Jason Hudgins

There's an interesting program for commercial farming at the International Farm Transition Network. The basic idea is to link older farmers who are looking to retire with younger aspiring farmers and giving them a path to ownership of a farm property. I see no reason that a model like this couldn't be adopted and applied to permaculture sites as well. Just needs the right people with the inspiration to get it up and running.

On modestly sloping land, if you have rectangular shaped buildings that are non-inhabited (storage, barn, etc), would it make sense to try and orient them lengthwise on contour? It would seem to make sense so they wouldn't get in the way of any future earth works, etc. Just thought I'd ask because I haven't seen this discussed anywhere.

Greetings! We are setting up our first ever hives this week, and I'm trying to figure out the best way way to provide easy 360 degree access around all our hives without having to get in there with a mower or weed-whacker.

The most common method I've read is just laying down weed barrier and covering it up with wood mulch or stones, but the idea of weed barrier doesn't sit well with me. Now I could use cardboard and wood mulch, but in my experience that will only last a couple of seasons, depending on the rainfall, very quickly pioneers are pushing up through it. I also have a lot of armadillos / skunks that like to dig through mulch looking for treats and if they decide they like an area ,the cardboard gets torn up quick. *Ideally* I would have a think stand of lowish growing dutch white clover but my soil is very alkaline, nitrogen and phosphorous poor and it's hard to get clover well established.

Looking for any suggestions!

Just curious if there are any Russian books/translations of permaculture books, etc. My Russian speaking in-laws are heavy gardener's but they don't speak a lick of english and I'd love them to better understand some of the stuff I'm doing on my property when they visit next summer.

John Elliott wrote:A rose. With more wild genes than the domesticated variety.

Thanks! My wife will love to hear that. Is this the fabled Cherokee rose?

Saw this in our pasture growing near the the north side of a thicket. It was fairly bushy, throny. Flowers are fragrant. This is just a stem I cut off to bring inside. Anyone recognize this?

glenn thomas wrote:pepperweed

Thanks, that's a very interesting plant. Going to have to try it on my salad =).

Region: North Texas
Soil : Alkaline / Calcareous, it's pretty much white.
Plant has a strong taproot.

We installed a new tornado shelter and the excavator operator "extended" my driveway with fill. This stuff seems to love it, and I'm very curious what it is.

chris cromeens wrote:That my friend is Texas Croton, native to our upland areas. Nothing eats it(rabbits eat it in the worst of times), grows on disturbed soils. There is also a variety around that gets 3ft or so.
What part of Texoma are you in? We are just west of Hagerman Wildlife Refuge.

I think you're right, I do have poorly covered, calcareous soil. Going to take a lot of work to rehab this place I guess. Good thing I enjoy a challenge.

I live near Whitewright, TX. Technically I'm probably a mile or two south of where 'Texoma' officially starts.

wayne stephen wrote:Can you post a close up of the leaf and maybe a flower ?

Pulled a sprig and took this picture over the weekend.