Lina Joana

George Mogil wrote:

Anyone in the Pre-Cambrian shield (the Laurentians of Quebec in my case) has had success with this type of agriculture?

It's heavily compacted soil overrun with competing root systems and rocks that make hand digging nearly impossible; I normally remove a three inch thick layer of the 'top spoil' and replace it with store bought organic earth. Works but not so well because the growing season between not just last frost but warm-enough soil temps and first fall killer frost is approx. 90 days in a 'normal' year.

Some years ago, I watched some videos by Jack Spirko, from the survival podcast. I can’t find them right off, he has a lot of unrelated content to search through. He was in Texas, on nearly solid rock with maybe an inch of soil. I believe he worked miracles with pioneer trees (like locust) planted on contour. Maybe he also did hugel? Can’t remember but you might try tracking him down for soil building ideas.

I would love to hear how people have developed with the livestock integration. My study of agroforestry has turned up the fact that in the USA, there are pretty stringent rules about selling even tree food crops if livestock share the space - as in, you can’t do it if animals have been grazed in the past 9 months there, unless the product is cooked.

Forgive me for being a curmudgeon- but what would be covered? The concept feels pretty simple - and it is being sold as such: plant stuff that keeps pumping out food without a lot of skill or work on the gardener’s part. What is there to talk about in 6 or 12 sessions? I mean, it sounds like fun to get on with like minded folks and chat, but what valuable information will be imparted?
Obviously not saying you shouldn’t do it - maybe some folks need this to feel empowered to try it. You just might consider in the marketing that if this is a super simple concept to put into practice, why does the adopter need 6 consults?
Makes a lot more sense foe rmh - there is technical know how needed with risks if you get the build wrong.

Are there previews available anywhere? I typically like to see if the style resonates before I spend money.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
If the information I got is right, the staple crop growing here, and harvested since prehistory, was a wild parsnip. When potatoes were 'discovered', and came to Europe, everyone changed to potatoes. I don't understand why parsnips now are a 'forgotten vegetable' (starting to come back since a few years, mostly in the organic food stores). They grow easily, at least at my allotment garden. Better than potatoes, which get blight and colorado bugs.

i bet parsnips are an excellent one for certain climates!
The challenge as I see it, is that we are looking for calorie dense foods that stick around without attracting other critters who are also looking for calories. Nuts won’t work because they have a crazy short harvest time before squirrels and such nab them.
    Honestly, I can’t think of many crops in this area that are calorie dense enough to serve as a staple and stable through the winter. Maybe ground nuts? Turnips? Persimmons - I have seen examples of the fruit drying on the tree and being edible long into the winter.
If you include crops with short harvest windows but minimal storage requirements, then hazelnuts, walnuts, and winter squash can be added to the list. And storage fruits like winter apple.

This guy had a fair bit to say about using them in a market garden setting:
https://substack.com/@cattleculture
They seem less common then horses, possibly because they are less charismatic. But if you are keeping cows for milk, another use for them makes sense. My understanding is that they are hardier than horses too. And cheaper.

How about building a quick structure? I built a goat feeder using scrap wood. The roof was thin plywood with aluminum flashing screwed on overlapping. The rolls of flashing cost around $40 for a 50 foot roll, and could be reused if you ever take down the original structure, since it doesn’t rust or wear out that I have seen. You could use solid wood instead of plywood if you were inclined.
Might also consider living options. A thick vine canopy would not be rain proof, but it would block lighter rain, as well as sun and wind. I am thinking grape, wisteria, ivy maybe?

First off, kudos for learning a new skill, and in the most difficult possible way! Don’t give up. Might make you feel better to know that custom mills (where you pay them to turn your will into yarn) will refuse wool with too much vegetable matter. It is hard to deal with.
I learned to spin at about 7. Self taught, as my mother is a knitter but not a spinner.- neighbor cut a circle out of an old countertop, stuck a dowel through the center, sharpened one end, and put a metal hook through the other. He also was not a spinner… but I used it by resting the pointer end on the floor, which actually was easier for learning. My mother got me a nice batch of precarded wool. The yarn was terrible. So was the next batch she got me. It probably took 2-4 lbs before I got decent looking yarn. So really, don’t get discouraged.
A few possibilities to make it easier: first, look up willowing wool. I think there is a good thread and video on this site. It is a way to get rid of some of the vegetable matter and prepare the wool for carding without expensive equipment. You will still have to handpick.
Second, take advantage of the youtube videos others recommended for carding. It won’t magically make your yarn good, but a nice fluffy even roll will certainly help.
Third, for joining the next piece of wool: don’t wait until you have a little tuft. When the previous roll is maybe 3/4 gone - but with a good palmful left - lay the next one on and start feeding iff both. Much easier this way. Take it slow, and don’t give up!

Make sure the coop dimensions allow you to reach all parts of the coop. We have a raised rectangular coop with doors at only one end. Naturally, several chickens have decided to shun the nesting boxes and lay on the far corner, where I have to fish them out with a fruit picker. It was a bought set of plans too, apparently not designed by someone who actually keeps chickens…