Jason Freeman

I'm hoping this thread stays active as I'd like to network and share with my fellow like-minded types in the community.  I'm in an older  West Knoxville neighborhood. I work a typical full time job so I get to do what I love part time which is gardening and observing the wonderful nature around me.  I have a big yard by suburban standards and dreams are forming of pond building, raising livestock and more. My new experiences since moving here include composting, no till gardening, and rain catchment.  Hope to see you around!

Jason

I liked it so much I started the garden with the layers!
Must have generated good karma.  The new neighbors three down turned all their moving boxes into a huge garden box. I'm excited to meet and share.

First for me with blueberries and a layering no till approach.  

One thing led to another working on my blueberry patch yesterday which happens at our place.  A few drain lines fed by the gutter system are clogged shut and useless.  Luckily as a budding Permie I'm sure to find some good ideas on rain barrel construction.

On the subject at hand, how many seasons are you pinching buds on transplants to establish strong root systems, if at all?  

Also, I want to benefit from a mix of varieties.  I'm in Knoxville so rabbiteye varieties are suited to the area.  Do I need a mix of varieties within rabbiteyes or does mixing varieties mean I need a variety of lowbush, northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye and half-high?

Jason

See there, you're educating me!

The black color I'm observing in the heavily rooted soil is due to the higher carbon content.  

Some drain line maintenance has revealed to me to a bit of anecdotal evidence of the soil quality where root activity is high.  

Pictured are the ends of two parallel drain lines running underground that originate from separate downspouts on the same roof gutter system.  The right line had a root system that grew up the line from the open end. The left line had an accumulation of soil without the intrusion of roots.  The material below each line was cleaned out of it.  Although not a controlled environment, I like to think it's possible that the only difference between the two soils is the root activity.  

Christopher Kendall wrote:I was looking for clear info on rocket mass heaters and this was the site that had drawings I could grasp easily.  Nice work, Paul!  Odd that it beat out, for my attention, the site that I bought the book from.

chris

+1
Exactly this and I stayed for the soil science.

I'm learning a lot about building soil naturally and slowly for a much higher quality result.  I hope the stewards continue to treat these forums similarly.  Beautiful interactions will flourish and noxious invaders will find it difficult to take hold in a community built on kindness and respect.

Thanks!

Jason

P.S. It was something in Pinterest originally that I linked over from