Food Forest: Using waste concrete (urbanite)

In this special food forest series from the Sandgarden, permaculturist Jordan Hosea of N'Credible Edibles talks about the uses of "Urbanite", or broken concrete.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Celebrate
• Waste
• Sandgarden
• Dick
• permaculture
• urbanite
• broken
• concrete
• sustainable
• gardens

[sandgardendick]

Ferric and Cupric Oxide. These chemicals are often used in protecting fruit trees and I get them at a local farm supply. The best stuff I've found is from professional sidewalking. Here they make a bed of sand and frame so that pieces turn out of close to equal thickness with no rebar. I just love working with it and the stains add warmth and character.

[pupplesan]

I live on 2 acres of land with thousands of cubic yards of this stuff scattered about. I have made retaining walls and a 300 square-foot out-building from it. The joints can be chinked with mud or cement-mortar to seal the walls. I have a few videos posted if anyone should find interest.

[sandgardendick]

Pupplesan, you've just got to be king of Broke Concrete. The Urbanite Legend!

Anyone who has or has considered stacking urbanite by hand has just gotta see his video.

[sandgardendick]

and I think I'm in love with your mother. Thank's for the kind comment.

about the footprint--ya, I believe we need real examples and the cool thing is it is a great way to live. I'm much happier and healthier since adopting this lifestyle -- and I got a long way to go. At least now I feel guilty about owning a Prius...

[bigbruvofenglanduk]

What is the name of the stuff that Jordan suggested for dying the concrete? I might try this in future.

Ive used broken concrete before but not for anything that is seen.

Here in Ibiza Spain we have a lot of dry stone terracing built with local stone. To save stone I used broken concrete in the backs of the dry stone walls, where it can't be seen. All stone I used was either found dumped at the side of the road, in our garden or I dug it up at work (I work in construction).

[rosuabsc]

What a beautiful soft spoken man, and such beautiful idea's. Thanks

[GreenLearning]

That turned out nice looking!

I found that a nearby river authority makes compost to keep leaves and wood out of local land fills. They sell a cubic yard of compost for $10. You might check around and see if there is a community program like that in your area. I have very poor clay soil so I decided to start building a food forest by adding 6 inches of compost to the land and then letting the new growth mulch and build the soil. Permaculture is exciting, with I discovered it 10 years ago..

[DeepestSleep]

I think, even with my mother-in-law being stubborn to change, that she could no doubt appreciate the beauty and the ingeniousness of it all!

If she's lucky she'll have one herself this summer and can start reaping the fruits of her bounty and spreading the word to 'her friends'!

Again, I thank you kindly for 'spreading YOUR word to us', as this seems to be one of the best, if not one of the only ways to change minds about our carbon footprint.