The Sepp Holzer method of growing vegetables. Sepp holzer: how to get organic food all year round

Man has yet to learn and learn from Nature. First of all, what she does best. For example, plants themselves create and maintain the soil, and if this land is not mutilated by the plow and not poisoned by chemicals, then there are many living organisms that can loosen and fertilize it. In fact, plants can protect themselves, and if their strength is not enough, they will call helpers - spiders, bats, lizards, birds and other wonderful creatures.

Plants strengthen the fertile soil layer, cover it from the wind and the scorching sun, smooth out the destructive aspirations of the elements. Plants delight us with friendly shoots in spring and a rich harvest in autumn. However, this joy can only be appreciated in harmony with nature. And if you "stuff" it in spite and in spite of it, you can hardly feel it.

We are starting a series of articles about organic farming. Today we will do short review its principles and methods, consider its distinctive features.

A bit of history

The history of the emergence and development of agriculture has more than eight thousand years. At its very dawn, man still did not know how to extract iron, and all work on the earth was carried out with the help of wooden hoes and spades - the structure and fertility of the soil were not violated. With the emergence of large settlements and an increase in the population, field cultivation arises, and people invent the first arable tool - a wooden plow, which was intended for cutting furrows, and oxen or horses were used as traction. From the moment that a person learned to extract and smelt iron, a metal plow replaced the wooden plow.

On the territory of Russia, the massive use of moldboard plowing with a plow began under Peter the Great. And that was the beginning of the end. Massive deforestation and moldboard tillage quickly caused soil destructuring in central Russia.

The first harbinger of upcoming environmental disasters caused by large-scale plowing of virgin lands was severe erosion, dehumification and drying of soils in the south Russian Empire in the middle of the 19th century. And even then, some Russian scientists (V.V. Dokuchaev, I.E. Ovsinsky) began to sound the alarm, saying that moldboard plowing adversely affects the structure of the soil and its fertility. Even then, instead of a plow, Ovsinsky began to use a horse flat cutter, while receiving wonderful harvests, even during the drought of 1895-1897.

Next ecological catastrophy occurred on the plains of the USA and Canada in the 30s of the 20th century. The plowing of millions of hectares of virgin land in the prairies led to terrible wind erosion, and the locals perceived the dust storms of that time as the end of the world.

In the 60s of the twentieth century, the same catastrophe broke out in the USSR, on the lands of Kazakhstan, the Urals and Siberia. In the period from 1954 to 1962, 42 million hectares were plowed here by the method of moldboard plowing. A grandiose cloud of dust hung over the entire expanse of the steppe fields. And there are dozens of such examples.

Invention mineral fertilizers played a colossal role in the destruction of fertility and the reduction of the humus layer of the soil. And there is no need to talk about the danger of eating vegetables and fruits grown with the help of such dressings.

founder modern system organic farming consider Albert Howard (1873-1948). This English scientist spent most of his life in India, where he developed a system for composting and fertilizing the soil with organic matter. He outlined the basic principles of his method in the book The Commandments of Agriculture. This work made a great impression in its time and attracted many supporters from all over the world.

At the same time, biodynamic agriculture appeared in Germany, the main principle of which was the complete rejection of the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. In this case, special biodynamic preparations are used to fertilize the soil and control pests, which we will discuss in the following articles. The founder of biodynamic agriculture is Rudolf Steiner (1861-1926). These two directions provided the basis for the development of modern organic farming methods. This system has long been successfully used in many countries. This is especially true, given that the environmental situation in the world causes serious concerns for many.

Seeing the world through the eyes of an organic farmer

To become an organic farmer, it is not enough just to abandon the use of pesticides and deep tillage. At the heart of this scientific approach lies a deep understanding of the processes occurring in nature. And it is not necessary to perceive nature as some kind of abstract concept. Nature in organic farming is the soil and plants that we grow on our plots.

Organic farming (also called natural or biological) is fundamentally different from traditional farming. Here, the earth is not dug or plowed, but only loosened with the help of special devices, such as Fokin's flat cutter. We will talk in more detail about this unique tool in the following articles. Gardeners-organists use only organic fertilizers and special biopreparations.

