Making Charcoal at Charlton Court Farm, Steyning, West Sussex circa 1991.

 

  #1. The kiln was filled with seasoned wood cut and split so that no piece was thicker than 4". The base layer is laid radially, leaving horizontal tunnels from the eight flue-bases to the centre of the stack. The remainer is filled concentrically leaving a vertical "shaft" right up through the middle of the charge.

 

 

 #2. Splitting wood the old-fashioned way. This kiln held four cords of wood (5 tons) so would take 2 or 3 days to cut and fill. The yield was a ton (1000kg) of charcoal.

 

 

#3. The charge is topped off with a cone of "brown-ends" -incompletely converted wood from the previous firing- and a bucket of good charcoal poured down the central shaft to act as kindling.

 

  

#4. The lid is heaved over the charge and propped up on 3 wooden "chogs". The kiln is lit by shoving a blazing oily-rag into one of the flue-bases right to the middle of the kiln.

 

 

 

#5. The fire starts slowly - this is the beginning of the first "open" stage of the burn.

 

 

#6. as the first stage proceeds, huge clouds of (mainly) steam are driven off. When sparks can be seen all around the base falling down the inside of the kiln body, it is time to close the lid by pulling out the "chogs". This is the start of the second, closed phase of the burn.

 

  

#7. The chimneys are stood on four of the flue-bases and the gap at the bottom of the kiln body is banked-up with "grog" -a dry mixture of burnt clay and ashes from previous firings. The join between the lid and the kiln body is sealed with "lug sand" -a damp mixture of fine sand and clay. The chimneys are alternated around the bases every six to eight hours as the conversion proceeds.

 

  

#8. As the conversion proceeds, the smoke slowly diminishes. When the smoke turns from white to blue-ish,and the kiln-wall gets noticably hotter, it is time to close down the kiln. The time elapsed depends on the size of the kiln -this one took 24 hours or a little more.

 

  

#9. The kiln is closed down by removing the chimneys and banking up the remaining flue-bases with "grog". The kiln must then be left to cool down for at least 36 hours, and preferably several days, The charcoal is in such a highly reactive state that the slightest spark remaining can cause it to burn uncontrollably if the lid is lifted too soon. I liked to cover it with a tarpaulin and leave it until I needed the 'coal or wanted to reload the kiln. Thanks to Chris Philps, Sean Beamish and everyone else that was involved in this project, and to Ian Mayes particularly for taking and making available these photographs.

 

Why use Gypsum?

