D Taylor

I need a holiday plan for next winter (any time between mid-Nov and early March), and willing to travel anywhere in North America as I've amassed heaps of free credit card flights!
Interested in temperate and cold climate topics, perennial veggies, food forest, permaculture, down to poultry/bees etc etc. Not so much into tropical issues unless it crosses over easy enough to places that freeze.

Any suggestions? I will be traveling alone and likely finding hostels or cheap motels to crash and likely need to rent a car.

Ideally I'd like to line up several 'events' within a couple weeks, there's probably enough free flights to cover it!

Would like to learn, and maybe even meet some likeminded folks on-route.

Thanks!

Thank you, I will try to be more patient!

The logs I innoculated last spring are showing some fungal growth, but at least two species.
Is one of these the beginnings of shiitakis? I both underwatered and overwatered(if possible) last summer.
Thanks!

I also have no palm trees, but I would expect where cardboard completely smothers the ground palm fronds will allow certain weeds to seek through between the "fingers"?

Negative Nelly here!
I'm afraid I need to disagree. While yes there is a good selection of trees than will survive the wet ground, I don't believe any will dry the soils out sufficiently to notice, when water is pooling.
They don't use water while dormant. So early spring in cold climates like Quebec... No help.
They will clog drain pipes so do consider this for placement, roots will go a long ways to cause trouble.
I would imagine there would be some effect on a good warm or hot day with the sun blaring, but that isn't your spring climate is it?
The root systems may firm up the ground but that is different than removing water.

Anyways I suggest planting lots of trees for shade and oxygen but don't expect them to drain early season or autumn swampy ground.
Wet ground should not be trampled on especially by hooved animals for reasons you've probably already noticed.

Also plums were mentioned, they don't take to wet soils exceptionally well... Especially if wet ground is during growing season. And silver maples and weeping willows are well known for breaking in storms so do consider planting them far from arena fences or barns...

Just my experience.... Didn't work for me.

Any idea if keeping shiitaki logs in a cool damp room (40F approx) would be better than leaving them outdoors in the cold wind and snow?
Maybe it's worth trying half and half- or is one known better than the other? Thanks.

See if Richter's sells it mail order from Ontario. Otherwise I'd be happy to mail some in exchange for something of similar weight by mail. Feel free to message me...

So much good info here, thanks for all the help and ideas!
Where to start...

Pat, regarding the 3 gallons of water per square foot. Do you remember where you found that info? That's a great starting point for my planning stage- I am still sketching layout. I was planning to have the pond go fairly deep as we have a high water table meaning the bottom of the pond could be in contact with "warm" unfrozen water below the pond. That should be a huge benefit yet you are surely correct that the pond needs to be mainly above ground for any effect. I need to search pond construction and see what economical options would be. With your calculation I would need over 3000 gallons, bigger than any stock tank I've ever come across. Custom!

I am planning a greenhouse for year round growing in zone 5- with plenty of cloudy days in winter.
It will likely be cedar framed (or pt, something slow to decay)as there will be poly attached to both the outside and inside for insulation. I don't like PT but any wood in a damp airlock will rot and I figure 100% safe from veggie contamination behind a layer of poly.

Goal is no electricity, just using alternative methods- including hardy winter plantings to extend growing season as far as possible.

Plan is approx 25' x 40', more or less. East to west.

The pond question is... any thoughts on whether and approx 3-3.5' deep pond, maybe 4' x 8' located centrally in the GH help significantly at all as a heat sink? A larger pond is of course possible so long as I can keep it productive enough to produce a similar amount of food as the soil crop displacement which I'm sure shouldn't be a problem.

Any ideas appreciated! Thanks.

I wasn't sure which board to ask this on...

I am planning a greenhouse for year round growing in zone 5- with plenty of cloudy days in winter.
It will likely be cedar framed (or pt, something slow to decay)as there will be poly attached to both the outside and inside for insulation. I don't like PT but any wood in a damp airlock will rot and I figure 100% safe from veggie contamination behind a layer of poly.

Goal is no electricity, just using alternative methods- including hardy winter plantings to extend growing season as far as possible.

Plan is approx 25' x 40', more or less. East to west.

The pond question is... any thoughts on whether and approx 3-3.5' deep pond, maybe 4' x 8' located centrally in the GH help significantly at all as a heat sink? A larger pond is of course possible so long as I can keep it productive enough to produce a similar amount of food as the row crop displacement which I'm sure shouldn't be a problem.

Any ideas appreciated! Thanks.