The main goals of natural farming are to increase soil fertility and obtain environmentally friendly products. The methods and techniques that adherents of this approach use make the work of a gardener easy and enjoyable.

The basis of organic farming is a special relationship with the soil. The soil is perceived as a living being that needs to be protected and take care of its health in every possible way. Because if the soil is healthy, then the crops growing on it should not be afraid of anything.

It is this attitude that determines the rejection of deep tillage, since constant digging kills all living creatures that create the basis of fertility - humus. Humus is a complex complex of nutrients organic compounds, which are formed in the soil as a result of the vital activity of worms, fungi, microbes and other soil living organisms.

To improve the structure of the soil, "advanced" gardeners use the mulching method, which allows you to suppress the growth of weeds and keep a sufficient amount of moisture in the ground. In nature, the ground is always covered with a layer of leaves and grass - the mulching method helps protect the soil from overheating and erosion.

To increase humus and improve soil structure in biological farming, only organic fertilizers are used, the main of which are compost and green manure. Siderates are green fertilizers, which can be used various herbs and grain crops (mustard, clover, lupine, rapeseed, rye, oats and others). We will talk about all this in detail in the following articles.

About permaculture

The long-term practice of some modern farmers proves that, observing certain conditions and having enough knowledge and experience, it is possible to grow vegetables and fruits to provide for your family without the use of various fertilizers (even organic ones). Most of the agricultural practices will not be mandatory at all - loosening, weeding, watering, mulching, composting, sideration.

This was actually proved by the famous Austrian agrarian revolutionary Sepp Holzer. His estate is located at an altitude of 1100 meters above sea level, and the average annual temperature here is plus 6 degrees. And in these complex climatic conditions Sepp Holzer manages to successfully grow such heat-loving trees as cherries, apricots, sweet cherries and others. Grow well with an Austrian professor gourds and grapes. It should be noted that all this grows here contrary to the canons of traditional agriculture.

Sepp Holzer and his wife only do planting and harvesting. They do not have agricultural equipment, and only one hired worker works on their estate (50 hectares). Here they do not loosen, do not spud, do not water and do not mulch. Insects and birds fight pests on Sepp Holzer's estate. The revolutionary Austrian agrarian created a unique ecosystem on his land, where a person lives according to the laws of nature in complete harmony with it. This wonder of the world is called today permaculture, which in English means “long-term”, “permanent”. We will discuss the experience of Sepp Holzer and the concept of permaculture in more detail in the following articles.

So, let's sum up. Ecological situation on the planet requires every person to think and take action in order to preserve what is left. And the use of organic farming methods can help us a lot in this.

The main postulates of natural farming include:

1. Do not loosen the soil deeper than five centimeters.
2. Always cover the ground with a layer of organic matter.
3. Protect and take care of soil living creatures, which are the main producers of humus.
4. Be afraid of bare land, do not leave the soil without plants, and sow green manure on the vacant soil. These basic rules will also be the topics of our next articles. Observe nature, live in harmony with it - and then labor on earth will bring you not only good harvests, but will also bring maximum pleasure and positive emotions.

Permaculture is a kind of design system, the purpose of which is to organize the space that people occupy, according to the principle of environmentally sound models. This term is not only an abbreviation of the word "long-term Agriculture”, and it also means “long-term culture”, since in the absence of an agricultural base, ethics of land use, such a culture cannot exist in any way. long time. Permaculture deals with animals, plants, buildings integrated into the living environment and adjacent infrastructure.

Sepp Holzer identified several principles that allow organizing "sustainable agriculture" in the most competent and environmentally sound way.

