deb cobern

I am happy to share this birthday! One of my favorite writers from the past and I have re-read One Straw Revolution more times than I can count.

Being half NA and half Hispanic, I learned much from my grandmothers on the old ways of doing things....but....you can always learn more from others from their ancestral skills. Wonderful to find a book on the subject and I am sure will be a must read in my future.

I have an orchard on the edge of my forest on my homestead and I'm always looking for new ideas for protecting the trees from deer that is not overly expensive to accomplish. Any ideas from others who are having good luck with their orchards?

The white part of citrus is called "pith".

My dh and I save most of our urine in 2 liter soda bottles then dilute 1:10 with water. It is a fantastic fertilizer! I did an experiment this spring with some Impatiens in pots out front. I fed two pots with the "Magic Elixir" (our pet name for it) and two pots with nothing. All pots were planted up with a high quality mix. With-in one week the two pots that we used the M.E. on were growing like a wildfire while the two pots we used nothing on just sat there. It was amazing and I think made my dh a true blue believer in the wonderful properties of urine.

I make a citrus cleaner with any kind of citrus peels so this might be an option for you:

Fill Quart mason jar with orange, lemon, or lime peels.

Fill to with-in 1/2 inch of top with white vinegar.

Put lid on and shake then place in a dark place for two weeks, shaking from time to time.

Strain into a spray bottle and use as you would any spray cleaner. Works great and your house will smell awesome!

I think the term, "lead by example" is the best way to put your philosophy. Mine, too!

Just wanted to drop in and say "Hi" from southern Alabama, USA! I live on 10 wetland acres and have been practicing permaculture on our place for about 15 years. This is our retirement place and we both have run our businesses on our homestead.

I would really like your suggestions on good plants to grow as far as perennial vegetables go. Also some book suggestions on the subject would be welcome. We have a fruit tree orchard that we are expanding, muscadine grapes that grow wild as well as wild blackberries and blueberries.

Love this site!!!

deb in 'Bama