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Hard Lessons

Jackson Bradley

pollinator

Posts: 732

Location: Zone 8A

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posted 1 year ago

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What are some things you learned the "hard way" due to your region or site conditions?

An example for me would be that southern exposure in the south is its own category. When a seed pack says "full sun", it may or may not do well in our central MS full sun. It is absolutely brutal.

"Condemnation by category is the lowest form of hatred for it is cold hearted and abstract, lacking the heat and even the courage of a personal hatred." -Wendell Berry

Tereza Okava

steward & manure connoisseur

Posts: 5480

Location: South of Capricorn

3536

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posted 1 year ago

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i have a tendency to learn everything "the hard way" but I'll try to be brief....

-mulch is not the best thing ever when you live in snail/slug central
-tropical clay will eat all the organic matter you can throw at it, practically before your eyes
-tropical insects (in areas where you never get a hard frost) are not fooling around and require different strategies than non-tropical gardening.
-likewise, in certain climates, composting is not easy or necessarily even the best option. I banged my head against that wall for years before realizing it was so much better to just trench in the clay.
There are hundreds more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

Anne Miller

master steward

Posts: 19852

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4981

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posted 1 year ago

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Deer will eat almost everything, except rosemary ...

Feral hog love Egyptian Walking Onions ...

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Jackson Bradley

pollinator

Posts: 732

Location: Zone 8A

189

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posted 1 year ago

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Anne Miller wrote:Deer will eat almost everything, except rosemary ...

1# of raw deer meat has over 500 calories. You would not be able to stop them but you could get a return on your gardening investment if they are eating your food and you eat them......food for thought

"Condemnation by category is the lowest form of hatred for it is cold hearted and abstract, lacking the heat and even the courage of a personal hatred." -Wendell Berry

Jonny Mnem

Posts: 3

posted 1 year ago

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Tereza Okava wrote:i have a tendency to learn everything "the hard way" but I'll try to be brief....

I banged my head against that wall for years before realizing it was so much better to just trench in the clay.
There are hundreds more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

What do you mean with this comment please ?

Tereza Okava

steward & manure connoisseur

Posts: 5480

Location: South of Capricorn

3536

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posted 1 year ago

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Jonny Mnem wrote:

Tereza Okava wrote:i have a tendency to learn everything "the hard way" but I'll try to be brief....

I banged my head against that wall for years before realizing it was so much better to just trench in the clay.
There are hundreds more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

What do you mean with this comment please ?

Trench composting beats plain composting in my climate.

Joylynn Hardesty

master pollinator

Posts: 5508

Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee

2506

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posted 1 year ago

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Jonny Mnem wrote:What do you mean with this comment please ?

She digs a trench in the garden, then puts all compostables in the trench. Some folk bury it, some folk leave it open.

'What we do now echoes in eternity.' Marcus Aurelius
How Permies Works Dr. Redhawk's Epic Soil Series

Tommy Bolin

Posts: 213

Location: 55 deg. N. Central B.C. Zone 3a S. Nevada. Hot and dry zone

posted 1 year ago

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Bears like our apples as much as we do.

Cut firewood early and often. Late summer problems can lead to winter wood shortages. Keep a couple easy, dead, dry trees in your back pocket.

Letting a useless, gossipy 'neighbor' use your road while he lollygags four years finishing his will leave you with destroyed roads overused during the worst of spring breakup, and tales of woe spread to any who listen, when you cut his self-entitled, demanding butt off when the maintenance help he promised was never delivered. Once you allow access, it is assumed it extends to any he invites to his place for any purpose, and taking it away is harder than just being a firm no in the first place. Lock your gates and enjoy your peace.

Purchase price of used heavy equipment is only a down payment. Better be able to fix anything that comes along your self.

Never underestimate the power of water to go where you don't want it, wreck or rot things you don't need abused. Same with cattle.

Never underestimate the power of a hot woodstove and coffee shared on a cozy couch with a view of beautiful winter morning to smooth over any or all of the above, and allow you to truly appreciate what you have accomplished.