1. The first and most important thing when restoring the natural landscape is to provide the territory with an open reservoir. Sepp Holzer believes that water is everywhere, even in the desert, you just need to learn how to find it.
2. The second condition: to protect the site from wind blowing by creating hedges and high ridges.
3. Create a variety of plant (including poisonous plants) and the animal world. From all around him, he dragged forest ants in bags to his plot, because he considers them healers of the forest. Holzer creates, as he puts it, "edible" forests, where fruit trees and shrubs with conifers, deciduous and ornamental plants. He believes that such forests are the future of the planet.
4. The larger the area, the less work. Holzer may no longer do anything, and the income from his estate grows spontaneously.
5. "Minimum work, maximum effect." Today, his estate is a self-sufficient, self-developing system. He lives from the sale of seedlings, plant seeds, fish, crayfish, mushrooms, nuts, fruits, berries and vegetables.
6. Try to plant all plants with seeds as much as possible, having previously created conditions close to natural for them: stratification in a freezer or snow. He planted a lot of trees like that. He is growing cedar forest(from Siberian cedars and other types of cedars, in which the nuts are much larger). He recommends planting seedlings in poor soil, in no case in humus, because plants grown in favorable conditions, in natural environment more difficult to adapt and get sick.
7. Do not prune fruit trees. Sepp Holzer believes that this is extra work, and he does not like to do extra work. In addition, trees get used to this procedure and become dependent on human intervention, become weak and less viable. He does pruning only in case of tree disease.
8. Do not water trees when transplanting, plant them in the poorest soil, and no fertilizer. Holzer uses interesting way adult transplants deciduous trees and shrubs: in a dug out plant, he wraps the roots with burlap, moisturizes them so that they do not dry out, leaves them in the shade, and places the crown in the sun. When the tree sheds its leaves, it is ready for planting. Survival - 100%.
9. Maximize the ability of animals to help with the housework. So, he uses the ability of pigs to dig the ground to prepare the beds for planting, scattering their favorite peas and corn in the right place.
10. Do not copy anyone, including himself. Think with your head and observe nature. Its motto is "My university is nature". All his experience is taken from nature. He often repeated: "A person cannot improve what is already perfect, you just need to learn to control nature wisely." Therefore, when he has any problem with plants, animals, soil, he enters the state of this creature, imagines himself to be it and listens to his feelings, is he comfortable in this place, what bothers him, what is missing, what would he wanted.

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Sepp Holzer is the most famous farmer in the world, the author of his own organic farming system, which is called Holzer permaculture. At the heart of its unique technology is the cultivation of fruits without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, only due to natural factors and organic matter. Many years ago an Austrian set difficult task: to grow environmentally friendly products for yourself and your loved ones. From childhood, he observed nature and experimented: he planted fruits and vegetables, bred worms and ants, germinated seeds and dug a pond... It was as if he was preparing for the future.

His Krameterhof farm is high up in the Alps. And the climate there is more like Siberian - severe winters, a lot of snow, sharp fluctuations in temperature. Nevertheless, today he grows kiwi, eggplant and even citrus fruits. At an altitude of 1.100 to 1.500 m above sea level, with an average annual temperature of plus 4 degrees, rhododendrons bloom. Other rare crops are also doing well. And this is all thanks to the microclimate, which is created with the help of a system of lakes, stones and high ridges. Its technology allows poor and depleted soils to be turned into healthy and fertile ones. Sepp's motto: minimum work, maximum effect. Scientists have calculated that its yield is 18 (!) times higher than that of its neighbors. And the Austrian does not make a secret of his technology. On the contrary, it is actively spreading it all over the world. He was also in Belarus. One of the seminars of the revolutionary agrarian took place in the Logoisk district at the farm of Artem Kulpin. Then, two years ago, three high beds were erected under the leadership of an Austrian. Today they are "working" with might and main, giving excellent harvests.

Let us, using the experience of Artem, try to build a high ridge on our site using the Sepp Holzer method. Moreover, in the fall it's time to clean up the site, remove unnecessary trees and shrubs. And it is better not to burn all unnecessary organic garbage, but to bury it.

Bed-giant

The construction of high ridges is a wide field for experiments. There is no single pattern here. It is necessary to take into account local conditions: climate, soil, topography, etc. So let's get started? First, determine the side of the world from which the wind most often blows, taking heat away from your site. The easiest way is to hang a strip of cloth on a tree or on a long stick and watch it day and night for a while. The high bed should be located against the direction of the wind.

