David Nightingale

In Puget Sound we winter over field kales, Brussels sprouts, Arugula, coastal potatoes, some lettuces, a strange spinach iI’ve had since I was a kid, and cabbage. First up in February Alexanders, beat tops off the mangles, radishes, turnip tops, compost carrots, brassica rabb, and bak choy never really dies.  Experimenting with field and patch planting near fields for the grazers through late winter just have to watch the bloat, as AUS grass has helped there.

David Nightingale wrote:Rosa Rugosa.  In many forms blooms over 2-3 months.  Fun to see, eat, and smell, and they don’t mind being mowed.  Somehow, there are many to be seen in my area?  Recently I’ve seen more people walking in the evenings relative to these wild roses locations, so curious.

Ike the pike, swam into a ditch, and spied a frog on a log, with spring water so high, evening fly high on the reeds did indeed host a rose for thyne nose, at the waters edge.  
“I am haunted by waters” Norman Maclean.

Rosa Rugosa.  In many forms blooms over 2-3 months.  Fun to see, eat, and smell, and they don’t mind being mowed.  Somehow, there are many to be seen in my area?  Recently I’ve seen more people walking in the evenings relative to these wild roses locations, so curious.

Does anyone think we’ve reached the daily stress breaking point?  Any ideas on stress reduction while working.  Is weeding the garden a form of meditation?

Ahh this might sound silly, but yes as more grass/weeds come up you keep covering them with more sheet hay and manure. Just keep C and N equal proportions.  I sheet mulch Late February then make it thru June before I have to cover again, but that’s weed clean.  So you need a 30%+ reserve of hay (C carbon) and compost (N nitrogen).  
Over winter I place small amounts of chicken manure in rows or rove the chicken tractors over the area slowly (1 week before moving)  where I will plant higher nitrogen crops (Corn being the worst, which I do not grow).  This process with just a few more adjustments yields as high as any modern fertilizer system over ACRES.  In areas with acidic natural soil pH’s, some amounts of aglime just before planting maybe necessary.  I prefer dolomite if possible.  New grass hay yearly is important  as bacillus bacteria in grass hay dominates soil ecology even in extreme climates as you overhead water it.  Operating this system for 2-3 cycles over 6 years will produce a soil you can grow in for a 6-8 years without these processes and near same production if it became necessary.  Hope it helps. Cheers.

Similar to chop and drop which works great, I still rely on sheet mulching with local unsprayed hay.  10-12 bales left out over winter decomposing separates into thin 2” sheets, and covers my 1/2 acre garden.  Literally cover the weeds, and around the annuals. Equal nitrogen source ie. composted cow manure needs to accompany mass of hay you use to balance soil.  Dense planting, companion planting, vertical scaling all help, together you may never need to weed again. My Mom still can’t believe I never weed.  

We, his educated rodents.  ‘And yet you act as if there is some ideal order in the world’. ‘Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point’? ‘My point exactly’.  

Rough go of it.  Been farming/working solo for a while due too questioning people.  Yet tech, like a tractor is just a tool.  Does AI or any tech have faith?   Hmmm.  Do we all?  Sure, in various people, ideas, things, we cling too, daily.   Daily faith things or people?  Which are really more interesting?  People can be difficult but with practice… and we get to choose.  
I always go back to nature, not the lab.  Nature has spent billions of years crafting random stardust into plants, animals, and people for you to talk with.  Some people prefer Animals despite not talking (debate), are very good practice, and better listeners than most folks.  Plants that move are interesting conversationalists.  Go outside, look up, see the beginning, and walk forward into an adventure, that is life.  Do something you find interesting and you’ll meet someone.  Even with the mess and distress of people and relationships we are in life, not on it.   And like a salmon fly floating the river of life, when you’re not paying attention, wham.  A LaFontaine taught me that:)

Perhaps Zinc sulfate, humid summers work well with zinc spraying leaves, yet I like root absorption.  Zinc does not fall from the sky, without a large volcano upwind, and you don’t want that.  A ring  ZnSO4 about 3 feet out a little goes a long way, and don’t fertilize as that will make it worse.  Cheers.

Time… 1st question to large University on Montana Sociology class many years ago… What would happen to society in a systemic reduction food and energy of 20%. Spoiler,  Farming is the only long term answer.  I’ve taken it further going to Mid evil farming with modern biology process.  Not news to anyone, here.  Materials, water, energy, and closed loop recycling for living (Bioshperesque) on open land.  Food will become unaffordable soon, and socio-monitory curve suggests parallel water scarcity curve increasing food loss further. But no water is lethal, yes. And that’s what I think is going on here.  What do you think?  
 “Vision of the future is still just sight.  You have a spine, use it.  Get up, walk and talk to each other, figure out how to change. Humans excel at this”… me.
“Serious est quam cogitas”. Always.