Jay Angler

John C Daley wrote:I am amazed at the expectation of some people who wish to invert the seasons and refuse to put a jumper on in winter.

Personally, it's the ones who seem to want winter temperatures to be achieved with air conditioning in the summer that bother me!

I liked how the article admitted that different humans have different heat/cold tolerance. I can easily be wearing a long sleeved shirt, a vest, and a "jumper" (cardigan, sweater, hoody - choose your variation of English) when those around me are wearing far less. If I let my feet get cold in the evening, it can take me hours to get them warmed up again.

So for me, the idea of finding better ways to "heat the person" definitely appeals to me. I actually would prefer to have myself warm, but the air to be cooler.

There are plenty of good ideas in the article, but I may need to invent a pair of heated booties!

Matt McSpadden wrote: The property is also fairly hilly... so even if it was clear cut there is not a lot of places for a flat garden.

Do you have a topo map of the property? So you can actually see what the lay of the land is without the trees?

1. There are hills and there are hills! I have read repeatedly that many fruit trees are safer from a late frost if they're on a north slope. I have some personal experience with at least not having a tree at the top of a south slope... two years in a row that plum has done significantly worse than ones that have a bit more protection.

2. How steep are those hills? Building small terraces can give each terrace good sun exposure. The steeper the hill, the more work that will be. Are there lots of rocks as raw material? Make sure the water can drain properly so you don't destabilize the slope.  

3. How deep is the soil? Many forests have all their nutrients locked up in the wood and the soil can be very thin. If the land had been open at some time, and not allowed to erode, the soil could be OK. Even if it's crappy soil, is it deep enough that you could build hugels with the young trees?

As for the house - I always figured I'd be happier with a small house and a *really big* garage workshop. Some small houses can be extended if you genuinely need the space. My son has been house hunting though, and it's amazing how many properties have no decent spot to do some serious woodworking or equipment repair.

Interesting. In my ecosystem, the numbers are way down. Down to the point I'm finding Cabbage Butterfly caterpillars on my Kale. Normally the wasps harvest all the caterpillars before they do any damage.

There are way more different versions of wasps and bees than I can imagine. We have some ground dwelling ones but their nests don't overwinter. We have some paper wasp type nests and some "mud" type nests.

As best I can, I live and let live due to them being an important part of my organic pest management system. (Read, I'd rather they eat my caterpillars than me have to squish them...) Many can learn to recognize people, so I talk to them and tell them that if they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. That seems to work better if you find the nest early in the season before they get the September Crazies.

tuffy monteverdi wrote:I must say fruit trees are absolutely plagued by gophers or Fireblight here in this part of the Mediterranean world. They require more than regular care..
Perhaps some walnut or butternut trees or some Oaks best of all…even if acorns aren’t readily edible they do provide great wildlife support, fantastic cooling shade, are fast growing and huge, and acorns can be processed for starches and flours if really needed…

Best of all, Oaks and Black walnut survive on rainfall only here and require no care.

Choosing plants, or varieties of plants, that require minimal care for your ecosystem, is critical. We have roadside apple trees here, planted decades ago, and they survive and produce except for years that the Tent Caterpillars go crazy. The local deer clean up the windfalls, which helps a lot to keep many pests down.

However, where my sister lives in Ontario, Canada, she has no hope of growing apples due to the pest pressure.

So yes, choose plants that will cope well and not cause too much extra work! Are there fruit vines that are low maintenance in your ecosystem?

I tripped over this video:



I never agree with everything someone says on a controversial subject, but he makes some good points. The "extreme" or "perfection"  could be the excuse for not aiming for a more realistic version of a renewable world.

The images he showed and the information he covered was still very "big city" focused. I think many of us are of the opinion that most of our cities are broken - too big, too energy dependent, and too fragile if the s--t really hits the rotary impeller. We have to consider who benefits from these concrete jungles, and who are struggling within them, and help the struggling to see ways to help themselves even if that's as basic as learning to cook a little and grow sprouts on their window ledges. Many apartment dwellers already have a houseplant or three. Why can't those houseplants be a mini-tomato plant with some walking onion sharing the pot?

This is becoming more and more important, not just for the food it represents, but for the cooling effect, trees, particularly groups of trees, have on a city. If we *need* to plant more city trees to protect lives during heat waves, why not make them mini-food forests?

It is very easy in conversations like this one, to not see the forest for the trees!

There has been so much in the news lately about heat waves. There is excellent research out there about how trees, particularly mini-forests, within walking distance of every home or apartment building, can literally save lives during bad heat waves.

Why not make that important and necessary shade do double duty and plant fruit trees along with trees known to clean urban air of pollution? One good shade tree in the center, and a ring of shorter fruit bearing trees around it, creating an island of cooler air.

If you use raingarden principles as the first step, these islands may be able to support themselves just on rainwater.

If you then present your plans to authorities, focusing on "reducing run-off"  and "saving lives during the heat", you may find them more interested in approving your plan. That apple tree you plan on including, is just a beautiful blossom tree in the spring, with pretty red balls on it later in the year!

Someone mentioned freezer storage. If it was only me, it would be easier, I admit. However, one year when I had control of the situation, I used the reusable grocery bags with labels attached to keep like, or similar, items together. So all the frozen raspberries went in one bag. Various packages of frozen veggies went into another. I had 5 or 6 bags on the go, but had difficulty keeping people around me seeing the benefits.

In the future if I try again, I will make sure the bags are distinctly different colours.

For the "veggie bag," I'd consider several smaller bags to keep various types separate.

I'd consider making up a bag for outside purchases, such as the bread Hubby likes to buy, as I think that would help him buy into the system.

Jenn Martinson wrote:... Borage is sounding like the best bet...

OK, either Canadian "Borage" is different, or it just *really* *LOVES* my ecosystem, because my borage, and the plant at a friend's place, grow at least 2 1/2 feet tall! I'm pretty sure that had I measured it, one that grew last year had to top 3'. Granted it volunteered where it could tap into the bottom of a compost heap. I don't think I've tried consistently pruning it for shortness to know if I can be kept short. The bees love it so much, I try to leave it be.