In areas where the sun does not warm too much and you would like to make the most of its heat, it is best to make a bed in the form of a horseshoe, opened to the south. As an option - a bed in the form of a labyrinth or a vicious circle, in the center of which a small reservoir is possible.

Having decided on the form, we dig a trench with a depth of 0.5 m to 1 m. You can dig both with a shovel (but it is long and difficult) and with an excavator (best with a rotary bucket). We fold the fertile layer in one direction, the infertile layer in the other. We dump cuttings of boards, branches and logs into the pit. We lay organic matter at least 1 m above ground level with the fertile layer. The main thing is that then it is convenient to harvest the crop, easily reaching every point.

If there are more branches than trunks, then the ridges will last less, but they will become fertile faster. And vice versa: thick logs will give off food and heat longer. Lay the wood material loosely so that it does not compact. After the hill of branches is ready, we fill it first with poor soil, and then with fertile soil. The result is a ridge almost 1.5 m high, very similar to a hill. As for the width, in the finished state it should be about 2 m. Vary the length based on the capabilities of the site.

The high ridge, according to Holzer himself, will be both a solar trap, a windbreak and a water trap. It will create the most favorable climate for plants. Due to the loose structure of the ridges, the storage capacity of the soil will increase. It absorbs rainwater like a sponge.

Buried organic matter, gradually decomposing, will begin to warm up from the inside and release nutrients. The advantage of a high bed is also that it increases usable area occupied by cultures. In addition, such hills themselves heat up faster, which is an indisputable advantage in cold regions.

It is advisable to build two ridges at once in parallel. This will allow experimenting on adjacent sides with planting more heat-loving plants or winter sowing of vegetables: after all, there will be a lot of snow between the ridges in winter. And so that the sun evenly warms both sides of the ridge, adhere to the classical principle, directing them from north to south.

After the hill is covered fertile soil, we trim the bed manually and form the angle of inclination. It should be around 65 degrees. After that, we cover the ridges with rotted hay, straw, foliage (you can also use cardboard). Organic mulch is a great opportunity to increase soil fertility. Such “clothes” will restrain the growth of weeds, give the earth additional moisture, and accelerate the reproduction of earthworms. The winds will not blow away the mulch if you pin it to the slope with wooden studs and press it with bars.

In order for future newcomer plants to have enough moisture in the season (especially dry), the Austrian advises burying wood not only in the bed itself, but also in shallow ditches on its sides, laying out the logs in one layer. When they start to rot, they will actively accumulate moisture in themselves. Plants will use it. Side ditches should not be made flush with the ground, but slightly lower so that the water lingers there longer.

As for fertilizers, Holzer categorically does not accept chemical top dressing, believing that organic infusions are quite enough. “Just put nettles, other grasses, even leaves and kitchen waste“Cover everything you have and use it as water for irrigation after one or two weeks,” he advises.

Nice neighborhood

"Together is better than alone" is one of Zapp's wisdoms. And equally it applies to plants, people and animals. Yes, in mixed fit plants support and protect each other from pests. And there is less competition for nutrients between them. Sun-loving shade those that are more sensitive to the sun. Some grow on the leeward side of others. Plants with a deep root system bring up the nutrients and water that those with roots close to the surface need.

To repel pests, Sepp adds aromatic herb seeds to the seed mixture, and flower seeds to attract predatory insects.

On a high ridge, Holzer plants the plants in tiers. At the foot, where moisture accumulates most, it sows moisture-loving crops - melon, watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, cabbage, radish, lettuce. Parsley and carrots will do well in the middle of the garden along with zucchini. Immediately - tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, peas and bush beans. A little higher - corn, kale, curly beans. And at the very top - the most drought-resistant: peanuts, sunflowers. In the sun, potatoes planted under hay will also grow well. As well as berry and fruit crops.

The Austrian is also tolerant of weeds. After all, they are an essential element in the ecosystem: their roots loosen the soil. And if somewhere weeds break through the thickness of the mulch, then Zepp simply pulls them out and leaves them lying right in the same place with their roots up.