Gypsum Improves Soil Structure
Gypsum provides calcium which is needed to flocculate clays in acid and alkaline soil.
Gypsum Helps Reclaim Sodic Soils
Where the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of sodic soils is too high, it must be decreased for soil improvement and better crop growth. The most economical way is to add gypsum which supplies calcium. The calcium replaces the sodium held on the clay-binding sites. The sodium can then be leached from the soil as sodium sulfate to an appropriate sink. Without gypsum, the soil would not be leachable.
Gypsum Prevents Crusting of Soil and Aids Seed Emergence
Gypsum can decrease and prevent the crust formation on soil surfaces which result from rain drops or from sprinkler irrigation on unstable soil. It can prevent crusting that results when acid soils are lime& the gypsum is co-applied with the lime.
Gypsum Improves Low-Solute Irrigation Water
Gypsum is used to increase the solute concentration of low-solute water used for irrigation. Irrigation water from rivers that no longer have sources of leachable salts either penetrates poorly into soil or causes soil particles to degrade which results in low-water penetration. The problem can be corrected with surface-applied gypsum or application to the irrigation water.
Gypsum Improves Compacted Soil
Gypsum can help break up compacted soil and decrease penetrometer resistance. Combination with organic amendments also helps, especially in preventing return of the compaction.
Gypsum Makes Slightly Wet Soils Easier to Till
Soils that have been treated with gypsum have a wider range of soil moisture levels where it is safe to till without danger of compaction or deflocculation.
Gypsum Improves Water Runoff and Erosion
Gypsum improves water infiltration rates into soils and also the hydraulic conductivity of the soil.
Gypsum Decreases pH of Sodic Soils
Gypsum immediately decreases the pH of sodic soils or near sodic soils from values often over 9 but usually over 8 to values from 7.5 to 7.8. these values are in the range of acceptability for growth of most crop plants.
Gypsum Increases the pH of Acidic Soils
One mechanism in which gypsum can increase soil pH enough in some acid soils to sufficiently decrease the level of soluble aluminum to grow crops satisfactorily is replacement of hydroxyl ions from some clay lattices by sulfate ions.
Gypsum Improves Swelling Clays
Gypsum can decrease the swelling and cracking associated with high levels of exchangeable sodium on the montmorillonite-type clays. As sodium is replaced by calcium on these clays, they swell less and therefore do not easily clog the pore spaces through which air, water and roots move.
Gypsum Prevents Water Logging of Soil
Gypsum improves the ability of soil to drain and not become waterlogged due to a combination of high sodium, swelling clay, and excess water.
Gypsum Can Help Remove Excess Boron from Sodic Soil
More boron was leached from sodic soils when gypsum was applied than when the soil was leached without gypsum.
Gypsum Increases the Stability of Soil Organic Matter
Gypsum is a source of calcium which is a major mechanism that binds soil organic matter to clay in soil which gives stability to soil aggregates.
Gypsum Makes Water-Soluble Polymer Soil Conditioners More Effective
Gypsum complements or even magnifies the beneficial effects of water soluble polymers used as amendments to improve soil structure.
Gypsum Makes Excess Magnesium Non-Toxic
In soils having unfavorable calcium magnesium ratios, such as serpentine soils, gypsum can create a more favorable ratio.
Gypsum Corrects Subsoil Acidity
Gypsum can improve some acid soils even beyond what lime can do for them. Surface crusting can be prevented. Gypsum is now being widely used on acid soils.
Gypsum Can Enhance the Values of Liming
Addition to soil together with lime increased crop yields. The combination also decreased leaching losses of potassium and magnesium.
Gypsum Improves Water-Use Efficiency
Gypsum increases water-use efficiency of crops. In areas and times of drought, this is extremely important. Improved water infiltration rates, improved hydraulic conductivity of soil, better water storage in the soil all lead to deeper rooting and better water-use efficiency. From 25 to 100 percent more water is available in gypsum-treated soils than in nontreated soils.
Gypsum Creates Favorable Soil EC
Gypsum, being readily soluble, results in proper buffered solute concentration (EC) in soil to maintain soil in a flocculated state. It is better environmentally and cost wise to maintain the needed EC with gypsum than with excess application of fertilizers.
Gypsum Makes it Possible to Efficiently Use Low Quality Irrigation Water
Use of reclaimed municipal waste water is important for conservation of natural resources. Reclaimed water can be satisfactorily used if amendments, such as gypsum and water-soluble polymers, are also used.
Gypsum Decreases Dust Erosion
Use of gypsum can decrease wind and water erosion of soil. Severe dust problems can be decreased, especially when combined with use of water-soluble polymers.
Gypsum Helps Plants Absorb Plant Nutrients
Calcium, which is supplied in gypsum, is essential to the biochemical mechanisms by which most plants nutrients are absorbed by roots. Without adequate calcium, uptake mechanisms would fail.
Gypsum Decreases Heavy-Metal Toxicity
Calcium also acts as a regulator of the balance of particularly the micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, manganese and copper, in plants. It also regulates non-essential trace elements. Calcium prevents excess uptake of many of them; and once they are in the plant, calcium keeps them from having adverse effects when their levels get high. Calcium in liberal quantities helps to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients and non-nutrients within plants.
Gypsum Increases Value of Organics
Gypsum adds to the value of organic amendments.
Gypsum Improves Fruit Quality and Prevents Some Plant Diseases
Calcium is nearly always only marginally sufficient and often deficient in developing fruits. Good fruit quality requires an adequate amount of calcium. Calcium moves very slowly, if at all, from one plant part to another and fruits at the end of the transport system get too little. Calcium must be constantly available to the roots. In very high pH soils, calcium is not available enough; therefore, gypsum helps. Gypsum is used for peanuts, which develop below ground, to keep them disease free. Gypsum helps prevent blossom-end rot of watermelon and tomatoes and bitter pit in apples. Gypsum is preferred over lime for potatoes grown in acid soils so that scab may be controlled. Root rot of avocado trees cased by Phytophthora is partially corrected by gypsum and organics.
Gypsum is a Source of Sulfur
Gypsum is a source of fertilizer sulfur.
Gypsum Helps Prepare Soil for No-Till Management
A liberal application of gypsum is a good procedure for starting a piece of land into no-till soil management or pasture.
Gypsum Decreases Bulk Density of Soil
Gypsum-treated soil has a lower bulk density compared with untreated soil.
Gypsum Decreases the Toxic Effect of NaCI Salinity
Calcium from gypsum has a physiological role in inhibiting the uptake of sodium by plants.
Gypsum Multiplies the Value of Other Inputs
Gypsum can improve the response to all other inputs including fertilizers.
Gypsum Can Decrease pH of Rhizosphere
Increased calcium uptake by roots when gypsum is applied can decrease the pH of the rhizosphere.
Gypsum Keeps Clay Off Tuber and Root Crops
Gypsum can help keep clay particles from adhering to roots, bulbs and tubers of crops like potato, carrots, garlic and beets.
Gypsum Decreases Loss Of Fertilizer Nitrogen to the Air
Calcium from gypsum can help decrease volatilization loss of ammonium nitrogen from applications of ammonia, ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium sulfate, or any of the ammonium phosphates.
Gypsum Can be a Source of Oxygen for Plants
The sulfate that is taken up by plants and metabolized releases the associated oxygen which is a source of oxygen to plant roots although a limited source.
Gypsum Helps Earthworms to Flourish
A continuous supply of calcium with organics is essential to earthworms that improve soil aeration, improve soil aggregation and mix the soil.
Gypsum Can Increase Water Retention in Soil
Gypsum when applied to sodic soil decreased levels of exchangeable sodium resulted in a large increase in water retention at a given tension compared with controls. Dry matter and seed yield were increased as a result.
Gypsum Can Increase Crop Yields
Gypsum for various combinations of the above effects can substantial increase crop yields from 10 to 50 percent.
**Information from the Diamond K company web site: www.diamondkgypsum.com

