Permakultur - Landwirtschaft im Einklang mit der Natur Page #4

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In a few months he will harvest

shiitake mushrooms right here.

Holzer used to being told that

he's attempting the impossible,

but he knows that he can

harvest his own chantrells

in places conventional

farmers wouldn't dream of.

Water gives life and Holzer is well aware

of his importance to a healthy ecosystem.

When he took over the

Krameterhof he decided

to buy all the wells on the nearby land.

Over the thirty years of his custodianship

he has put the water to good use.

He has established more than

seventy ponds and water gardens

with the surface area of

more than three hectares.

Ponds, ditches and pipes.

Holzer uses his extensive

water resources in various ways.

The hydropower feeds

his own power generator

producing enough electricity

for the whole farm.

The ponds and the wetlands

are tingling with life.

A huge number of fish, frogs, water

plants and insects are homed here.

Holzer designs his ponds

like natural habitats,

with tree roots and flat zones.

Here the young fish can find

shelter from their natural predators.

Most predators and prey

are naturally sustained

without Holzer having to feed them.

The fish like to use the

flat zone to spawning grounds.

Even exotic fish such as the Japanese

koi can live in these altitudes.

The water temperature in

Holzer's ponds is unusually warm.

Thanks again to the rocks,

which he places in every pond.

Heated by the sun they slowly

release warmth back into the water.

Running warm water, the

water plants love it.

The climate up here is strongly

influenced by the ponds.

The sun reflects of the water

surface on to the hill side.

A unique microclimate is created.

The heat trap is turned on again.

Just right for the cherries.

The raised beds also have

their own microclimate.

They are designed to keep the

prevailing wind off the crops,

therefore retaining warmth and humidity.

Covered by bug wee blossoms

the raised beds are hardly

recognizable in summer.

Holzer plants old

resilient potato varieties.

The seeds are very hard to find.

He also grows new crops spread

potatoes with exotic colours.

Propagating potatoes from seeds is

virtually unknown on farmers these days.

These are the seeds of potatoes,

they're used for generative propagation.

For creating new varieties,

two types of potato plant

are pollinated by insects,

and then crossed.

By selecting the varieties to be pollinated

I can create the most exotic colours.

These are truffle potatoes.

I have different ones: completely violet,

dark-blue, black and these have white edges.

A cross between two

vegetables:
courgette and pumpkin.

Black maize, an old robust variety,

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