The Bio Integrated Farm - Chapter 3: All About The Basin
The Bio Integrated Farm - Chapter 3: All About The Basin
The Bio Integrated Farm - Chapter 3: All About The Basin
Ancient Basins
and Modern Basins
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floodplains of the Nile River. During the monsoon
season the Nile produced a predictable annual
flood-and-retreat cycle in the headwaters of the
Nile around Lake Victoria. Beginning in July and
continuing through August, floods spread into the
lower reaches of the river.
Basin irrigation was based on raised earthen
berms surrounding leveled fields adjacent to the
Nile River. When floods arrived, the raised berms
restrained the floodwater and allowed it to soak
into the soil of the basin. A gridwork of canals fed
and drained the water from one basin to another.
The Egyptians extended the entire flood cycle by
draining water from upper basins into lower basins
before allowing it to return to the river. As the
water retreated, they planted crops in the saturated
fields that would grow through the mild winter.
The roots of the plants would follow the retreating
floodwaters deep into the soil, which kept them
alive until April and May harvests.
Nutrients from the highlands of Ethiopia were
carried downriver with the floodwaters, and those
nutrients settled out in the basins to fertilize the
crops. The irrigation system was simple enough to
control on the local level, free of the vagaries of war
and politics. With basin irrigation the Egyptians
improved upon the natural hydrologic and nutrient cycles of the Nile, allowing their civilization
to become the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.
Providing proof of the antiquity of this technique, a
relief on the head of a five-thousand-year-old mace
(a heavy club) depicts the Egyptian king Scorpion
with a hoe cutting a grid pattern into the landscape.
The modern bio-integrated basins Ive designed
build upon the irrigation pattern created by the
ancient Egyptians. The rooftops of buildings serve
as the headwaters of the watershed, much like
the Ethiopian highlands form the headwaters of
the Nile. Instead of large lakes such as Lake Victoria receiving water to feed into the Nile, small
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Elements
of the System
Learn how to use an ancient technique, with
modern modifications, to irrigate your plants
and mushroom logs. With the turn of a
knob, your stored rainwater floods into bio-
integrated basins and distributes itself evenly
over the surface of the soil. Easy and inexpensive, these basins provide an alternative to
pricey irrigation systems. This chapter shows
you how to:
Save time and money by using rainwater
stored in ponds to irrigate and fertilize
potted nursery plants and inground plants
in basins
Create multidepth basins to handle diverse
irrigation needs
Produce shiitake mushrooms in a labor-
efficient way by flood-irrigating inoculated
logs in a shaded area in a basin
Size basins based on available
water storage
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propagating and hardening off plants. Additionally,
solar-heated water in basins adjacent to greenhouses helps modify the microclimate, promoting
warmer temperatures and season extension.
I first experimented with constructing basins
when I was in my early twenties. Nestled in the
Santa Cruz Mountains of California with my new
budding family, I ran a small grassroots nursery.
I cultivated over a hundred different varieties of
culinary and ornamental salviasfrom the more
common pineapple sage and Salvia leucantha to the
rarer Salvia africana and Salvia gesneriiflora.
The nursery plants grew in the shade of fruit
trees my father had planted long agopeaches,
plums, apricots, and pineapple guavas. Looking
back now, it seems only natural that I started my
first nursery and fostered my first irrigation ideas
beneath the protective canopy of his orchard.
Because there was no rainfall from late spring
through autumn in that region, I had to become
innovative with irrigation techniques. I decided
to irrigate from the bottom up, which meant the
plants leaves stayed dry and disease resistant.
In hopes of conserving precious California
water, I placed semipermeable fabric on the sloping
ground around the fruit trees. Impervious to weeds
but porous enough to allow some water to seep
through, the fabric was perfect for lining a series
of basins with which to irrigate my nursery stock. I
positioned the potted salvia plants on the fabric, in
the dappled light of the fruit trees. Then I turned
on the spigot, and as the water filled the fabricated
basins, the salvias wicked up the water through their
roots. The remaining water overflowed to the next
basin downslope to irrigate another batch of salvias.
I hadnt started experimenting with rainwater
harvesting back then (and arid summers dont
present the best conditions for harvesting rain).
Instead, I used well water, conveyed through
irrigation tubing. Although the climate was
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Connecting Basins
to Greenhouses
The basins at my California nursery served a limited purpose of irrigating plants. But when basins
and greenhouses go hand in hand, exciting possibilities for multiple functions open up.
