jefferson’s idea to create new plow. Peale states, “if the form of it was given to every Plow, the land would be infinitely better plowed; greater products consequently, withall less labour to Horses.” He then goes into detail on how to produce the Mould-board out of White-oak.
Drawing of Mould-board by CW Pearle.
He then discusses the museum, and how he wants to retire from it. He convinced his son to take over the museum, so he could “be out of sight, by retiring to the Country, to muse away the remainder of my life.”
You ask whether “the farm is interresting?” my answer is that it is exactly what you would wish, “a rich spot of Earth, well watered, and near a good market for the produce of the Garden.” I am situated ½ a mile from Germantown and have the same distance to the old-york turnpike road—two Streams run through my land, who’s sources are within 3 miles, on each there are 3 mills above me, from the east stream I can have 23 feet head of water, and on the other 10 feet within my own land, and liberty from my neighbours land below to add 5 feet more—This stream is the nearest to my dwelling. It is my intention as soon as I can conveniently have it executed, to Build the End of a Mill-house, which may be extended if wanted in future, my object at present is only to apply it to the saving of labour of the farm, such as churning of Butter, Grinding our tools, beating of Homony, washing of Linnen, a turn bench &c &c all of which may be performed by bands, thus expence of wheels is avoided. on the other Stream I intend to Build a Grist Mill, after my farm is put into compleat order, if I am able to make it so.
He then talks about his trying to farm on shares, but found that it was more reliable to work the farm himself and not rely on the farmer he picked who turned out to be to lazy, and the crops were always put in the ground to late.
One of my favorite parts of the letter, from Peale to Jefferson, is when he discusses weeds, and how, “I found that where I had cut off one head, Hydra-like a half dozen had sprouted up in place.” It looks like everyone has to deal with unwanted vegetation in the form of weeds.
…weeds grow so fast that the loss of labor could not be recovered, great part of my new Garden became a wilderness I am now taught to know that a garden must be constantly attended to—This is not the only mistake I have committed, even with the best intentions, I have laughed at my folly in thinking I could do wonders by my steady perseverance. I see my farm, and those of all my neighbors around having an abundance of weeds, I thought that if I cut off those weeds while in Blossom that I should prevent them from seeding, and by a persevering labor of cutting them off, I should at last have my place free of weeds…
The letter contains so much information, I strongly suggest that you read if for yourselves if you want to gain the knowledge that he is bestowing. He discusses how he grows fodder for his cattle, a machine he made to take his milk from the cow-pen to the spring-house, a three wheeled carriage to take the milk to the market, how he Kiln dries fruit, and a discussion of his fruit trees, using plaster or ash on his land, and producing potatoes.
Machine by CW Peale to move milk.
Three wheeled cart used to transport milk to the market. CW Peale
In conclusion he states the following:
Some of my friends told me that I would soon be tired of a country life, as others of their acquaintance had been. I believe my fondness for the farmers life is becoming daily stronger.
I agree with CW, the more I farm the land and enjoy the “country life” the fonder I become of it.
This weekend Dadzoo put out a call to the people of our city, asking if anyone had bags of leaves or branches that needed to go to the dump, it being the big spring cleaning time. He got two bites and we piled a few kids in the van and went into town to pick up bags of leaves. While we were stopping at homes to get the leaves we were planning on we also noticed other bags of leaves laying on the curbs. A quick knock at the doors and we acquired several more bags of leaves. So proud of ourselves we filled our 12 passenger van with bags of leaves, bags of free fertility!
The leaves will be used to fill garden boxes, used in sheet mulching, composting and mulching around plants in the garden. Instead of languishing in a landfill they will be used to build something good, to fulfill the measure of their creations.
When we moved to Quail Run Farm, we inherited a lot of problems as well as a lot of awesome opportunities. One of those problems included the large amounts of trash, and random stuff left over the property and in the basement. When we moved in, we had a 40 yard dumpster delivered and were able to fill it just from the trash in the basement and some of the trash around the yard. And there is still a lot more to clean up. One of the big problems we had were a bunch of trees that the previous owner had dumped on the property. These trees are huge. The diameter of a couple of them is over four feet. So the question was raised what do we do with these huge trees? (you can see the kestrel box in the background)
We also burn wood for heat during the winter. I had harvested all of the wood that I could with the equipment I had. So we asked our wood guy (we buy our winter wood from him) if he would be willing to process the trees for us. Well, he said yes, we came up with a price and the work started.
With the help of his numerous different sized chain saws and his hydraulic wood splitter. John and Tommy were able to convert all of those trees to 12+ cords of wood. We still have probably 5 cords more of trees to process. The wood will be great for us over the next couple of winters, and the cost to have them process it was more than half the cost to have them haul in wood for the winter.
You can see the trees we still need to process in the right side of this picture. That one big piece, that is sticking up, that is still unprocessed is a burl. If it had not cracked, it would be worth close to 10K. But since it is cracked, it will be turned into BTUs instead of coffee tables.
Now we have to move it, stack it, and then protect it for the winter. But when the cold months hit, and we have heat from these logs, we will be glad that we had trees that we could process and turn into BTUs.
At some point you may want to try to attract a specific animal, insect, or plant to live on your property. I have heard people talk about wanting to have more birds, butterflies, and other things visit, and or live on their property. Many times, people will plant a specific plant, put in a bird house, or a water feature in the hopes that they will attract wildlife. But then they are disappointed when over time the visitor does not come. I have learned that it can be tricky to attract living things to your property. But there are some things you can do that will greatly enhance your ability to attract animals, insects, and birds if you first understand the living organism first.
This is the front of the finished project
Soil is defined as the top layer of Earth that allows the growth of plants. All areas have a different 
The leaves will be used to fill garden boxes, used in sheet mulching, composting and mulching around plants in the garden. Instead of languishing in a landfill they will be used to build something good, to fulfill the measure of their creations. 
We also burn wood for heat during the winter. I had harvested all of the wood that I could with the equipment I had. So we asked our wood guy (we buy our winter wood from him) if he would be willing to process the trees for us. Well, he said yes, we came up with a price and the work started.
With the help of his numerous different sized chain saws and his hydraulic wood splitter. John and Tommy were able to convert all of those trees to 12+ cords of wood. We still have probably 5 cords more of trees to process. The wood will be great for us over the next couple of winters, and the cost to have them process it was more than half the cost to have them haul in wood for the winter.
