Becky Wiese

I'm a member of a number of seed trading groups on Facebook, but it's a lot of flowers and things I'm not that interested in. Not a lot of rare varieties of pomegranate and comfrey and haskap and goumi and elderberry and all the interesting things I want to grow.

Is there any good place for swapping or selling seeds and cuttings, especially those unusual ones that are more common in the permaculture world? Would there be an interest in a Permaculture-focused seed swapping group on Facebook? I've debated starting one.  Don't particularly want to if there's another good place for swapping.

Being in the South married to a man who loves his sweet tea, and making sweet tea at least a few times every week, I can add a bit.

The basic recipe I was taught was: 1 cup sugar, 2 Luzianne tea bags, hot water. In a pitcher, I believe two gallons of water.

Those who like their sweet tea like it sickly sweet (in my opinion). This or more sugar is true sweet tea.

Over time, I've managed to adjust the recipe. First, since he was having trouble sleeping, I reduced the caffeine. I now use one decaf bag and one green tea bag (still both Luzianne).

Also, I was able to reduce sugar so now I put about 1/4 cup of sugar and 28 drops of Lakanto monkfruit. According to my husband, not quite as good as the real stuff, but it's a fair substitute for the cup of sugar and drinking less sugar has definitely improved his health and sleep.

(And I think the Luzianne are special tea bags specifically for sweet tea. Others can be used, of course, but I think a Luzianne tea bag is a little bigger than a regular teabag I'd use to make green tea.)

West Texas, highs of 104+ in summer. Winter lows in the 30s and 20s, occasionally lower. I'm new to this, but my initial thought was that storage wouldn't be confined to a particular season. Clay soil. We would probably rent machinery to do the digging, so the amount of digging for a trash can versus fridge is not really a major consideration.

I’ve been growing and preserving more food, but storage is a problem. A root cellar is a natural solution, but I was hoping to get more input from those who have used them.

First, I do not have any good hillsides or slopes, so a large, in-ground root cellar would be difficult.

Second, cost is of course a factor. Cheaper is always better.

Are the metal trash can ones preferable to the fridge ones? How do they hold up over time? I would think they would both rot and rust over time?

I would like to store a variety of items—potatoes, winter squash, canned items, etc. Would these work for these trash or fridge root cellars? Mostly I've seen people doing potatoes.

Are the smaller projects worth it? It just seems like a trash can doesn’t hold that much food overall. Is it worth the effort?

Any better ideas or suggestions. I’d love to have a nice beautiful, walk-in one, but I don’t know about either the cost or the practicality without a hill.

For a while,  I was learning about JADAM. When we have a bad grasshopper year, you can basically say goodbye to the garden,  so I researched if they had a response to grasshoppers.

I heard that the JADAM pesticide mixture made with ginkgo did very well against grasshoppers. I have since started a ginkgo from seed,  but it's still tiny,  so haven't had a chance to try it.

But if anyone has a ginkgo tree nearby,  please try the JADAM mix and share how it does! Here's one video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3MKRoe0XWE

Thanks Mike! That's about all we have around here! We have an overflowing abundance of mesquites. And very little else. Oak and cedar. I hear cedar's not good. Oak we're not cutting down.

I am just finishing my first hugelkultur and am anticipating making more.

I am in dry, hot west Texas. I have heard a lot of “that won’t work in our climate.” So I’d love to hear from those who are doing it in a similar area.

1. Does anyone have experience with very large mesquite (with super-hard heartwood)? How long does it take to break down? I’ve been told that people have seen mesquite buried for years, decades and it never breaks down.
2. We’re looking at creating a hugelkultur in an area that’s barren dirt and sand. Very dry, nothing grows there, can hardly even get mesquite or cactus to grow there. If we dig down (with a machine), fill it with mesquite, and then pour the super pour soil over top, how quickly do you think it will take before the soil is improved?

Primary reason for lawnmower alternatives is because we don’t like mowing. Time and expense we’d be happy to spend elsewhere. And if we could benefit by it (dairy goat or cute tortoise or more fodder for the cows or goose eggs, etc.), that would be a plus.

As best as I can figure using Google Maps, the section that we would fence would be about 2.5 acres, perhaps an acre or so with grass/lawn.

Does anyone have a good lawnmower alternative?
I’ve considered:
• Sheep or goats. While this would be lovely, it would also require a guard dog and I’m not sure if I’d be willing to go that far. I couldn’t just pen them at night, right? I would imagine goat predators would attack them all day long. Also would need to fence for sheep or goats, but that’s doable.
• Tortoise. Had a guy recently who had a huge tortoise that he joked took care of his mowing needs. Would, again, need to fence better. Not sure how well tortoises take care of grass? Not sure how well they would do against predators? Fox? Stray dogs? Mountain lion (rare, but they have been seen)?
• Geese. Would be fun, but how much protection do they need against predators? And how well do they actually keep lawns down?
• Rabbit tractor. Again, how well do they actually do keeping lawns down, if moved daily?
• Cows. Last place option, but I'll throw it out there. We could put the cows in our yard for brief periods. We'd again have to improve the fences, but has anyone used cows for keeping grass down around the house? Does it actually work or just create a mess?