Frank Cordeiro

I like to plant corn when I chop the favas since favas fix the nitrogen that the corn craves.  I plant Crimson Favas in the fall (Zone 7) and enjoy the red flowers and leaves in winter salads. I lose a few plants to the cold but most survive.

I use the miniblinds with a UV resistant marker (mine is called "garden marker").  I find pencil too light and hard to read from a distance.  I use the miniblind markers for pots of plants that sell within a year or two.  For garden plants I use 4X5" steel garden markers with an 18" stake.  I print laminated cards for the label that fit in the steel holder.  They last about 10 years and then the cards need replacing.  I just use them for plants that are unusual or rare and it is great when people tour the garden and can read the history and other information about the plant.  I usually put where the plant is from, date it was planted, Zone, and other unusual features like color, Height, Deer resistance, and uses.
I don't use plastic label holders because I destroy them when I weed whack...

I live on an old sawmill site.  All the topsoil had been removed leaving rocky clay soil.  Even grass does not get more than 2 inches tall and we get no summer rain to grow most soil building plants.  What is growing here to restore the soil is Queen Ann's Lace and chicory...  

You can buy guarana cuttings or seeds online and they should do well in a tropical greenhouse.  They have from two to five times more caffeine than coffee...  I used to mix it with cocoa and cayenne for a high energy drink.

I'm in Oregon (Zone 7) and coffee berry grows wild here.  

I only have a 5 acre property, garden about 1/4 acre due to water restrictions, and let the rest remain as forest.  Many permaculture books are designed for larger properties.  Is this book something I can use or would it just contain information for the larger community?

A good book on how we view death is Rev. Paul Beyerls book "On Death and Dying" 978-0-9863639-0-0.  

It could be the tree or it could be the soil...  Do you have other apple trees growing nearby?  I have an area where trees died after a few years,  I dug down and discovered there was a old oiled road several feet down.  Comfrey growing under the tree might help.  I vote for leaving the tree and also trying another variety.

Send me your address.  I am just about to pick the old fruit.  The seeds should be ready to sprout.
ivpg@frontiernet.net

My Yuzu limes have survived three days of 10 degree weather with just some minor stem damage.  It is producing lots of good fruit with no freeze damage the last two years.
I use my trifoliate orange to make a household cleaning solution by soaking cut up and squeezed oranges in white vinegar.
I am in Southern Oregon.  Most years we hit 10 degrees in winter but sometimes a bit lower...