My name is Robert and this is my 3-year mission to establish a method of cultivating bitter and aromatic hops in the backyard of my Elgin, IL home. I am using holistic management practices which are centered around a few basic principles:
- No tilling, cultivation or weeding. Weeds are fine, they exist for a reason. They are the earth's way of saying it doesn't like to be naked. Naked soil is unhappy soil. Here I make my one and only concession, in order to get a head-start this spring, I had to turn over my sod. This will be the one and only time I turn my soil or disrupt it in any way.
- Cover crops or "Green Fertilizer". I will be planting a thick poly-culture of cover crops and vegetables among the Hops Rhizomes. This is intended to fix nitrogen into the soil and provide dense organic matter for my soil community friends, bacteria, nematodes, fungi and worms. Thick cover cropping also helps to attract beneficial insects, crowd out weeds, and strengthen the surrounding plant community.
- No chemicals - Ever. No Chemicals...once again...No Chemicals. No chemical fertilizer. No Pesticides. No Fungicides. No Herbicides. No -cides of any kind. Not even so-called "organic" chemicals. That's silly, why would anyone want that in their beer ...lets move on.
- Working with and caring for grazing animals. In a perfect world, the fine city of Elgin, IL would allow me to keep and raise a variety of small farm animals to help my farm plot thrive. However; many people consider them somewhat uncivilized and many urban areas do not allow them withing the city limits. I plan on keeping angora rabbits in the near future. For rabbit updates, more details on how keeping and caring for some really fun critters can improve soil quality; read more of my stuff, you'll love it I promise.
This is my experiment, and I want to share it with you. Whether you love local food, great beer, homebrewing, have a passion for environmental activism, or got here by mistake, I want to include you in this weird journey of mine. I want to hear from you, connect with you, and one day help give you a healthier beer for a healthier world.
A Sincere Thanks,
EHP
SWEET!
ReplyDeleteAre their other permaculture blogs you would recommend? I saw this homesteading one and though I would share: http://www.waldeneffect.org/
ReplyDeleteto Diana
ReplyDelete3 minutes agoDetails
I would have to really dive into that blog to see their methods and goals. I will take a look at it. I hesitate to compare my experiment to any homesteader who states how much work is involved in their day. My method involves (even incorporating future plans and increased acreage) much less work than is traditionally thought to be involved in farming. See "Fuokua's Natural farming method" or "do-nothing farming". Plus, I have no intention of killing or selling any of my farm animals, they are my friends and workforce. They give me eggs and fiber and help to improve my soil and eat all sorts of bugs that might nibble my crops. Not to mention the cuteness factor.