When Spring Comes In........

September 1^st – The first day of Spring

Awaking at dawn to a bright red line across the horizon, azure blue sky overhead speckled with stars, the first birdsong gently bringing the farm to life; one appreciates the incredible beauty of living in rural surroundings.

My first port of call for the day is preparing the sourdough bread (see recipe) and putting it aside to rise before breakfast.

Work starts with feeding the animals an early morning chore, especially through the winter. Today I am milking the 5 goats that have been milked over winter, whereas the pregnant does are dry at present and beginning to look like beached whales - they are very imminent.

The goats get a mixed feed of crushed barley with linseed flake, alfalfa chaff, bran, seaweed and minerals, magnesium, copper, sulphur and dolomite with molasses. We feed the same mix to our milking does, yearling does, buck and wethers (castrated males) but also give the does silage ad lib , the yearlings and the boys get hay.

Every morning we are also shifting the electric fence giving our small beef suckler herd another strip of grass. They are all in calf (apart from the bull calf). We also 3 younger cattle who get the leftovers from the goats, as goats are extremely fussy eaters and leave half their hay and drop their silage on the floor if they can find a better bit!

Once the animals are fed and the does all in the paddock we start on the gardens. Since we have both been away over the winter (at separate times) we are pressing on as fast as we can with cultivation work but the ground is already very dry.

I start with the flats near the creek, the soil is light and sandy there but very weedy and we need to try and get rid of as much of the early annual weeds as possible before they set seed. I like working with a right-angled drag breaking the sod and pulling out weeds as I go but it’s not fast.

When I have done enough I start digging leeks and parsnips and pulling swedes and turnips for market; I find it is good to plan a few jobs in one place to make a bit of variety but make sure you have all the tools and things you need for the jobs to avoid wasting time.

After gathering all the veg, I feel the need for sustenance and the call of fresh baked bread and pumpkin soup (see recipe) gets the better of me.

Today and tomorrow are the first days this spring to sow beetroots, parsnips, carrots and radish and I am determined to prepare the ground where I have just dug leeks. There’s a few weeds to get rid of especially at the edges where the couch grass is invasive. The underground roots need to be completely removed any little bits left behind will grow new grass which will send out more runners. Grasses give out chemical messages, which prevent good vegetable growth.

The soil had a good heavy dressing of compost before we planted the leeks making it perfect for root crops, which tend to fork if fresh compost is added to the soil and we also add gypsum, seaweed and a general organic fertilizer with lots of naturally sourced minerals.

The garlic is now up, the first planting was made a few weeks ago - not right in mid winter as it was too wet to work the soil. I am doing a final planting today as I have a little space left on the end of the block. I cover the garlic when I first plant it as it stops the birds investigating and pulling the clove out of the ground, then when its up I can remove the cover. The ground where the garlic is growing had a heavy application of compost about a full wheelbarrow to 5 sq. metres and gypsum, ash and seaweed.

Our standard this year is one cup of "Fertilizer New Zealand" organic garden fertilizer with boron ( we found this was lacking in our soil) per 2 sq. metres, the same of seaweed and 2 litres of gypsum per 5 sq. metres to help break down clay soils and stop slaking on the lighter ones. It generally improves any soil structure.

The sowing of the beetroot, carrot (sow thinly) and radish had to wait until the following day as the animals needed their evening feed and the light was fading.

Snow at Rosedale

First snow in Rosedale for sixty years

Whats on the Market this Saturday?

