Kete Foy

Hi, I live less than 3 hours from Lake Lure. I haven't gotten very dirty behind closed doors, but I have been fun! I'd like to visit, and I can bring a tent. Here's a shadowy picture of me because Internet.

I'm figuring out the world of natural farming. I'm near the top of your age range. No children. I cook, too, and have some experience in natural gardening. I like 420, but I was not familiar with psychonauts or truthers. I don't think I would be into the latter. Definitely against authority, neither left nor right nor into politicians.

Oh yeah, I've been enjoying some greens, too, because my radish looks too woody, but I have enjoyed sliced radish sautéed right along with the greens!

Debbie, it looks like you use less mulch than I do.

Not very thick, Oliver. Just enough to cover. If seed packets call for a 1/2" seed depth, then I cover with an extra layer of mulch. Today, I planted some Shogoin turnips, and after I scattered the mulch, I just went back to the bare spots where I could see through to the dirt and put some pieces of grass there.

Here is a picture of seven top turnip seedlings finally sprouting from mulch. I ran out of dirt, and my compost wasn't well-aged; so I tried covering seeds with just mulch. My garden is weedy, so to make a seed bed, I cut down the plants I don't want with a sickle. I leave the plants I like such as dandelion, plantain, dock, and vetch. All that grass I cut, I stack right beside the plot, so after I sow my seeds, I can pick up the long grass and scatter a layer on top. I water the mulch a little bit every day, and these turnips, daikon radishes, and white clover have sprouted through. By the time the seedlings come through, the mulch is not as thick. I've started leaving the mulch for all of its benefits even though the white clover is supposed to replace it as a living mulch one day.

I wonder if the person who started this thread is coming back.

Here is a picture of my best radish. It grew from a big seed ball full of various radish seeds. We're planning on harvesting this radish and its greens tomorrow. Surprisingly, bugs have left the leaves alone. I chose radish because they're good for soil.

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It rained today. The mulch is just a bunch of weeds that I finally chopped down a month or two ago. It's working well. A balsam and tomato plants are in the background.

Here is a picture of an okra plant and some clover. I planted them by putting their seeds on the dirt and covering them with compost, but I would use any organic soil. It looks like the clover will act as a living mulch.

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I used the sticks to mark where I planted seeds. By this point, I'm not spreading weeds apart to plant seeds; I'm spreading apart mulch. I think the okra seeds had more compost than the clover seeds, so I put some main crop seeds on dirt, cover with a little compost, sprinkle the clover seeds, and then put a little more compost on top.

Lastly, here's my first orange tomato. Many of my tomato transplants have thrived without much water. I'm letting them sprawl like Fukuoka recommended. This is a better boy, and it hides its tomatoes much better than a beefsteak. Shown are two pieces of found bamboo that I'm using to prop up tomatoes.

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Bamboo is pretty handy, and there are some clumping varieties that are not invasive. One thing about natural farming is that some plants may be too domesticated to just throw to the wild, but if our plants go to seed, then they probably get wilder, year after year. My Brandywine is not doing as well. I took all of my transplants, put them on the ground, and put compost around them. (https://piconic.co/p/kete/288862411555999744) As the days went by, I shored up the compost up as necessary, but I don't transplant like this anymore. Most of the beefsteaks didn't make it. They might have needed water or caught a disease, but they collapsed.

I haven't been making seed balls because I quit having success with them, but I've been studying the Greek natural farmer off and on. And since he teaches about seed balls, I've been assuming that I would return to using them someday. I've been doing better by using another person's seed tray or just moving weeds out of the way, putting seeds directly on the dirt, and covering them up with compost unless their seed packs say don't cover. That also helps me find the seedlings later, but I imagine one day or year, I'll figure out how people farm with seed balls. I did have lots of success with radish seed balls. I decided to thin out a bunch of them because the pack said those closer than an inch. They came up probably at least a couple months ago, and they're still coming up a little despite the heat. It's funny how many of my plants have a significant delayed effect when it comes to germination. I've given up on many only to see them as tall plants a month later.

Some of the radishes bolted in this heat and attract butterflies. Most of them didn't form much of a root, but some of them finally are. Back then, I wasn't trying to water my garden, but in these drought conditions, I have decided to keep my plants from dying of thirst. I was transplanting tomatoes and other stuff without digging into the dirt, putting compost around the plants' roots, but I've decided to quit that, too, because Fukuoka used to dig holes when transplanting trees.

Hello, I have a partner who is polyamorous, and I am seeking a female friend to farm in the tradition of Fukuoka and the Greek Natural Farming Center. Not all or many seed balls but definitely no till, little irrigation, no pesticides, and no inorganic fertilizers and not much organic ones yet. I like compost and edible/medicinal weeds or roots that turn the soil or green manure, etc. I like plants that repel annoying bugs and slugs and plants that attract ladybugs or pollinators. I like mixing my own seed starter or potting soil and using creativity to start plants indoors without wasteful starter kits. I'd also like to cultivate a grove and practice living off a natural farm food forest using only the resources on the farm for food, shelter, and clothing. I'll definitely need another hand to help and would love to spend time with another woman. I'm also interested in farming with chickens and other animals, but I have a lot to learn about farming. I want to be able to fell trees and bury some in trenches to put their wood to use, improving the soil. I want to farm near a creek and test the water, etc. Lots of fun in store. I want to grow so much food that I have to give it away or sell it, and I know one group who would come and pick it and distribute it to the needy. Or I could give it to neighbors or have a feast, and there are farmers' markets in the area.