In permaculture, the Austrian believes, it is necessary not to fight weeds, but to use them. So, thickets of hogweed or nettle indicate that the soil is rich in nitrogen. Therefore, it makes no sense to plant peas or beans here. They will only oversaturate the soil with this microelement, and from this they will grow poorly themselves. But tuberous - potatoes or Jerusalem artichokes - this is the place. By pulling nitrogen out of the soil, they will slow down the growth of nettles and hogweed. And there will be a natural change of plant species.

An Austrian farmer leaves unharvested crops in the fall on the beds as mulch, accelerating the formation of humus.

If a high bed If you “filled” with crushed material, which quickly decomposes and immediately releases a lot of nutrients, then in the first year Sepp advises to sow depleted plants that need a lot of nutrition. Of these, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, corn, celery and potatoes. Need less nutrients beans, peas and strawberries. It is better to plant them on such ridges in the third year, so that the fruits do not become oversaturated with fertilizers and do not accumulate nitrates.

Pig farmer

Sepp considers all animals... employees. He uses cows and horses for draft work, chickens and pigs for tillage, and fish in the pond to control the number of mosquitoes. Chickens, ducks and pigs willingly eat slugs and cockchafer larvae.

“The pigs have a plow built into the front and a fertilizer spreader in the back,” Holzer jokes. When it is necessary to plow some area, he launches pigs on it. But first, he scatters corn, peas or lentils soaked in milk on the ground. In search of seductively smelling food, pigs plow any soil to a depth of 20 - 30 cm. Sometimes Sepp uses pigs as ... sowers. To do this, seeds of fruit or deciduous crops, green manure are mixed into the feed. After passing through the stomach of animals, they become stratified: the membrane protecting them dissolves in the digestive tract. And allocated together with natural fertilizer grains germinate quickly in the "nutrient" substrate.

Holzer generally believes that it is necessary to breed "edible" forests, where fruit and vegetable crops grow in a single symbiosis. berry bushes with coniferous, deciduous and ornamental plants.

Farm for cows

The Austrian has his own approach to bees. In his opinion, everything should be natural. Hives - only from untreated pure wood. He himself makes them from long straw. Doesn't include frames. Why, he wonders, because the bees themselves build honeycombs perfectly.

A lot of pests have divorced, and you don’t know what to do? But the superpopulation of insects is a clear sign of improper management. Zepp sees the way out in reproduction ladybugs and earwigs, whose larvae destroy up to 400 aphids per day. To propagate beneficial insects, Holzer advises filling an old flower pot with thin wood shavings or hay, wrapping it with wire and hanging it on a pest-affected tree, as if vice versa - with the hole down. Ladybugs and earwigs will appear there and, inaccessible to birds, will multiply. The more pests, the more ladybugs. So nature itself will take care of the balance. By the way, instead of flower pot you can take a piece of bark and put it under the tree with the open side down.

The experience of the Austrian is also curious summer transplant mature deciduous trees and shrubs. It happens that it is necessary to urgently transplant a plant that interferes with the implementation of some work. He wraps the roots of the excavated plant with burlap and moisturizes so that they do not dry out. Then the trees are laid so that the roots are in the shade, and the crown is in the sun. When the plant sheds its leaves on its own, it is ready for planting. And survival rate is always 100%. Although the farmer plants in the poorest soil, without adding any fertilizers and without watering, thereby forcing the plant to “think” about itself and its food as much as possible.

Zepp never prune his fruit trees, believing that they get used to this procedure and become dependent on human intervention, and from this - weak and less viable.

Help "SB"

Permaculture is the cultivation of plants in vivo species diversity, which does not deplete the soil and allows you to get products that are exceptional in taste.

Ecological farming. Homestead: The food production that the world is doing today is meaningless: it wastes too much energy, it is extremely inefficient.

High in the Alps, where the air burns with purity, in the transparent sky, as if hovering over the mortal world, the farm of Sepp Holzer is located. Its 45 hectares is a challenge to all modern agriculture. It's not like that here, it's the other way around.

Let's say this is an experiment. Or eccentricity. Or maybe the reconstruction of an ancient agriculture. Or a model of agriculture of the future.

