1.
For YOUR
Climate Zone
PV2 San Diego 2015
Stefan Sobkowiak, M.Sc, MLA
www.miracle.farm

2.
I am not here to change your way of
growing

3.
Diego Footer
Lush Cosmetics
Sponsorship
2 presentations
YOU??
Thank you

4.
Want to work in an inspiring
environment?

5.
Save years of trial and error?

6.
Save 1000's of Dollars?

7.
Want a business that can gross $1/
ft2 ($10/m2) and regenerates life?
$1/ft2

8.
With
Less work
More yield
More fun?

9.
That can be profitable in first year?

10.
While you grow in peace, joy and
patience?

11.
Utopic? Unrealistic?

12.
Wakeup: lose 50 turkeys to a
raccoon in one night

13.
Lose 45 chickens to a mink in a day.

14.
There are marvellous days

15.
And challenging days

16.
Days of great joy

17.
And great heartaches, nursery eaten!

18.
Zone 5b (Canada) warmest zone Qc
Zone 4 US

19.
Brief History
Purchased conventional orchard in December '92
(12 years old)
4,000 dwarf M-26
apple trees on 5 HA
(12 acres)

20.
Brief History
Organic transition '93-'96
Certified organic '96-'00
Not certified since but
maintaining organic
standards.

21.
Brief History: Replant
Decline '01
Start nursery '02-'03
Nursery trees ready fall '03
Trees all eaten winter '03
Start over '04
Ready fall '05
Trees eaten winter '05
Start again '06

22.
Lesson learned: Plant in the FALL
And protect young trees with guards
Use mouse traps or poison in nursery when snow

23.
Brief History: Permaculture Orchard
2006 tore out, redesign
2007 replanted .5 ha.
Permaculture Orchard
2008 '' .5 ha “ “
2009 replanted .5 ha. “ “
(1.25 acre)

24.
Want this presentation?
Text: your email to (514) 830-9640
Your email + Name + PO presentation

25.
My Mission: 1000ha, 1000 people, 50
countries adopt Permaculture Orchard model

26.
That's why I am here

27.
My OBSERVATIONS:

28.
Nature is well designed

29.
Nature has stood the test of time

30.
We can copy nature

31.
Killing is not the solution
(pesticides, fungicides, herbicides
1% vs 99%)

32.
People demand better and are
informed

33.
Let's return to a model in harmony
with nature

34.
Many examples of the model are
being established
France, Conservatoire d'Aquitaine
Sweeden, Alnarp, Swedish Univ. of Biol. Sciences
New Zealand
La Pocatière, Qc, ITA La Pocatière
+100 private properties or farms

35.
If a Permaculture Orchard is in your
future? You're in the right place

36.
How is a Permaculture Orchard
different?

37.
By design:
Polyculture not monoculture

38.
By design:
Design the solutions
into the orchard
Solutions last a long
time

39.
Different by biodiversity

40.
Allies do most of the work
(fertilize, pest control, mowing)

41.
Different:
INFORMATION vs INPUTS

42.
INFO vs INPUTS
1X in the life 1X or more per season
of the orchard
ex. TRIOS

43.
Different: working with nature

44.
Different:
Marketing
(our farm
membership
Upick)

45.
Different: planted by harvest date
multi-species and cultivars/ row

46.
How Beyond Organic? I was
organic, not a functional ecosystem

47.
I tried to diversify 100 sheep on 5ha

48.
Large scale monoculture is not a
functional ecosystem

49.
Focus on the positive (what can I
DO) not on the negative

50.
Details of Permaculture Orchard

51.
TRIO: NAP
(1 nitrogen fixer - 2 fruit trees)
(1 nitrogen fixer - 1 fruit - 1 nut)

52.
Each fruit tree is next to a N-fixer

53.
TRIO: N (n-fixer)-Apple-Pear or Plum
Repeated Pattern: N A1 P1, N A2 P2, N A3 P3...
A1 = Apple cultivar 1, A2 = Apple cultivar 2,
A3 = Apple cultivar 3
P1 = pear (or plum) cultivar 1,...

54.
Orchard Pattern is not a bad idea
MONOCULTURE Orchard pattern IS a bad idea

55.
N nitrogen fixers we use
(Gleditsia triacanthos
inermis) Honey locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia)
Black locust
Shrubs:
Caragana
Seaberry (Hippophae r.)
Buffaloberry (Eleagnus
commutata)
(Eleagnus angustifolia)
Russian olive

56.
Goal: never 2 apple trees touch...
In the row
and
between
rows

57.
DUH!!!
Paradigm shift for Fruit Growing industry.

58.
TREE TRIOS give 60-80%? of
positive results

59.
Layers For Newbies
1 - 2 - 3 (TRIOS - Horizontal)
1 Vertical
2 TRIOS
3
4 (grass)
5 (vine)

60.
Layer 2 = Shrubs: 1-4/ tree
Gooseberry
Black and red currant
Haskap
Aronia
Amelanchier
Raspberry
Rhubarb

61.
Gooseberry 4 cvs

62.
Amelanchier (A. alnifolia) 8 cvs?

63.
Perennials
Perennials:
Alliums (onions)
Herbs
Perennial
vegetables

64.
Perennials: 16/ tree
Perennials (2x8) :
Alliums
Herbs
Perennial
vegetables

65.
Vines climb on N-fixers only
1 vine/ tree
Grape
Kiwi

66.
How many plants for 1 acre?(.4ha)
450 trees
minimum 450 shrubs
16 x 450 = 7,200 perennials + ground-cover
vines = 150
Total = minimum of 8,250 plants

