Andrew James

I'm using cedar posts for my "wofati". Did Paul wrap his posts like Mike O or not?

cabbage: B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, N, K, S, Zn
comfrey: SiO2, N, Mg, Ca, K, Fe
horsetail: SiO2, Mg, Ca, Fe, Co
stinging nettle: Na, S, N, Ca, Fe, Co
two-groove milk vetch: Se
eastern brackern: K, P, Mn, Fe, Cu, Co
spurges: B
garlic: F, S, P
devils bit: I, Mg, Fe
sarsaparilla: I
dandelion: Na, SiO2, Mg, Ca, K, P, Fe, Cu

I am in the process of purchasing the seeds now. Last summer I threw around 25 lbs of clover (red, white, alsike) and they went nuts. The bumblebees are happy little teddy bears.

You can go online and find anything these days. I found a site that lets you sign up for about 70 or so free seed catalogs. Its like xmas all over again: new catalogs every day. No toilet break is boring now!!! I also joined the Seed Saver Exchange to find the old varieties suggested by Sepp in his book.

Tree seeds seem to be less expensive than herbs. I think I bought 1500 tree seeds for less than $80.

my seed mix is better than Sepp Holzer's... for my needs (weeeeeeee!)

Im on the border of zone 3 and zone 4, likely zone 3, so my focus was on perennial, cold climate plants.

This is for a fruit tree paddock system that will feed my chickens (and possibly pigs/goats). If goats come into the system I will add more dynamic accumulators that pick up copper.

Fruit Tree Guild
Dynamic Accumulators
Nitrogen Fixers
Green Manures
Parasite Repellants
Beneficial Insect/Bird Attractors

Dynamic Accumulators: cabbage, comfrey, horsetail, stinging nettle, two-groove milk vetch, eastern brackern, garlic, devils bit, sarsaparilla, dandelion.

Nitrogen Fixers: Siberian pea shrub, new jersey tea, silverberry, sea buckthorn, lupine, red clover, alfalfa, hog peanut, sweet vetch, American vetch, wood vetch, northern bayberry, Canadian buffaloberry

Green Manures: fodder vetch, sunflowers, birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin, rye/wild rye

Parasite Repellants: wormwood, mugwort, rue, catnip, horsemint, tansies

Insect Attractors: yarrow, chicory, eastern gamma grass, perennial wheat, anise hyssop, borage, sweet goldenrod, white clover, new England aster, rattlesnake weed, cow parsnip, honewort, osha

with lavender and nasturtium added as theyre reported to go well with fruit trees.

There should be close to 50 plants here. I didn't seek out many Bird Attractors as the fruit trees should cover them.

Many of these plants can fit into multiple categories:

Additional accumulators (lupine, clover, alfalfa, the vetches, sunflower, tansy, yarrow, chicory, borage). The listed accumulators above is the fewest amount of plants needed to cover most, if not all, minerals that can be possibly picked up. Dandelion was not needed, but it is great for this purpose as well as being a spike root (I need them!).

Additional Tap/Spike roots (sweet vetch, lupine, alfalfa, dandelion, red clover, cow parsnip, osha, chicory)

Additional Insect Attractors: too many to list. But most were generalist nectary plants, so the focus of the above Attractors are Specialist Nectary Plants with a few added for overwintering.

I can add a reply later for the latin names, Im not 100% sure about the horsemint (for those damn mosquitoes).

Enjoy!

Observe nature? I can be lazy so I do like the idea of doing nothing for awhile and pretending to watch stuff.

I am aware of fungi that break down rock, but could never find any info on which fungi do so. Id love to create an environment that fosters the growth of such fungi.

I do have a list of tap roots and spike roots but these list never say which is the best at what they do. If all I need to is increase the biodiversity and create a more healthy environment I should rock out (pun!).

thanks guys...

Im looking for cold climate (hopefully perennial) roots to break up the hard rock that makes up the soil in Northeast Minnesota. Im about 30 miles north of Gooseberry Falls (Lake Superior) on the border of zones 3 and 4.

I have a very long list of Dynamic Accumulators. Sometimes when my imagination runs wild I can see myself mixing and matching the "accumulated minerals" and creating teas (or potions as I like to imagine) to heal the mind and body. My mind wanders and wonders if we should be looking at the accumulated minerals rather than simply using passed down wisdom.

Just curious.

unresolved


Adrien tried to help but I think my laptop is junk