July 2011

Potatoes.............$3-00 / Kg bag
Parsnip..............$5-00 / Kg
Pumpkin..............$2.20 / Kg
Beetroot.............$4-00 / Kg
Swede................$2-00 ea
Turnip...............$0-50 ea
Leeks................$1-70 ea
Carrots..............$2.50 bunch appx 500g
Salad................$1-70 handful appx 150g
Kale Russian.........$1-70 ten stems
Kale Laccinato/Curly.$1-70 eight stems
Silverbeet / Chard...$1-70 handful
Radish...............$1-70 bunch/ten
Rocket...............$1-70, 40-50 leaves
Parsley..............$1-70 bunch
Cabbage..............$2-00 ea
Red leaf beet........$2-00 bunch
Garlic s/m/l.........$1-00/1-50/2-00
Taylor's Gold Pears- tree ripened.... 70c each, $2-50 per 4, certified organic

Making Sourdough Bread

I will send you 200 grams of starter. This is how you use it.

Take the 200 grams, add 200 grams water and 200 grams wholewheat flour. Stir well. Take back 200 grams into a jar in the fridge. the jar needs to be at least twice the volume of the starter, as it foams up by that much in the first day or two. This is your starter for next time. It will keep for up to 3 weeks without "feeding".

Let the remaining 400 grams (sourdough bakers call this stage the "sponge") stand overnight at room temperature (minimum 5 hours, ideally 8) to allow the yeasts and bacteria to build up. It should look foamy at this point. Next morning, add 200 grams water (maybe a little more if you find the dough too stiff- depends on the flour), 400 grams flour and salt to taste ( I use a tsp per large loaf). This time you can use whole or white flour, according to choice, but if white, make sure it is unbleached. Knead as usual. This amount will fit a large loaf-tin. Takes around 3 to 4 hours to "prove", then into a hot oven just as for yeast bread.

I keep 600 grams of starter and make three at a time (three kilos of dough) as this fits the top shelf in my oven. I make "batch"-loaves side-by-side in a large roasting tin (quicker to grease!). If you want to enlarge your starter, just add more equal amounts of wholewheat flour and water. Always multiply the flour by (max) threefold and allow to stand for a minimum of 5 hours (8 is better) each time you enlarge the starter or sponge. Sourdough buffs call these intermediate stages "first sponge", "second sponge" etc. If you bake regularly it's more convenient to go from starter to "first sponge", then straight to dough. Of course if you can't bake for a significant time, you can minimise the size of your starter and have a friend "feed" it every couple of weeks- if they don't want to bake with it they can just throw away the surplus each time, or use it to make drop-scones (made like pancakes only thicker).

A Short Note to All Prospective Wwoofers.

Our farm is a full-time occupation for two people and the workload is likely to be quite intense. Your ability to maintain a degree of self-reliance during your stay is appreciated. As a project in sustainable living the cash output per man-hour is less than a mechanised (oil-dependent) farm and this is reflected in the cash-equivalent value of labour (both yours and ours) being quite low. We often find that Wwoofers view, from the perspective of comparison with their expectations under the "business as usual" (oil-subsidized) scenario, their efforts as being far more cash-equivalent valuable than they really are. Having performed your appx. five hours per day obligation does not create a situation where you can expect to be waited upon in the style of an hotel, guest-house or farm-stay, it covers your food and lodging costs.

Having said all that, we hope you are still interested in visiting, It is just that many Wwoof-hosts effectively subsidize their "hobby-farms" from off-farm income and it creates a distortion of perspective about "value" and expectations.

When we are without Wwoofers we eat more simply than when have them, so time taken to prepare meals becomes time we cannot be performing farm tasks. Therefore help with cooking is always appreciated. Accommodation is in our house which is modern, warm and dry though somewhat cluttered with farm paraphernalia! All reasonable facilities are at your disposal. Showers, laundry, internet (slow dial-up only I'm afraid). If you wish to use the phone other than local calls please buy a phone-card. Vodafone reception is moderately ok. We do not have a television but have a reasonable selection of books and a few videos mostly on "alternative" subjects. We like Wwoofers to stay for at least a week as it takes a couple of days to "fit-in" to the routine.

We are fairly isolated, the nearest towns are Motueka & Richmond 20 mins. drive and Nelson is 40 mins drive. The village of Upper Moutere with garage, shop, pub is ten minutes drive away. We are surrounded by pastoral land so there is little here in the way of "bush walks" etc. but some nice views from the hilltops! It is 40 mins drive to the mountains both north and south of us.

We hope that you will appreciate the ethos of our mission and will have an enjoyable and informative stay with us.

Regards, Susie & Kevin.