67.
Just Do It
Start a nursery

68.
Just Do It
Start a nursery:
70’x 30’= 1000 trees
(23m x 9m)

69.
Grocery store concept

70.
73
Month = 3 x 10 day HARVEST

71.
3 + HARVEST periods/ year

72.
July Small Fruit, Herbs, Flowers…

73.
Raising poultry on grass in the
aisles

74.
Advantages of Permaculture Orchard

75.
Something is
REALLY working
● Trees blooming from
early May to end of
June, 60 days.
● VS 10 days (apple)

76.
From 4 to 23 hives in 1 week
Abundance of Pollination

77.
No fertilizers since
2007
● Very good growth and
fruiting

78.
Advantage:
REDUCED
INPUTS
25-30 sprays
(conventional)
vs 6 us (whey)

79.
Advantage: INCREASED
BIODIVERSITY

80.
Advantage:
Diversity
of Yields

81.
Advantage: Easy, Logical to Harvest

82.
Advantage: More Wildlife
More FUN to work in.

83.
Advantage: Impulse Buying
(Marketing U-Pick… Tomorrow at 3)
More FUN to work in.

84.
Advantage: More FUN

85.
Permaculture Orchard
Looks, smells, feels more like a forest.
= Disadvantage

86.
Disadvantage: More mosquitos

87.
Disadvantage: OVER pollination

88.
Disadvantage: Need More
Containers

89.
Steep LEARNING CURVE
Orcharding
Pruning and Training
Animal Husbandry
Soil biology
Irrigation
U-pick marketing
Direct marketing
Systems Design

90.
Lesson: Know yourself

91.
Know yourself

92.
Se connaitre

93.
Sharing know how

94.
Innovate: Rabbit Roller cage

95.
Innovate:
Biotope for
20+ species
of wildlife
LUSH
cosmetics $$

96.
Innovate: Apple Maggot Fly trap
(Rhagoletes)

97.
What do you love?

98.
Futur Miracle Farms?
4ha of Permaculture
Orchard
+ grassfed meats
Fill plantings, gross
$1/ft2 ($10/m2)
+Biotopes
Bio Climatic building
+Tours, workshops,
interns, courses

99.
How can I help you?

100.
Watch the 3 videos
Update 2014

101.
Friend or follow: Les Fermes Miracle
Farms on Facebook

102.
Attend a tour:
Tours 2015:
1st Saturday of month
(may-oct)
Reserve:
www.miracle.farm

103.
Internship: www.miracle.farm/stages

104.
2 day forest
garden course
2 day
Permaculture
Orchard course

105.
Watch the film

106.
Read my books
+ QnA book
Want a hard copy:
www.miracle.farm/book

107.
Design Exercise: Magic Model
Base done in 5 minutes
to a 7 year old level
Use materials at hand
PLAY

108.
Goal: Design 2 trios for your climatic
region
Trio: 3 Trees
3 Shrubs
3 Perennial species
Can add more levels

109.
This Design Exercise is meant to:
Help you design a Permaculture Orchard for your
climatic zone.
Help you see new possibilities.
Show you a way of using a simple model
technique.

110.
This Design Exercise is meant to:
Teach you to play with design rather than work at
design.
Begin discussions of climatically adapted patterns
(trios) of the Permaculture Orchard.

111.
Climatic Regions
Cold Temperate
Warm Temperate (USDA
zone 7+)
Subtropical
Tropical
Cold Desert (High)
Hot Desert
Mediterranean (Byron?)

112.
Elements & Assumptions
of Trio 1, Trio 2
Designers:
Climatic zone _____________________ Number of layers __
Trio species __________________, ___________________, _____________________
Trio species __________________, ___________________, _____________________
Shrub species __________________, ___________________, __________________
Shrub species __________________, ___________________, __________________
Ground layer species __________________, ___________________, ____________
Ground layer species __________________, ___________________, ____________
Vines ____________________________________, ____________________________
Other __________________, ___________________, ___________________
closed __ or open __ canopy
Row orientation N-S __, E-W __, NE- SW ___, NW-SE __, Curved__, Circle__
Assumptions: Flat __, Rolling __, Slope ___ % slope ___,
Slope Orientation: N __, S__, E __, W __ Soil: Loam __, Clay __, Silt ___, Sand ___
Water source: Rain __, Swale __, Pond __, Well __
Photograph the trios and post to your FB (+tag me) or my FB page (les fermes
miracle farms) or both. Or send as email attachment to info@miracle.farm

113.
Thank you
Www.permacultureorchard.com
Www.miracle.farm
info@miracle.farm
Stefan Sobkowiak