Just because you are not able to imagine or do something, does not mean that I can't or that it in fact cannot be safely done.

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 6329

Location: Bendigo , Australia

606

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For years people told me to cover my solar batteries.
Why I would ask?
Everybody does! but why?
After 30 years I recently damaged $20,000 of solar batteries which got very wet.
It seems water running down the front can cause a draining of the charge, much like leaving snow on an auto battery.
Nobody knew why though.
It reminds me of the story about a newly wed couple,
Bill asked, why are you cutting the leg of lamb in half to roast it?
Mum always did!
Lets ask Mum, ........ because Gran always did!
Gran why do you cut the leg of lamb in 1/2 to roast it?
So it would fit in the oven!!

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
GOOD DEBT/ BAD DEBT https://permies.com/t/179218/mortgages-good-debt-bad-debt

Anne Miller

master steward

Posts: 19852

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4981

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posted 1 year ago

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Josh Hoffman wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:Deer will eat almost everything, except rosemary ...

1# of raw deer meat has over 500 calories. You would not be able to stop them but you could get a return on your gardening investment if they are eating your food and you eat them......food for thought

We are happy to have them as our friends. No raw deer meat. No food for thought...

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Bethany Brown

Posts: 248

Location: Rural Pacific Northwest, Zone 8

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posted 1 year ago

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Anne Miller wrote:Deer will eat almost everything, except rosemary ...

Feral hog love Egyptian Walking Onions ...

Anne, have you had any luck with using Rosemary as a barrier to deter deer? When I first moved here, to deer country, I didn’t have a fence (I thought if I planted enough, I’d have enough to share- another lesson learned the hard way!) but the deer seemed to leave alone my rows of people basil and anything close to it. They also seem to spend less time around fruit trees that have lavender planted around them.

Anne Miller

master steward

Posts: 19852

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4981

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posted 1 year ago

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I only have one rosemary bush. It protects a rose bush planted next to it to keep the deer from devouring the whole plant. Deer still get the young tender leaves and it never gets to bloom.

A solid row of rosemary bushes might act as a fence though the deer could just jump over it. Though the deer might be afraid that they cant see what is on the other side.

Sage is another plant that my deer leave alone. I have autumn sage and blue sage. I have lots of wild verbena so I guess the deer don't like that either.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Riona Abhainn

pollinator

Posts: 1717

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

219

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So could we formulate a theory that deer, like slugs, tend to avoid plants with intense scents, not sweet like roses, but other types of intense smells?

Celtic/fantasy/folk/shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube.
Pop-up garden/vintage+ yard stand owner.

Tommy Bolin

Posts: 213

Location: 55 deg. N. Central B.C. Zone 3a S. Nevada. Hot and dry zone

posted 1 year ago

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Tommy Bolin wrote:Bears like our apples as much as we do.

Along those lines. We had a skunk in the yard yesterday, only second we've had in the last decade. Since we have a bunch of dogs, and plenty of cat type places for him to hole up, he had to go.
Took a canoe ride, dogs always follow along the shore, figured it would give him a chance to p**s off. No luck.
The solution, just like one of last years really persistent bears, was the firehose. Knocked the treed bear out of his perch, sent him off with the dogs following, He did not return. Damn near drowned the skunk, he was easily dispatched. Anatomy reminds me of a badger.

Just because you are not able to imagine or do something, does not mean that I can't or that it in fact cannot be safely done.

Riona Abhainn

pollinator

Posts: 1717

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

219

posted 1 year ago

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I can't keep my mini carrots I grow in the fridge without putting them in something, otherwise they wither and aren't viable,

I harvested a few lovely ones with potent flavour but after three days in the veggie drawer I found them soft and gone off, next time they need to be sealed somehow, I've got more growing.

Celtic/fantasy/folk/shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube.
Pop-up garden/vintage+ yard stand owner.

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