The Great Mulch Ring Project
I should probably catch everyone up on some aspects of this farm since I've gone. Currently, I need to add more nitrogen fixing bacterias because I overloaded the yard with carbon fixing materials and mycelium over the past 8 months.
I spent quite some time adding lots of carbon material in the form of leaves and various parts of tree materials from my friend's landscaping company, as well as straw mulch, to a mulch ring project. Some may call it hugeuel culture(spell check), fungaly dominated compost or even a birm.
I also added (Korean) Natural Farming inputs but I won't focus on that so much with this post since it was a small part in this project overall.
Using the carbon material from my friend's landscaping company, I created a mulch ring around the outer part of the goats' den that actually wraps around the entire front yard as well. I envisioned a mulch ring that would allow for earthworms, beneficial bugs and beneficial microorganisms, such a mycelium, to spread around the property and still survive this summer and beyond. I was also intending on chickens being able to live sustainably solely off this carbon heavy compost like mulch ring.
The videos below are from October 2020. Just right before the epic mulch ring would be built.
Inside the goats pasture
Just outside of the goats pasture
As I was building the mulch ring, that in the beginning, I didn't think would amount to much as my finances and energy was low; my attention was focused on planting rye, barley and clover in the pasture.
In the video below I just got done laying out the composted goats den manure laden straw that was composted into a nice black forest like soil. This was my top soil for the aforementioned seeds.
In these videos we will see the progress of the mulch ring in its early days of November 2020.
My Friends, Roper, Roper and associates dropping off some mulch!
I spent months adding manure, natural farming inputs and even composted dumpster dived goods!
Manure haul! I got punked by these geese picking up some horse manure from across the street!
The PTSD I didn't know I had was creeping in the beginning of winter and the video below. It is from just after I got done laying out the horse manure and I just caught my friend peeing near my compost.
Ok, let's take a quick peek at the mulch ring just 2 months after getting landscaping goods, mulching and chopping…
You thought I was joking about dumpster diving? I got busted by the cops. Check out how I got out of it!
Yes, I used a leaf mulcher on the fruit and put the slop in the mulch ring to feed the earthworms and mycelium.
Before I move on I will show you the pasture before the goats ate it. There is some clover and grass growing back that you will see in my video later. The goal was ultimately to build the soil, increase the earthworms and rhizosphere. I do think I accomplished this.
To see further details on this endeavor please visit my Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/taelorkahrs
Fast Forward to current times, the start of summer 2021. The mulch ring was a success! In fact, while we never got chickens or mated these girls for milk, the goats ate the bark, dried leaves and straw in the mulch ring. Of course all the while adding their manure too.
The goats ate most of the grass but the root system is still in place.
In the video below I will catch you up on where the goat's den and pasture is at now and what came of the mulch ring.
My personal Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/taelorkahrs
dynamicsteemians discord
https://discord.gg/ufEcCJBU3K