For 40 years, Sepp Holzer, working on his 45 hectares, contrary to all the rules of agronomy, created a unique biosystem consisting of ponds, stones and mountain terraces, filled with animals, birds, insects and fish; fruit, medicinal, cereal, ornamental plants and vegetables.

The owner and the hostess are engaged only in planting and harvesting. They do not have a fleet of agricultural machines - only one tractor. And only one employee works here.

They do not depend on electricity - they have their own power plant.

Do not use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation, melioration, etc. They do not fertilize and do not plow, do not fight plant diseases and their pests.

They grow mushrooms and rare plants, partly those that, according to all the rules, CANNOT grow in the mountains at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level.

Holzer was able to promote plants that usually grow in warmer conditions into this cold region - cherries, sweet cherries, lemons, kiwis and grapes.

Queues of buyers from all over Austria line up for its organic vegetables, herbs, fruits, fish, meat. In addition, the Holzers sell seedlings, conduct seminars, rent on their territory guest houses, create projects for such farms, build them to order, publish books and videos about their experience.

“What you see here is the agriculture of the future,” Sepp began with conviction. - The food production that the world is doing today is meaningless: it wastes too much energy, it is extremely inefficient.

But really. Imagine how much energy and effort was spent on the development and production of hybrids, fertilizers, plant protection products, equipment, fuel, how much current costs are in farms. And every year they only increase.

– I closely observe how the world agriculture develops. And this is what I see: food production is carried out in constant struggle and confrontation. Man opposes not only nature, exterminating species of plants, animals, insects that impede his goals, but also man. People confront each other, being in fierce competition. One of the terrible troubles of modern crop production is monoculture. Over-centralization, over-exploitation of land, over-use of chemicals.

Monoculturalism is not a cooperation between people and nature, but a confrontation. One against the other. Someone wants to grow only rapeseed, someone wants only corn.

Today the world needs people whose way of thinking is consonant with nature. You need to learn to "read nature", to understand its language and laws.

What is permaculture

So, a long time ago, Holzer began to create a farm according to the laws of nature. Subsequently, his system was called "permaculture".

The principles of permaculture focus on the intelligent design of small scale intensive systems that are labor efficient and use biological resources instead of fossil fuels.

The basis of permaculture is design. Design, in turn, is the interconnection of components. Therefore, the basis of the system is not water, earth, wood, shrubs or animals in themselves, but how these things are interconnected.

Holzer enables nature to produce what is natural for her to produce. Although in a practical sense, Holzer's design is a talented phenomenon. He makes extensive use of traps for warmth, high flat ridges for protection from the wind, depressions for the accumulation of moisture.

The basis of everything is water

Sepp began by designing a farm in alpine conditions, similar in climate to the Siberian ones, taking into account the fact that the main thing in the economy is water.

Therefore, Holzer's farm is terraced, which prevents rain from washing out useful substances from the soil.

In general, the Holzer system assumes the maximum restoration of the natural landscape, therefore, hills, craters, depressions are organized, as is usually (almost no longer) in wildlife. In such a landscape, the restorative forces of nature begin to work in full force.

In addition, Sepp organized 72 small reservoirs (ponds) on his farm. This is complex system, many reservoirs are interconnected. In low-lying places recesses are arranged to collect rainwater, through pipelines it enters the reservoirs. Simple mechanical devices provide water emissions and create pressure in the system. Thanks to this pressure, a generator is set in motion, which provides electricity to the entire household.

But, of course, the most important thing is that as a result a multi-zone microclimate was created (in particular, Holzer achieved that on sunny days the water of the ponds reflects the rays and casts them onto a slope where there is not enough sun), the problem of moisture is solved (neither vegetables nor grains , nor fruit trees on the Holzer farm do not require watering).

When organizing ponds, Holzer was guided by the principles of nature: ponds should not have correct form. They should be exactly the same as natural reservoirs - with ledges, bumps. Then, Holzer believes, everything is done right.

