Today's show is a great primer for those of you new to the concept and practice of making charcoal and biochar. We will cover:

• What is charcoal vs. what is biochar?
• The MANY things you can do to increase your homestead productivity with charcoal AND biochar
• HOW to make your own charcoal - we'll cover the theory, and then a bunch of practical methods and the characteristics, pros and cons of each.
• 4 Ways to make biochar from charcoal - there are more, but these are a great way to start

If you are a grower or a producer, charcoal and biochar deserve a place on your roster of regenerative techniques that take what is typically a waste or nuisance (brush, slash, excess carbonaceous material) and turn it into a multi-generational asset in your soils and throughout your landscape and home. Plus, making char is fun!

Show Resources

• Jon Jadai of Pun Pun Organic Farm in Thailand talks through his low-tech method of making charcoal with a 55 gallon drum TLUD.
• DIY Instructional Video from Aqueous Solutions on making your own 55 gallon TLUD.
• Charcoal Trench method
• Our curated YouTube playlist of a bunch of different charcoal making methods.
• Biochar
  • ARTICLE: Uses in poultry farming
  • ARTICLE: Biochar in cattle farming
  • PDF Instructional for conducting clean, safe, effective top-lit burn piles in the forest to make char.
  • ARTICLE: 55 Uses For Biochar

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WHAT I DO:

Design:

On-Site Consultation

Online Site/Project Consultation

Holistic Ecosystem Design

Implementation:

Water Harvesting Earthworks

High-function, Low-Maintenance Access

Living Systems

Spring Development

Courses:

Minimum Holistic Goal

Media:

The Sovereign Homestead Podcast

YouTube

Instagram

Music by Alex Grohl