A basin filled with solar-heated pond water
modifies the microclimate surrounding a greenhouse. Like giant solar panels, small ponds collect
the suns energy during the day in the form of heat.
At the SOF, when I drain the ponds into the basins
in the evening, the pools of water release the suns
energy as heat, creating a warm buffer around the
greenhouse overnight. Ideally, a small amount of
water remains in the basin the following morning
to reflect sunlight into the greenhouse.
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Basins also serve as the perfect transition spot
between the greenhouse and the field. Tables placed
in basins become extensions of greenhouses. When
the temperature inside a greenhouse rises too high
for plant propagation, the basin table becomes the
logical location to move plants to, since its right
outside the greenhouse. I also start seedlings in the
greenhouse, then transfer the young plants to the
basin bench to harden off before transplanting
them into the field. The area underneath basin
tables also provides the perfect shady spot for
protecting logs inoculated with edible mushrooms.
Basin Basics
Building my first basin was like preparing a recipe
for the first time. I had the right ingredients, and
Id read the instructions, but the results were not
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a few feet above sea level. When I dug a basin in
Jasper County, South Carolina, the heavy clay soil
in combination with a high water table created
an instant pond. But I wasnt building a pond for
water storage; I was constructing a basin for water
infiltration. So the effect was the exact opposite I
was shooting for. Ive learned its best to consider
both factors when designing basins.
In areas with a high water table, digging a
basin even 1 foot deep will create a shallow pond
or wetland. I recommend digging a hole and conducting a simple percolation test to help identify a
problematic situation. Simply dig a test hole 1 foot
deep, then fill the hole with water. When the soil
is saturated, it should drain at a rate of 0.3 inches
per hour; if it doesnt drain at this rate, then the
area may not be suitable for an irrigation basin.
Also keep in mind that in some areas water tables
fluctuate with the seasons.
In addition to percolation, soil type will determine basin performance. The three basic soil types
are sand, clay, and loam. Soil types are like people:
Each type of soil has its strengths and weaknesses,
so its best to know how to work well with all three.
Sandy soils absorb water quickly. In a sandy soil
area, water will sink into the ground before it has a
chance to spread throughout a basin. For example,
by the time a wave laps onto the beach and recedes
back into the ocean, the sandy shore has already
begun to dry. In basins sandy soil promotes good
drainage; however, the trick is in retaining the
water long enough to irrigate the plants. When Im
creating a basin in sandy soil, I use a large-diameter
pipe to fill the basin, and I limit basin size. The
large pipe swiftly floods the basin with a greater
volume of water, and the basin fills quickly because
of its small size. Its like filling a baby pool with a
fire hose instead of filling an inground pool with
a water hose. The goal is retention in sandy soil
basins, because the water will drain naturally.
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Sandy Soil
Clay Soil
Loam Soil
Steep Slopes
Flat Areas
Dry Climate
Wet Climate
Note: This table is based on the assumption that a medium-size basin has
a surface area equal to that of the supply pond. A small basin would have
only half the surface area of its supply, and a large basin would have twice
the surface area of the pond.
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called scaldingif their roots sit in pooled water
for several days.) So if youre not growing rice in
your basin, I advise raising the plants for better
drainage in heavy soils.
If soil types were fairy tales, loamy soil would
be Goldilockss favorite. While clay holds water for
too long and sand dries out too fast, loam drains
just right. Ideal for basin irrigation, loam allows
water to spread swiftly but also prevents ponding
that damages plants roots. The water-holding
capacity of loamy soil conserves water, but I recommend avoiding loamy soils that have a tendency
to crust or crack. Although its fantastic to find the
perfect soil for basins, its advantageous to learn
how to adapt to any.
Figure 3.2. Water floods from an uphill pond into this narrow irrigation basin on a steep hill. Grains or vegetables may be grown
directly in the irrigated soil of the basin.
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land, with the length of the basin on contour. The
steepness of the slope will ultimately determine the
maximum width of the basin, as shown in table 3.2.
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Creative Shaping
I had a few basins under my belt by the time
I built the one next to the greenhouse at the
SOF, but this basin brought its own challenge.
