Spongeitude
by Senior Permaculture Correspondent Wilson
Senior Permaculture Correspondent Wilson, dressed for work, showcases his sponge pit, organic material to be deposited therein, and proper tool stacking.
Well, the Pack Leader went off last Saturday and came back with some pretty unusual ideas. He, the Boss Lady, and Grandma took off the next morning, and came back with a new turning fork and mattock (yes, I know what that is – it’s a pick with a blade on one side. I may be a dog, but look who I live with). The Pack Leader pointed out that the handle on the mattock was plastic, and said that somebody named Dr. Meuli suggested that would be better because there might be less bounce-back and potentially less risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Not having thumbs, I don’t worry much about that last bit, but the Surprise Ball In The Face Incident of 2010 sure makes me appreciate the former.
Pit filled with porous material.
Anyway – under my expert supervision, the Pack Leader started digging next to the fence on the on the west side of the part of the house that is a) outside, and b) somewhere I can be without being tied to the Pack Leader. He said he was making a sponge. Now try to figure this out: he was digging in a place with absolutely no hint of gophers. The point escapes me entirely. He dug a hole that was about two feet long, a foot and a half wide, and a foot and a half deep, and lined up the dirt just downhill from the tree he was trying to help and two right nearby. He calls this dirt line a “berm.” I learned another new word when he hit the bottom of the hole. Apparently, the word “caliche” means “a foot and a half.” Or “deep enough.” Or maybe one of those other words he won’t let me put in articles. Anyway, he thought it useful to point out that this would be about a 30-gallon hole. Actually, it’s more like 33.66 gallons, but given the uncertainty as to whether “caliche” is a technical term or a swear word, I figured I’d better leave it alone.
The end result - subject to tweaking, of course...
Once the hole was dug, the Pack Leader started putting things into it – paper from the boring room (where he sits and types), old rags, and broken up cardboard boxes. Then, it got weird – he took the hose and started pouring water into the hole. Water water water water water!!! Sorry… Anyway, after he filled the hole up (he says that this is so that the porous material in the hole can soak up the water and release it slowly into the soil environment) and gave me my shower, he covered the whole mess with wood chips from one of those piles he says is still around from the Thinning Project of 2004. I don’t know what that means, but if it’s anything like the Ball In The Face thing, I’m glad I wasn’t around for it.
He says he has a little “tweaking” to do on the uphill side of the berm and might have to shift the northern three feet of it just a bit downhill. He also said we won’t know whether this did any good until Spring – but given that this is a chokecherry, and I like the fruit, I hope it works.