[Magi2]

I have been unwittingly been using some of permaculture gardening and plan to incorporate more.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/organic/the-essence-of-permaculture-gardening.htm

I remember the toxicity of newspapers and instead of bringing them to the recycle bins our town has, I'm going outside and use them in my gardens.
I'll start in the flower bed I weeded yesterday.
:thumbup:

http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/compostingnewspaper.html

I'll have to invest in some staw after I lay and wet the newspapers though.
I'm glad to have a few bucks, still, to do that.

;)
:thumbup:

[Magi2]

:thumbup:, Tom's Fork!
Back under the ceiling fan again! 90 on the thermometer under the edge of the carport...
I got about a three x 3' square of ONE flowerbed newspaper covered with weeds.......... done!
Had to move to the shade and got about a 5 x 5' area weeded, daffodil leaves (?) braided, saved a few baby plants.......

My daughter learned of my new mulch plan and while picking up some mulch for her gardens , she picked me up some straw...so I won't have to keep wetting the newspaper covered by weeds so often!


There's lots of GOOD in the world...... both My Grandson and daughter were concern about wet with sweat me, as they headed off to work. Both said "It's hot today Gram" and Grand daughter suggested to keep hydrated! ;)
And plenty to keep one occupied doing pleasurable things.......

but that hurricane in the Gulf and Proletariot talking about his children's, children's children make one realize......maybe our Earth won't survive what his masters have done to US in this generation!

Do you suppose the corporate puppets will come to their senses in time?
:confused:

Outside to spread some straw now, think about the fisherman who killed himself because he could not bear his losses..and whatever..................

[Jennifer_SFBA]

YAY! Onederful, MAJI! Permaculture is the superior way to go for agriculture. Once it's done mindfully with purposeful ecological balance, it's done forever, and the plants, wild animals and people benefit together from the project. It's consciously doing what nature does naturally, so it involves learning from nature herself and applying her systems to the intent and needs of people and animals and plants and soil in consideration of natural water systems and drainage. Bill Mollison's years spent in nature learning all that sure has paid huge dividends all over this living, conscious being, Earth.

I found a free internet video link that features the man in Australia who invented the visionary idea of permaculture & established it in our world after studying natural forest systems, Bill Mollison, for which he won a Nobel Prize. I love his earthy humor.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6370279933612522952&ei=PXY2StmbO4rcqAPd9eS7BQ&q=permaculture&hl=en#

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS263US263&q=permaculture&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

[Tom's Fork]

I have done this for many years. (Though since I am now living in the big city for employment reasons, without a garden to call me own, I am not currently doing so.)

Typically, I dig down deep, six to eight feet, softening up the soil and removing clay (no stone in my home grounds, but I would remove that too if there was.) I dump in ash from fireplaces, offal of all kinds, such as food scraps, manure, etc, and when available, the best fertilizer known to man: volcanic soil. Basalt flour, ground up basalt rock, has every mineral nutrient a self-respecting plant could want. Check your local farm supply store, they may have it or can order it. I will then refill the hole with the original soil, mixing in sawdust, peat, leaf mold, muck from the swamps, and/or other plant material. This holds in water, a valuable trait in time of drought, and rots away to become humus.

The article you linked to, Mage, recommends horseshoe shape. I will use horseshoes, but I will also use other shapes, according to whim and the crop I am growing. For example, strawberries are "ground cover" and I will make fatter blob-shapes for them. Plants, in point of fact, do have "emotions" (their emotions are chemical in nature, rather than the electro-chemical emotions that animals have). A ground cover plant will be happier, and grow better, when surrounded by other plants of its species. Grasses are the same, so I grow maize the same way. No matter the shape, all my beds will be fat, so that the plants can gather together socially. They like it better that way.

Also, I match plants. Maize I co-plant with pole beans. Maize is nitrate-hungry, and beans fix nitrates to the soil. So the beans grow up the cornstalk, which makes them happy, and the maize feeds off the nitrates, which makes them happy.

Tomatoes I co-plant with marigolds, which produce a poison tomato-eating bugs can't stand. My garden and my orchard are co-existent, and I plant scallions 'neath every apple tree for the same reason - apple-eating bugs hate scallions.

I could go on for hours, happily talking about me garden, but alas, I shan't. I am about to start crying, that my garden is in North Carolina and I am in Florida. I need to return to the farm, and be happy.

[Magi2]

Thanks Jennifer & Tom's Fork,
It's great to get away from thoughts of the terrible devastation in the Gulf and the misery of the people there! Thanks to the GOP "conservative" deregulators!
Good job on the history of the Dixiecrats, by the way, Jennifer.
I remember I didn't always agree with Senator Byrd's point of view, but, he came through many times when things were crucial as I recall, without teh google.

And thank you Tom's Fork for a southeners point of view about real history.


Well, I just sat down a minute before I shower (whoops, got to hit the furnace switch to on). I'm a happy mess right now.....the ground in & around 1/3rd of my flower garden in front of my house is golden, still got to weed and buy some straw....... (I said hay to my daughter, didn't get into the difference, who learned they had straw at twice the price)... just got about 1/8th of a bale left. Well, it's a trial after all, at least the ground will be more fertile.
;)

I have sandy, rocky soil in my neck of the woods. I had a little over 9 acres but we sold about 5 to our daughter 25 years ago. We border Cockaponsett State Forest, Tom's Fork. That covers many towns in CT.

Our state had to trim down state personnel here because "getting BIG Gov't Out of our lives" meandt less of our federal income tax monies returning to our state...............
So we got us a state income tax. Ya'all (have I got that right) know the drill, I'm sure!

Anyway, The fan overhead cooled me off but I have to get the grit off and into clean dry clothes, then check on Ed, Keith and Rachel.
This is fun!
Later!
P.S.
My husband made me an above ground garden the year before he passed away. It's 10 x10", made with 2 x 10s.
Best vegetable garden I ever had!

I'm thinking a dozen chickens again when I sell my AZ. home.
Great fertilizer when it ages a bit. I like to make a tea of it and use it when I water the plants at times.

:sunny:

[Tom's Fork]

Just be sure not to confuse it with the other tea! (tastes awful!)

Almost got it right, it's actually "y'all" with only one A. Contraction for you all, and is plural, meaning more than one person. (Pregnant women are sometimes referred to as y'all, in jest.)

[Magi2]

:D
Just took a peek!

One minute to tell you of our 1st year of retirement...Spring of '86. We worked at the KOA campground in Cherokee. 20 hours each a week plus a site and discount on food. I set up the store for the start of the season. Fishing gear, groceries and lots of small cans of corn. The Indians released, was it, trout? from their hatchery and fishing was BIG there in the Spring.
Catfish was big there too,

Anyway, we loved to squaredance. Went to Canton (got to look at a map) where the smell of a paper mill let one know the town was near..........
and the caller said rot 'n layeft through!
WHAT? :D
We were one couple of four........and were "pulled through" ............and learned North Carolinian pretty quick.
;)

Sweet memories.........