Peggy Marko

I have a sourdough starter that hasn't been fed for weeks.  😔   Thinking of tossing it but where?   Would it be OK in the compost pile, or in a new lasagna garden, on an old ash pile, or dug in slightly below the surface of a dry shady bank (under a hemlock tree) where I am hoping the thyme will spread. Would the acidity/bacteria in it help or hinder growth of beneficial creatures?  

Thanks for the great information.  Looks like testing is definitely the way to go, as I have been adding compost for years and the soil has been friable and nice.  That's what was so troubling about last year's lack of growth.  I appreciate your input!

Thanks!  I will do a test when the ground thaws.  Glad to hear you folks did not have a problem with it.  Ph, etc, I can deal with.   Roundup, that's another kettle of fish.   Happy growing!

I have a  20X20-ish garden for my annual veggies that has been getting increasingly less productive over the years. It's getting a bit shady, so I blamed that, but last year not even my peas would grow, which get started before the trees leaf out.   All the started/potted veggies that I put in never took off and seeds planted didn't come up well.   I have been putting our chicken manure and shavings in the garden over the winter in rotating areas, then digging it in when the soil warms.  Wondering if I am doing something horribly wrong, or even worse if something in the manure or shavings has gotten into the garden.  We have been getting "regular" feed (not organic) and pine shavings.  Would persistent herbicides be making their way in?  and if so, any suggestions for soil remediation?   Yellow dock, brown-eyed susans and herbs - thyme, lemon balm and chives - seems to do well, so never suspected herbicides until now, but starting to wonder.  Will try a simple soil test in the spring and hoping it's just an imbalance, but would like to know if anyone else has this problem.

Wow, thanks for the great ideas.  This week we've had an unusually warm weather that melted 2+ feet of snow right down to the ground.   So I have been able to cut more and begin implementing your ideas.  I made a couple of brush piles over a base of old pine "dinosaur bones" which have been laying on the ground and rotting for better than 16 years - lots of nice mycelium growing around them - and will target the small trees uphill of the pile next.  Love the idea of making little beds one at a time to make this overwhelming project much more manageable.  And to even out some pathways to be able to wander around there in our golden years.  The soil is typical of New England forest in the Granite State -  rocky, rooty, and a bear to dig into, so I'd much rather build bed and let the plant roots do their own digging down in to the native soil.  Hoping the terracing will allow for more moisture loving plants like elder, serviceberry, witch hazel and fruit trees.  But for now, will transplant herbs and covers.

Would also like to try some of Ju-Young Cho's ideas for mycelium farming, has anyone played with that?   Also hope to use some of the downed saplings to grow mushrooms.  There's a nice hemlock tree that I haven't the heart to take down after watching all the hemlocks sicken and die in CT from the wooly adelgid.  She will shade my mushrooms.

This winter I am clearing out a area (about 60 x 150 feet) on a south facing wooded hillside, at the border of our lawn.  Basically taking out saplings and trees of grammar school age.  There are a few teenage to adult trees that will be left - beech, birch and white pine.  That's all I have time and money for this year.  Rest of growing season will be attending to a perennial veggie bed elsewhere.  Is there anything I can plant or do to start prepping the soil on the hillside?  Eventually will take down the big trees and plan to plant berries, herbs and shrubbery with food and medicinal value on the hill.  Blueberries already have a foot-hold.  Favoring a no-till way of doing things if possible.   Zone 5.

Thanks! I love tree swallows, and plan to put up a few nesting boxes this spring. We have been getting a TON of dragonflies in the past couple of years Wondering who will follow them in, but loving them in the meantime.

We live up in the woods and are plagued with biting insects for most of the summer. Mayflies, then mosquitoes, then deerflies. Nature has pretty much had her way with the surrounding area for decades, but I'm wondering if there is anything we can do, any plant, bird or critter we can welcome in, that will help cut the deerfly population down a tad. We have some chickens, no livestock, no ponds of our own save a vernal pond. There's a beaver pond about 700 feet from the house. Any ideas or successes?

Hi Michael!

Welcome to Permies! Great to see you here. I have a question about making the transition - how much distance would you recommend putting between your leech field and your edibles? Thanks so much!

Hey thanks for the warm welcome! I've been wandering around the spot where I want to put the beds, and seeing if I can let the downed trees suggest a plan. One tree is almost cross-wise (with a slight dip to the east) on a south facing slope, so I have some thought on playing with terracing for that one. There is also a 14 year old brush pile that I've just kept adding more material to. Never got around to burning because I was afraid for the critters who may be living in it. Will definitely check those resources you listed, A.J. - thanks so much! Kinda glad it's winter, so there's a chance to learn a bit before diving in, and to spend time just wandering and practicing the first principle. Great to be here with you all!