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Ballot-Flurin's Bee Farm embodies the harmonious relationship between bee and plant, emphasizing an approach that celebrates the diversity and preservation of its flora. The arrangement of this garden reflects the company's commitment to fostering synergy among all elements of the ecosystem. Explore our garden plants and their remarkable benefits.
Permaculture, by promoting a machine-and-chemical-free mode of growth and cultivation, is based on the natural function of ecosystems, ensuring that the essential resources for our hives are close at hand. The thriving and pristine environment of the site ensures the production of high-quality harvests and resilient beehives capable of withstanding diverse challenges and uncertainties.
Bees equally play an irreplaceable role in maintaining plant life by providing pollination for cultivated and wild flora. They are therefore a key support for the success of crops established on the site.
The Bee Farm’s principles of permaculture:
Soil conservation is a major challenge in conventional agriculture, as healthy and fertile soil are often devastated through large scale treatment methods. The implementation of "lasagna beds" (so named due to the layering of different materials like cardboard, compost, straw for surface covering, etc.), allows for the creation of rich and structured earth. This well nourished soil retains moisture and maintains a constant temperature, reducing water needs. Composting, on the other hand, allows for the recycling of organic waste (manure, plant matter, coffee grounds, etc.). It is a process of aerobic decomposition by microorganisms, resulting in a rich and structured soil. This technique of natural fertilization allows on-site closed circuit use of organic waste.
Crop association is an essential practice in permaculture: certain plants have complementary attributes and help each other control pests and optimize soil. For example, many plants from the Fabacea family can enrich the soil with nitrogen, an essential element for growth. Some aromatic plants, with their distinctive smells, repel certain harmful insects and protect certain vegetable crops (e.g., basil repels tomato predators). A careful consideration of plant associations within the permaculture garden is essential and allows for the enhancement of natural protection in the ecosystem.
The choice to leave uncultivated spaces is crucial: it allows for the presence of wild local flora. These spaces serve as important biodiversity reservoirs for bees and species conservation. They contribute to the overall coherence of the garden's organization, alternating between natural and cultivated areas. The presence of hedges and trees provides important resources for bees and helps create a microclimate on the site, combating excessive water evaporation, maintaining soil life, and promoting biodiversity.
Electroculture is a method based on harnessing natural energies and the electro-vibration of the atmosphere to promote plant growth. It encompasses a range of methods that use electrical or magnetic currents to boost plant development. By capturing the energy present in the air and amplifying it through copper wires, the germination and natural development of plants are enhanced and improved.
The bioclimatic greenhouse is a crucial tool that harnesses solar energy to extend the growing season and increase the potential of vegetable crops on the site. Solar radiation is used to store heat during the day (rays pass through the glass structures, and is retained in the black wall), which is then released during the night, keeping a constant warmth in the greenhouse. Such a structure contributes to the self-sufficiency of the garden by offering the opportunity to start seedlings early in the season, which can then be planted outdoors when they are mature and more likely to survive. Some plants can be grown to complete maturity inside as well. It is, therefore, a complementary tool to the permaculture beds, allowing year-round cultivation in the greenhouse solely using solar energy!
The beehives on-site are not isolated from the gardens, to facilitate interactions between humans and bees and benefit from the positive effects of these relationships. The board located between the hives allows for rejuvenation and provides the relaxing proximity of bees. Furthermore, the beehives have been aligned with the Hartmann and polar networks to optimize energy flow within the colonies, preserving their health and robustness.