He also believes that a large role in the system is played by stones(the soil should not be cleared of them): with a lack of heat, the stones, heating up, improve the temperature situation in the soil, and during the period of drought, moisture remains under the stones. Stones are also present in the ponds. Large, protruding from the water, they perform the same function here: when heated, they make cold mountain water warmer.

By the way, initially Holzer simply bought water for his ponds, there were no sufficient sources on the territory. Now the Holzer ponds are part of the production base. Trout, carp, pike, 30-kilogram catfish live in them. Fish grown in natural conditions, without compound feed, of course, is distinguished by exceptional taste and is in demand.

An absolutely impervious dam is being built. To do this, a clay core of several meters is lowered into the ground and surrounded by an earthen shell, as a result, a natural moisture accumulator is created. The water collection recess can provide a deep water part of the pond of 10-12 m. The system gradually stabilizes in arid climate.

Animals on the loose

Holzer assigns almost the main role in the creation of the economy to the organization of the landscape.

“When everything is arranged correctly, as in nature, the work of the farmer is greatly facilitated,” says Sepp. The maximum similarity with wildlife is its goal.

How do animals live on their own? Ducks, for example, live in a special house, which is located in the middle of the lake. The entrance to their dwelling is protected by water. First, the birds need to swim a few meters, and then dive into the water to get inside. Predators can't do that. After this system came into use, not a single duck was lost. In winter, the water freezes, of course, but natural circulation organized in such a way that even in the most very coldy there is an ice-free space in front of the duck house.

The soil at the Krameterhof farm was not affected by chemicals.

How to restore the soil after using chemicals? The coarser the structure, the more active life in the soil and the more intense the recovery process. If the soil is penetrated by deep roots, if aeration is improved, the amount of poisons in the soil can be reduced, and the process of getting chemicals into ground water stop.

The soil needs to be plowed and, without covering the seeds, sow green manure, mixed.

• The perennial bitter lupine, for example, is distinguished by the fact that its roots go several meters into the soil.
• There is also a good honey plant - sweet clover, which also gives a large biomass. This plant reaches one and a half meters in height.
• Legumes collect nitrogen.Nodule bacteria on their roots contribute atmospheric nitrogen to the soil.
• It is also good to add vegetables, seeds of carrots, Jerusalem artichoke, radish.

Nevertheless, even with this method, which Holzer calls accelerated, the period of soil restoration, according to his calculations, is 5-6 years. During this time, you can sell honey and expensive bitter lupine seeds.

So, moisture is preserved and multiplied, the soil is cleaned and prepared. Now processing? This is done by Sepp Holzer's pigs, a rare Iberian breed. “Pigs have a plow in front and a fertilizer spreader in the back,” says Holzer. “If I manage the pigs properly, I don’t have to plow rocky or hard-to-reach fields with machines, the animals do it.”

By spreading the bait, Holzer ensures that the pigs loosen the soil exactly where they need to be. Feed is given to pigs not in a feeder, but scattered over the entire area that needs to be processed. Pigs plow the soil to a depth of 20-30 cm! Some of the seeds are planted in the soil, and some are eaten. The shell of the grain dissolves in the stomach, and it is “sowed” again in a more germinable substance, and therefore germinates faster.

Sowing 45 crops at the same time

Holzer's sowing should be said separately.

In his philosophical system, an important place is occupied by the maintenance of the diversity of nature by the farmer (hence his categorical dislike of monoculture).

For sowing, Holzer mixes the seeds of 45-50 plants.

In one bag - seeds of vegetables, herbs, flowers, cereals. As a result, what grows in the economy is balanced in a natural way. Holzer argues that if your field develops a multi-population, suddenly there is an abundance of weeds or insects, then you have done something wrong.

With Holzer, each weed in its place plays an important, positive role in the system. And even mice that loosen and aerate the soil, and the abundance different type food restrains their development into a multipopulation.

Harvesting Holzer looks very humorous. Something like picking mushrooms, because in a wild field here and there cabbage or lettuce stick out, nowhere are there large arrays of one crop. But in terms of taste and purity, no product of industrial vegetable growing can be compared with this salad.

