In the first half we will look at the principles, advantages and disadvantages of the Permaculture Orchard. Then you will team up to adapt the Permaculture Orchard to your climatic zone. We will then use a simple model technique to design 2 trios for your permaculture orchard. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com.

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

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

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

23. 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

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

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

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

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

28. That's why I am here

29. My OBSERVATIONS:

30. Nature is well designed

31. Nature has stood the test of time

32. We can copy nature

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

34. People demand better and are
informed

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

36. 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

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

38. How is a Permaculture Orchard
different?

39. By design:
Polyculture not monoculture

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

41. Different by biodiversity

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

43. Different:
INFORMATION vs INPUTS

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

45. Different: working with nature

46. Different:
Marketing
(our farm
membership
Upick)

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

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

49. I tried to diversify 100 sheep on 5ha

50. Large scale monoculture is not a
functional ecosystem

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

52. Details of Permaculture Orchard

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

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

55. 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,...

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

57. 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

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

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

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

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

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

63. Gooseberry 4 cvs

64. Amelanchier (A. alnifolia) 8 cvs?

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

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

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

69. 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

70. Just Do It
Start a nursery

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

72. Grocery store concept

73. 73
Month = 3 x 10 day HARVEST

74. 3 + HARVEST periods/ year

75. July Small Fruit, Herbs, Flowers…

77. Raising poultry on grass in the
aisles

80. Advantages of Permaculture Orchard

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

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

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

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

85. Advantage: INCREASED
BIODIVERSITY

86. Advantage:
Diversity
of Yields

87. Advantage: Easy, Logical to Harvest

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

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

90. Advantage: More FUN

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

92. Disadvantage: More mosquitos

93. Disadvantage: OVER pollination

94. Disadvantage: Need More
Containers

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

96. Lesson: Know yourself

97. Know yourself

98. Se connaitre

99. Sharing know how

100. Innovate: Rabbit Roller cage

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

102. Innovate: Apple Maggot Fly trap
(Rhagoletes)

103. What do you love?

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

105. How can I help you?

106. Watch the 3 videos
Update 2014

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

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

109. Internship: www.miracle.farm/stages

110. 2 day forest
garden course
2 day
Permaculture
Orchard course

111. Watch the film

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

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

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

115. 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.

116. 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.

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

118. 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

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