Hans Quistorff

Just to be clear, of the many flowering plants bearing the common name Primrose, I assume you are referring to the tall, yellow (Mexican) Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis.
I'm surprised (and delighted!) to learn they are edible. We've had them before in our garden, but sadly they did not survive a recent -ahem- rearrangement process. I'll be eager to replace them soon!

Apparently so but the original seed came from a wiled flower mix that my mother ordered some 30 years ago.  I regularly loose many of them because the deer like to eat the same things I like to eat.  The seeds are viable for a long time and can be planted in spring if they can't be overwintered for fall blooms whereas the my overwintered one are preparing to bloom now,

I mix sweet fruit, dry or fresh, with  rhubarb when i cook it to add fructose instead of sucrose.  This comment brought up the thought that I might use some of my left over juice to soak into dried  rhubarb and then redry it.

Larger seeded legumes may be able to get their roots down to your moisture reserve and then produce more nitrogen if inoculated, with the air spaces provided by the remaining wood chips.

I recommend Evening Primrose.  It makes a rosette of leaves over winter which are verry edible. The tender leaves as it starts to put up its flower stalk continue to be harvestable.  Then the flowers bloom for a long time and are the most delicious and fragrant.  As the name indicates they bloom after the heat of the day but will still be good in the morning.  The storage root could be harvested before it starts to put up the flower stalk.  It produces large amounts of seed which are used to produce an oil for it's healing properties. I have not tried using them as sprouted seeds but that should be posible.

I wonder if a fruit tree would be happier with a bunch of dandelions under it than a bunch of grass.  

Probably and when partially shaded they make larger less bitter leaves. So if they come up in the mulch around a tree I let them grow.

I am going to make my recommendation again.  When starting the RMH, especially when cold, you want a clean smoke free flam to  start the draft and ignite the fuel. Paraffin Impregnated fire starters work well for this but upcycling is the pemies way.
Fresh produce is shipped in paraffin soaked cartons.  These  are not recyclable but perfect for making fire starters.  Try to arrange with your local store produce manager to pick them up on your shopping day. Keep them out of the waste stream and get a better fire starter than paper and cartons that are recyclable.

What came to my mind is the coffee maker.  I, independently came to the same solution as Paul Wheaton; a pyrex measuring cup and a stainless steel strainer.  No paper and plastic cups, bags and filters or machines.   besides as I grind my beans, I can add  fresh mint, oregano, rose mary, hawthorn berries, rose hips or any other spice that is at hand.

I experimented with using the bung openings for secondary air.  Using the 2" opening below the door screwing a pipe into it to the back of the barrel then elbow and riser so it worked like a batch box rocket stove.  The pipe also serves as a floor so that you do not dig into the sand protecting the bottom of the stove from hot coals.  The small bung can also use a pipe running the length of the top with holes drilled in it to burn smoke in the path along the top of the stove which is the design of the secondary air in my current commercial stove,  This was in the 1970-80's before I heard about rocket mass heaters.  Located in daylight basement with chimney up stairwell radiant heat below and cold air from upper floor went down the stairs and hot air went up the stair well.

Sorry I did not get to this response sooner. sounds like a good plan  except do not train vines directly on chicken wire.  Old vines that have finished and died will need to be removed and that is difficult when tangled in fencing.  I wrap or tie them to a single wire above the fencing.  Having a second wire for new growth that bears next year makes it easier. using twine instead of wire allows the whole section of dead vine to be cut out and disposed of.

Because many of my herbs are available year around in my climate I often make a fresh blend of them from the door step patch with possibly dry spice added where complementary.  It only takes a few minuets to gather in a blender cup and chop.