Beyond Organic NZ Tour - 2015 Stefan Sobkowiak, M.Sc, MLA
 www.miracle.farm
Proudly sponsored by
I’m not here to change your way of growing
Want to work in an inspiring environment?
Want to save years of trial and error?
Save 1,000’s of Dollars?
Want a business that can gross $10/m2 and regenerate life?
2 $10/m
With
• Less work • More yield • More fun?
That can be profitable in first year?
While you grow in peace, joy and patience?
Dreaming? Unrealistic?
Reality Check: Lost 50 turkeys to a raccoon in one night
Lose 45 chickens to a mink in a day.
There are marvellous days
And challenging days
Days of great joy
And great heartaches, nursery eaten!
Zone 5b (Canada) warmest zone
Brief History Purchased conventional orchard in December ’92 It was 12 years old 4,000 apple trees (dwarf M-26) on 5 ha
Brief History Organic transition '93-'96 Certified organic '96-'00 Not certified since but maintaining organic standards.
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
Lesson learned: Plant in the FALL And protect young trees with guards Use mouse traps or poison in nursery when snow
Brief History: Permaculture Orchard 2006 tore out, redesigned 2007 replanted 0.5 ha. As Permaculture Orchard
2008 replanted 0.5 ha 2009 replanted 0.5 ha (Total 1.5 ha = 3.75 acre)
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My Mission: 1000ha, 1000 people, 50 countries adopt Permaculture Orchard model
That's why I am here
My OBSERVATIONS:
Nature is well designed
Nature has stood the test of time
We can copy nature
Killing is not the solution
 (pesticides, fungicides, herbicides 1% vs 99%)
People demand better and are informed
Let's return to a model in harmony with nature
Many examples of the model are being established France, Conservatoire d'Aquitaine Sweden, Alnarp, Swedish Univ. of Biol. Sciences New Zealand La Pocatière, Qc, ITA La Pocatière +100 private properties or farms
If a Permaculture Orchard is in your future? You're in the right place
How is a Permaculture Orchard different?
By design:
 Polyculture not monoculture
By design: Design the solutions into the orchard Solutions last a long time
Different by biodiversity
Allies do most of the work (fertilize, pest control, mowing)
Different: INFORMATION vs INPUTS
INFO vs INPUTS 1X in the life of the orchard ex. TRIOS
1X or more per season
Different: working with nature
Different: Marketing 
 (our farm membership Upick)
Different: planted by harvest date multi-species and cultivars/ row
How Beyond Organic? I was organic, not a functional ecosystem
I tried to diversify 100 sheep on 5ha
Large scale monoculture is not a functional ecosystem
Focus on the positive (what can I DO) not on the negative
Details of Permaculture Orchard
TRIO: NAP (1 nitrogen fixer - 2 fruit trees) (1 nitrogen fixer - 1 fruit - 1 nut)
Each fruit tree is next to a N-fixer
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,...
Orchard Pattern is not a bad idea MONOCULTURE Orchard pattern IS a bad idea
N nitrogen fixers we use (Gleditsia triacanthos (Robinia pseudoacacia) inermis) Honey locust Black locust
(Eleagnus angustifolia) Russian olive
Shrubs: Caragana Seaberry (Hippophae r.) Buffaloberry (Eleagnus commutata)
Goal: never 2 apple trees touch... In the row and between rows
DUH!!! Paradigm shift for Fruit Growing industry.
TREE TRIOS give 60-80%? of positive results
Layers For Newbies Horizontal - Trios 1 - 2 - 3 N - A - P Vertical 1
Canopy
2
Trios
3
Shrub
4
Herbs
5
Ground Cover
Layer 2 = Shrubs: 1-4/ tree Gooseberry Black and red currant Haskap Aronia Amelanchier Raspberry Rhubarb
Gooseberry 4 cvs
Amelanchier (A. alnifolia) 8 cvs?
Perennials Perennials: Alliums (onions) Herbs Perennial vegetables
Perennials: 16/ tree Perennials (2x8) : Alliums Herbs Perennial vegetables
Vines climb on N-fixers only
 1 vine/ tree Grape Kiwi
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
Just Do It Start a nursery
Just Do It Start a nursery: 70’x 30’= 1000 trees (23m x 9m)
Grocery store concept
Month = 3 x 10 day HARVEST
73
3 + HARVEST periods/ year
July Small Fruit, Herbs, Flowers‌
Raising poultry on grass in the aisles
Advantages of Permaculture Orchard
Something is REALLY working ●
●
Trees blooming from early May to end of June, 60 days. VS 10 days (apple)
From 4 to 23 hives in 1 week Abundance of Pollination
No fertilisers since 2007 Very good growth and fruiting
Advantage: REDUCED INPUTS 25-30 sprays (conventional) 6 sprays of whey
Advantage: INCREASED BIODIVERSITY
Advantage: Diversity of Yields
Advantage: Easy, Logical to Harvest
Advantage: More Wildlife More FUN to work in.
Advantage: Impulse Buying (Marketing U-Pick‌ Tomorrow at 3)
Advantage: More FUN
Permaculture Orchard Looks, smells, feels more like a forest. A disadvantage
Disadvantage: More mosquitos
Disadvantage: OVER pollination
Disadvantage: Need More Containers
It can be a steep learning curve Orcharding Pruning and Training Animal Husbandry Soil biology Irrigation U-pick marketing Direct marketing Systems Design
Lesson: Know yourself
Know yourself
Se connaitre
Sharing know how
Innovate: Rabbit Roller cage
Innovate: Biotope for 20+ species of wildlife LUSH cosmetics $$
Innovate Apple Maggot Fly trap (Rhagoletes)
What do you love?
Future Miracle Farms? •4ha of Permaculture Orchard •Grass fed meats •Fill plantings to gross $10/m2 •Biotopes •Bio Climatic building •Tours, workshops, interns, courses
How can I help you?
Watch the permaculture orchard videos
youtube
Friend or follow Les Fermes Miracle Farms
Attend a tour: Tours 2015: 1st Saturday of month (may-oct) Reserve: www.miracle.farm
Internship: www.miracle.farm/stages
2 day Forest
 Garden course 2 day Permaculture Orchard course
Watch the film
Read my books Q&A booklet (60 page) Go Beyond Organic For links to read these online simply sign up at BeyondOrganicNZTour.com
Order a hard copy miracle.farm/book
Thank you —————
Stay connected permacultureorchard.com
miracle.farm
info@miracle.farm
Stefan Sobkowiak
beyondorganicnztour.com
The Film
Curtis Stone
Jean-Martin Fortier
Next year . . . 2016 The rockstar market gardeners