Xep Arkonatitlan

so much good stuff, and its alll covered ,but will add anyway. Pigweed is amaranth, the variety we call bledo which is a staple used as a pot herb. Not worth harvesting for grain, I prefer the bucket method of harvest and it that dosent work, dont other. We dont really plant it but shake out seed everywher, and we are no till.  Poly culture, not till no plant, if not dont bother. Mixed information on edibility of black seed amaranth but havent had trouble.

Hmm, is his thread still read? I learned bio-intensive inSanta Cruz Ca. in the eighties. Bio-intesive vegetables and a Mayan corn field were my food supply in the ninties. When I left my farm, within three months there was no sign of my work.  Within a year almost no visable soil improovment. I egan to seek more sustainable lowere labor soil building techniques, eventually comming to call my thing 'permaculture'. Bio-intansive is the most reliable way I have found to abundantly grow diffacult vegaables (all European bi anuals), but I have it currently relagated to two or three zone one beds.  While corn and ameranth and some others are abundant calorie -compost crops (ameranth is a local staple, the seeds are the easyest grain to harvest, and he leaves are a superfood pot herb), I always ended up in a rob Peter to pay Paul  situation. Also , If you do not achieve bio-intensive yeild, you are loosing way to much soil and nutrients (only when it is that ful are there enough roots for your nutrients to stay in the bio cycle. As bio intensive involves double digging, and no mulch, (wood chips for no till) mychoriza is lost and phosphate depletion occers in heavy rains. Bio intensive is still my best way to produce comercial vegetables, and I do, but, I call it organic farming and not permaculture.

Of course avocados are not neseceraly the answer for you, they are whats dying off in the central Guatemalan highlands. My long term answer is to plant varieties from lower elevations, warmer climate. I have watched the climate change as told to me by the oranges, lemons, mangos and manderines getting better, and more. Of the fifty diferent kinds of fruit tree I have tried, 12 species are productive, 18 give fruit, 33 are aive.

in my area its the avocados dying off due to fungus. This is a climate change problem. I have had somesucces aplying ormus.  I asked our local fungus experts telling them my solution to a bad fungus is a good one, but got no definate answer. The other answer is plant mangos now and avocado- coffee no more.

Bush beans are planted a month before corn,but only near,pole beans are planted a month after,directly under corn. No nitrogen excess under corn. Bush get diferent fertalization. Cant consider that level of nutrient imort sustainable but i dont know where alll this bedding commes from or how the animals are fed. I import almost no nutrients (air and wind and water do that, microbes eat rocks) To deal with nitrogen shortage I foliar with urin (add touch of wood ash) There is a great deal more then three sisters in a traditional Mayan corn field.  Of course, i have a great deal to learn and this year most of my no-til corn fell over due to weather, high nitrogen low potasium, I think, add more wood ash? ps, highland Mayan flour corn reaches 20' durring its seven month growth.

urin is great fertalizer but a little acidic. i use urin as a foliar,two liters aged urin16 liters water, two tablespoons wood ash. Without the ashes can become too much

Sorry, my computer dousent do that. Why water tight? Is water tight airtight and wouldn't that inhibit composting? Do they have fly traps and chimneys in the sun, painted black for draw? Is the chimney in the highest part of the chamber, higher then the seat? Is the composting mix as important as the rest of the design?

Composting toilets are safe, fun ,clean and easy. But the operative word there is composting. If you develop a system that increases vectors for parasites, you will eventually have those parasites, even if you dont live in Guatemala. Also, your own pathogens, not in high enough concentration to do you harm, can be concentrated to harmful levels. Eat poop and die they always, correctly, said. That said, I just emptied out a year old pit. Beautiful fluffy brown powder that smells like spring water. My local helper was offended that he had been so ripped off by the flush toilet, pollution, fertilizer industry.

wow, i'm so confused. I thought vinegar as a general herbacide, or I would have tried it. I thought urine, uric acid was acidic, and tended to break down into ammonia, more acidic. I add all the pee i can to my beds but i only produce so much. My soil is frequently 8. p.h., which means almost no available phosphate. I'd love any good ideas, but have probably tried them.