TERRACES AND RAISED BEDS

TERRACES AND RAISED BEDS

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PAL, 27 min
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Lungau, Austria. Pine forest carpets the alpine foothills. It looks natural, a typical scene from a tourist brochure - but it was not always so. This landscape used to support diverse flora and fauna until the pine trees were planted making the soil acidic…and acidic soil is completely unsuited to agricultural use.

Farmer Sepp Holzer has made a name for himself by successfully challenging this damaging practice. Out of this sterile monoculture he has created a fertile and productive farm – the Kramaterhof. He grows cereals, fruit and vegetables, he even farms fish. How? By combining ecologically sound permaculture with the traditional techniques of terracing and raised beds. The land has not always been forested. It was government policy to plant pine trees. Sepp calls this kind of monoculture „pine deserts“. He knows too well the problems that it can bring. "A pine tree has flat roots that leave the forest vulnerable. Pine trees make the soil acidic, the soil dies, and its capacity to retain water is diminished. The trees lose their vitality and become diseased."

Sepp: "30 or 40 years ago I made all these mistakes myself. We had to plant 10.000 pine trees per hectare! If you remember that the wood can only be cut after 100 or 120 years: that’s three generations of people paying tax. You should not only plant pine trees, but also leaf trees, maple, wild fruit, all kind of trees! Then you create a forest habitat, so that the deer will feel at home and the soil is revitalised. Then you don´t need to worry about soil erosion or damage."

Sepp has learnt from the mistakes of afforestation: over the past 40 years he has put back much of the lands original diversity. We can observe how Sepp transforms the landscape on a new 5 hectare plot he rented from a neighbour. Within a few weeks a former sheep meadow is transformed into a blossoming terrace.

Throughout history man has changed the landscape for his own ends usually damaging the natural ecology in the process. But when Sepp remodels the landscape it is to establish a new ecological system, or biotope, to the of benefit man and nature. Terracing is the first step in revitalising the land. This is a big undertaking and one of the are occasions that Sepp will use heavy equipment. Holzer sais: "A JCB terraces the hill, stopping the soil erosion, so that when there’s heavy rain, the earth won´t wash away but will stay put. And when I get a new piece of land such as this, I have to make terraces. It changes the landscape of course, but it´s essential. In the long run these terraces bring great advantages. I don´t have to irrigate, I don´t have to fertilize, I rarely need expensive machinery just one session with the JCB. Once complete the work will last for generations."

While the JCB is still busy Sepp plants more than 1500 fruit trees here and throws out his seed mixture of 40 to 50 different plants. The plants support each other’s growth by exchanging nutrients and providing shade and moisture. No doubt about it – there’s an abundance of fruit and vegetable growing here! The protected terraces act like heat traps and soak up the sun: The heat is stored and creates unusually high temperatures for this altitude – a micro-climate is created. That’s why, you find produce which you wouldn´t expect at 12 –1500 metres.even fruit you’d normally expect to find around the Mediterranean!

Another important aspect of Sepp´s permaculture method is the use of raised beds. They too, contribute to the temperate micro-climate on this hill. For example they protect the young fruit trees which are planted between them. The foundation of the raised beds includes some of the old pine trees, which were uprooted long ago.
Sepp: "The build-up of the raised beds creates a microclimate inside. With all the roots inside, leaves, manure, green mass etc, heat is created – it is the composting process. Heat rises, so on top there is less danger of frost damage in these altitudes. Of course I have to position the raised bed against the wind . Like this you create a microclimate again: in the raised beds and in-between."

Apart from giving the landscape a rich texture Sepp Holzer’s terraces and raised beds are the foundation of a highly successful farm. This success is ecological as well as economic

The Holzer’s farm not only practices sustainable agriculture it is entirely - self-sustaining. That means the farmer makes a good living producing healthy organic food for man, and beast, and the soil is conserved for future generations.