Worms love coffee grounds

Holzer simply breeds earthworms. To do this, he uses a box with a volume of about a cubic meter. Fills it with a loose substrate of straw, cardboard, earth, manure, shifting with branches so that the earth does not compact. At room temperature with a constant supply of oxygen earthworms breed well, while daily they are fed with biological waste. Holzer claims that the worms love coffee pomace filters the most. And therein lies another important rule. Even in breeding worms, the farmer learns to observe nature, which in Holzer's system is the most important quality of a business executive.

The Holzer technique is based on the elimination of artificial intervention in natural process development and fruiting of plants. For example, he completely abandoned the pruning of fruit trees and modern technologies landing. In this way, the branches remain springy and do not suffer even under the load of a bountiful harvest.

Holzer considers the most important criteria for planting a tree to be the right place (wet, dry, cold, windy) and the soil in which the tree is planted.

Generally, fruit trees - Sepp Holzer's passion and first specialty (by education). One could talk about them in detail if it were not for mushrooms. Mushroom production at Holzer is a big topic. He grows mushrooms on trees and on straw - oyster mushrooms, honey mushrooms, as well as forest mushrooms - boletus, boletus, chanterelles.

For a large-scale producer in the Holzer system, perhaps two things are essential:

• the first is the need for careful observation of nature,
• the second is the possibility of creating a microclimate with improved humidity through a system of ponds that can function even in arid areas. However, they should be planned and designed by a professional. published

Interviewed with Zep Holzer Yuri Goncharenko

Sepp Holzer (Austria) is the most famous farmer in the world, the author of his own organic farming system, which is called Holzer permaculture. The technology is based on the cultivation of fruits and vegetables without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, using only natural factors and organic fertilizers.

We have already talked about Holzer permaculture (here). Judging by the numerous responses, this advanced farming system is gaining more and more supporters both among the owners small plots and among farmers.

What is the essence of organic farming? First of all, it is the use of natural, natural factors that positively affect the development of plants. In second place - minimal interference in the existing

ecosystem. Holzer believes that digging, weeding, etc. disrupt the structure of the soil, impoverish it. In a properly organized economy, he argues, plants interact, help, and do not interfere with each other. As a result, you can get a high and, importantly, environmentally friendly harvest! The main thing is to choose the right crops and plan the landing. In other words, the basis of permaculture is the creation of a harmonious ecological space where one nourishes, enriches and protects the other.

How is this done in practice? Through many years of experimentation, Holzer has found many ways, which he willingly shares both in practical seminars and in his books. For example, he suggests planting plants in special hilly beds. This is a bed of a special form, at the base of which moisture-loving crops are planted. On the ridge, more than drought resistant plants less demanding on the presence of moisture.

Another important point- watering plants. It would seem that there is something special here - you take a hose or a watering can and water it. However, water plays an important role in the development of plants, it nourishes plants like blood. Therefore, do not treat irrigation as a normal water transfusion. With insufficient watering, plants will not receive the right amount substances from the soil. Excessive watering can also adversely affect the development of plants, in addition, the water will wash out useful material from the surface layer deep into where the roots of plants can no longer reach them. It is also necessary to take into account the time and method of watering.

Holzer's Desert or Paradise has many other useful tips: how to grow seeds yourself; how to restore soils whose composition has been disturbed by many years of applying chemical fertilizers; how to protect plants from frost... and much, much more. Workshops held by the farmer in different regions Russia and Ukraine have shown that permaculture is applicable in any climatic zone. For example, the climate at Holzer's farm, located in the high Alps, is reminiscent of Siberian - sharp temperature fluctuations, harsh winters, an abundance of snow. Nevertheless, he grows oranges, and eggplants, and even avocados! The size of the plot is also not decisive: it can be a classic 6 acres, a household plot and even a balcony in a city apartment.

If the book "Desert or Paradise" can be considered as a kind of textbook on the basics of organic farming, then the books of the Organic Farming Club are their practical use, growing guide different cultures, based on many years of experience in applying the ideas of Sepp Holzer to household plots. They tell about the cultivation of various garden crops and berries in an organic way, from soil preparation and seedlings to harvest; about pest control; about the use of green manure and much more ...