With loamy soil at the site and a turkey nest
supply pond backed up by a tank already in
existence, size wasnt the issue. I knew I could
build a basin with a surface area as large as
that of the supply pond because the soil would
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Heres an example of how to figure out how
much water a pond can supply to a basin: If a
basin has the same amount of surface area as the
pond and the pond has an average water depth
of 18 inches, the pond can irrigate the basin nine
times with 2 inches of water if all the water in the
pond is available. However, in a more realistic
scenario, a basin usually needs irrigation after
a dry spell, during which water in the pond has
evaporated. For example, the average depth in
the pond might be only 12 inches because of the
drought, and the tolerable limit for low water in
the pond is 8 inches (to keep fish alive), leaving
only 4 inches of water available for irrigation, or
two irrigation cycles. When plants are established
and growing in the soil of a basin, a single flood
cycle should provide enough water for one week
of plant growth, and a properly sized basin and
pond can supply enough water to get through a
few weeks of drought.
When a pond is drained to supply irrigation for
a basin and must be refilled by rainfall, a seasonal
ebb and flow between wet and dry occurs. The
effect is exaggerated in dry climates and when
excessive water is used for irrigation. Planting
plenty of marginal plants along the edge of a pond
helps fill the aesthetic void as water retreats. In
addition, timing minnow harvests with droughts
finds a use for a drained pond, making the loss of
water more bearable. If a loss of water in the pond
would not be tolerable, design a smaller basin, so
less water will be needed for irrigation.
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Figure 3.3. Heres the basin by the greenhouse at the SOF under construction. Grading stakes placed around the edge were all
marked at the same contour to indicate the bottom of the basin. The white lines show where twine should be run between the
stakes to serve as reference points to facilitate final soil leveling.
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to installing a drainpipe in a pond, as described in
chapter 2 under Installing an Adjustable Drainpipe),
its important to pack soil carefully around the pipe
where it penetrates the bund, removing all organic
matter to prevent water seepage around the pipe.
Keep in mind that basin water management relies
on gravity. If the elevation of the basin is higher than
the floor of the supply pond, only a portion of the
pond water will drain freely into the basin. Once the
level of the water in the basin is at the same elevation
as the water level of the pond, flow will cease. I slope
intake pipes at a grade of 1.5 percent or steeper to
prevent debris from settling in the bottom of the
pipe and clogging the flow of water.
Flooding a Basin
Flooding a basin with water follows three predictable phases. Water advances across the basin, it
ponds or wets the surface, then it recesses back into
the soil.
The advance occurs as water spreads toward
the opposite side of the basin. I like to shut off the
inflow before the advance is completed. Water
will still spread throughout the entire basin, but
ponding and overwatering is avoided. However,
not supplying enough water will render inadequate
irrigation to the far end of the basin.
For basin irrigation to work, a large volume
of water must quickly enter the basin and fill the
entire basin evenly before water has a chance to
sink into the ground. If a slow trickle of water
enters the basin, the water simply sinks into the
ground before it has a chance to spread throughout, wasting precious water. A 4-inch intake pipe
is an ideal size for transmitting water from a small
pond to a small basin to allow sufficient volume for
rapid flooding.
Flooding a basin reminds me of making pie
pastry from scratch. Too much water makes the
pastry sticky and soggy, and not enough water
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multistory effect in basins. How you plant will
ultimately depend on what you want to grow.
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Raising Mushrooms
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Figure 3.5. The channel in the basin is filled with water, ready
to receive mushroom logs.
Figure 3.6. The inoculated logs rest in place with one end on
concrete blocks and the other end in the water in the channel.
Figure 3.9. Shade cloth hides the rusting benches from view
and provides additional shade.
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The automated misters on the bench tops are
great for the seedlings but bad for the logs. The
excessive water leads to volunteer mushrooms competing with the cultivated variety. To prevent the
logs from becoming too moist, we put a single layer
of greenhouse plastic in place on the bench before
spreading the shade cloth. The plastic serves as an
impermeable roof over the logs. Holes in the plastic
direct water to specific areas, keeping the majority
of the logs dry. Before I cut holes into the plastic, I
flood the tops of the benches with water and note
any low areas where water pools. Next I cut a hole,
about 2 inches in diameter, in the plastic at the low
point to let water drain. Moving logs a foot away
from drain holes will prevent oversaturation.
Once I control the excessive moisture from the
misters, I can easily initiate mushroom fruiting
by flooding the basins with pond water. Note
that greenhouse plastic adds at least 15 percent
more shade when dirty, so be sure to factor in that
shade when youre figuring out the total amount
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