[permaculture-oceania] Advice on Berry Site

[Dan Palmer]

Hi all,

I'm helping with a permaculture-style orchard retrofit on a 16 acre 
site just out of Berry, a few hours south of Sydney (over last seven 
years the average annual rainfall was 94cm, the July average 
temperature 8.7 degrees and the January average 18.2 degrees with the 
occasional frost.  The soil is acid brown clay loam).  As well as 
integrating poultry and eventually bees, we're wanting to interplant 
some appropriate nitrogen fixers amongst fruit and nut trees.  Anyone 
familiar with this area/climate able to recommend any species that 
would be suited to this function?  So far are thinking acacias 
(floribunda, dealbata and decurrens), tagasaste and maybe casuarina and 
leucaena.  May also trial miracle plant (Lespedeza bicolor).  If anyone 
can advise on the rampancy potential of rosewood, icecream bean and 
honey locust (or any other exotics - the site fronts onto a salt water 
river) in this area that would be a help.

Also, a lady on the neighbouring property is considering giving up on 
her chook tractor due to rats burrowing in underneath, eating all the 
food scraps, and apparently stressing out the chooks enough to stop 
them laying.  She is considering a rat-proof raised fixed pen and 
manually shifting them to a day run morning and evenings, though my 
feeling is the right chook tractor design should get around the problem 
with less ongoing labour inputs.  Has anyone managed to get around 
major rat problems with their chook tractor?  Or is the fixed pen her 
best option?  Any experiences/opinions welcome.

Finally, the folks I'm working with are also interested to network with 
permaculture people in the Berry area - any contacts would be 
appreciated.

Best,
Dan Palmer
http://www.permaculturesolutions.com.au