It is unlikely that at least one peasant on our planet is known as well as the one about whom this article will be discussed. Sepp Holzer has created his own path that leads humanity to a completely new form of agriculture. And this form is based on complete unity with nature. According to this person, only understanding the world around will lead people to success.
Sepp Holzer: biography
The life path of a person that you will learn about from this article cannot be called easy and cloudless. But already from early childhood, this figure showed some kind of special observation, as well as considerable ability to do business. Sepp Holzer, whose photo is below, was born into a family of mountain farmers in 1942.
At the age of eight, he already knew how to grow wonderful roses, giving them special inoculations. All the boy's neighbors asked him about it, and he helped them for a small fee. As a result, by the end of school, Sepp Holzer became quite we althy.young men and managed to buy a moped. Already at the age of nineteen, the boy's father decided to transfer all the plots to him under management.
The start of the young farmer's business cannot be called successful. And although he clearly followed all the instructions described in various literature, he soon lost a large amount of the intended crop. And only the path of trial and error led him to the right conclusions and successful results. Sepp has transitioned to organic farming and is successfully following his rules on his own Krameterhof estate, even though he was once fined and narrowly escaped jail for his technology.
Today, revolutionary agrarian Sepp Holzer conducts seminars on permaculture, not only on his own estate, but throughout the world. At the same time, he successfully continues to work on his expanded farm in the Alps. It now covers more than forty-five hectares, on which gardens are located, as well as seventy reservoirs. This place is the most consistent example of the use of permaculture and annually gathers many people who want to know what this method is and why it is so necessary.
What is permaculture?
This is a kind of design system, an existence in unity with nature, which should not only satisfy human needs, but also benefit all living organisms.
Today, agricultural land, as a rule, develops to the detriment of the planet's ecosystem. They deplete water supplies and lead to soil destruction, provoke climate change and contribute tofood shortage. That is why one of the most important questions that Sepp Holzer asked was how to get the abundance of necessary products without harming the environment.
Basic principles of permaculture
Permaculture as a social movement with its own rules is based on three main principles. They are considered the most important, since they begin a new agricultural system, which, in turn, will lay the foundation for a new society that will prosper, and not just make ends meet.
The first principle is to care not only about living organisms, but also about non-living systems. The most important thing in it is the great value of life in all its manifestations.
The second principle calls for a sustainable, environmentally friendly system in which prosperous people live. This way of housekeeping is based primarily on caring for a person.
And the third principle tells us not to be greedy. If at least something appears in your abundance, then you should immediately get rid of it, give it to someone who needs it more. And it doesn't matter what it is: resources, energy, time or information.
Basic concepts of permaculture
Permaculture must be sustainable. This means that her energy is replenished faster than it is consumed. Look around, look at nature, its wild systems. They all draw energy from the sun, and at the same time they do not have to worry about its renewal.
Also all systemscan boast a significant variety of species. This helps a lot to get a good result from the whole system. Therefore, in agriculture, the system must be planned in such a way as to bring it as close as possible to the wild. So that all its components, interacting with each other, lead to the best overall result.
Sepp Holzer Permaculture
The creator and founder of permaculture is Sepp Holzer. He has his own approach to everything. This farmer loves the plains for the opportunities they offer in ecosystem planning.
But he does not approve a specific composition, but states that the best option would be to use everything that is available, depending on environmental conditions. Permaculture by Sepp Holzer is known almost all over the world. With his seminars, Holzer travels to different countries, sharing his own experience with anyone who wishes.
What is the high ridge?
The beds according to Sepp Holzer, the photos of which you will see in this section, are called high ridges. These are structures that are able to create microclimate zones. This means that all plants growing on them have great advantages over all others.
In the process of their construction, a large amount of organic materials are used, which, gradually decomposing, heat the beds from the inside, and also nourish the soil. But they have another interesting feature. Each such bed greatly increasesthe area that can be used for planting.
What can be grown?
Sepp Holzer's beds, which have good reviews, allow you to grow almost all types of vegetables. Each of them will be provided with food thanks to the internal device of the garden.
Here everything will depend only on how much this internal nutrition is enough for and how quickly it will go to the plants. These are the points that need to be taken care of at the very beginning of the construction of a high ridge.
By the way, weeds also grow well here. Holzer suggests pulling them out and leaving them in the garden with their roots up. So the plants dry up and cannot germinate again. Mulching with straw, hay or leaves also helps in this matter.
Creation process
When starting to create a high bed, the first thing to do is to draw a wavy line in the place where this bed will be located. Now you need to dig a ditch, the depth of which should be about half a meter. The bottom of the resulting recess is filled with various organic elements. It can be logs, leaves, branches, grass and more. All this should not only fill the hole, but also rise at least fifty centimeters above it, since in the future it will serve as a support for the entire structure.
Now you should pour the hill itself. Its height should not be more than an outstretched arm. Otherwise it will be veryinconvenient to care for. The earth for the hill is dug next to the ridge, forming a hole in which logs and branches are also laid to provide additional moisture and nutrition. Falling asleep on a hill, at first you should stomp in its middle. So the base will be compacted, and the top will not crumble.
The hill is covered with straw or leaves, and then with thick branches, which should be so long that their ends are intertwined on top. Thick stakes are driven inside the ridge at a distance of one and a half meters from each other. The edge of each of them should rise ten centimeters above the hill. Long branches and stakes are laid on them, which should support the entire structure.
The big advantage of these beds is their care and harvesting.
In both cases, a person gets tired much less, because everything is at arm's length and does not require constant inclinations to perform certain actions.
Sowing
As soon as the beds have been created, immediately start sowing. You can not delay, so that drying does not occur. Seeds are mixed with each other, and small ones are also mixed with the ground.
Sowing takes place in tiers. At the very bottom, it will be best for pumpkins, sunflowers, cabbage, as well as peas and beans. Vegetables with long roots - carrots and parsley - will take root well in the middle, along with zucchini. In the process of growth, they will produce water for the "neighbors". Tomatoes, cucumbers and salads are a little higher. And at the very top - such plants that can endure drought. For example, peanuts. The holes are made with a peg and two or three seeds are placed in each.
After studying this article, you have learned who Z. Holzer is, what contribution he made to the development of agriculture by developing his unique ecological system. We figured out how beds are created according to Sepp Holzer, how they are useful for humans, and what their advantage is in general. Such a farming system is designed not only to improve the quality of life of working farmers, but also to help humanity reunite with nature, learn how to get everything that it has to offer, and these, believe me, are not small resources at all, if you manage them wisely and learn not only to take, but also to give everything that is superfluous and redundant.
