Nicholas Heindl

I have about half an acre of my property that's on about a 15-20 degree grade that I'd like to plant something that is low maintenance.  The area gets partial sun due to several large trees on the hillside and surrounding perimeter.  I live in Central Pennsylvania.  Is this an area I could do something meadowy or better off with shrubs?  I was thinking about honey suckle, huckleberry,  or sea berry before I saw this post.


Thanks,

Nick

Welcome Owen!

I recently moved into a home with a stream and pond. Do you have any recommended guilds for central Pennsylvania?

Thanks!

Steven, you do great work. I started listening to you on TSP and love the enthusiasm you bring to alternative energy.

My question is; what is a good size battery system (how many GC2s) that I could power my whole house from? I don want to run the electric oven or any HVAC. I just want to be able to flip a switch in the basement to power lights, refrigerator, etc. for a few days in the event of a power outage.

Also, I'd like to have them hooked up to a few solar panels and a charge controller to keep them topped off. Do you have a recommendation for the number of panels needed per set of GC2s?

Thanks for everything you do,

Nick

Here's another article about how the CCD epidemic. "Spokane Council Votes to Quit Using Neonicotinoids on City Property". It looks like Washington is leading the charge.

www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/06/spokane-city-council-votes-to-discontinue-neonicotinoid-use/#.U6q66_ldV8E

Does anyone have thoughts of if this will actually help or will we just continue to recommend more miticides, fugincides and other toxic chemicals?

www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/presidential-memorandum-creating-federal-strategy-promote-health-honey-b

www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/06/white-house-launches-task-force-to-save-pollinators/#.U6ly8fldV8E

Welcome Stefan. I'd like to know what is the quickest and most efficient way to convert a common lawn to a forest garden? Should I start with seeding with a grazing pasture mix or should I go straight to fruit trees and shrubs since the take the longest?

I am closing on an 8 acre piece of land in central Pennsylvania. The land is currently a mono-crop grass lawn with rolling hills and a pond at the low spot on the property fed by a creek-fed spring. I do NOT want to mow 8 acres every week. My plan is to eventually fence most of the property and have grazing animals, though that is at least a year or two away.

I'm currently reading Ben Faulk's Whole Systems Design book and he recommends not allowing any field to go fallow and to mow at least one to two times per year to prevent this. I would like to start seeding for grazing plants like vetch, diachon radish, clover, etc.

What is the best way to get rid of the mono-culture grass and start the new poly-culture seeds. Would it be better to sheet mulch and seed a few sections at a time or is there another way? I'm relatively new to permaculture in that I've been reading about it for about two years and last year, at my last property, I started working with some raised beds that I actually dug down and buried a bunch of older rotting wood I found in the hedge row. (the results were great the first year!)

I also want to start a food forest on about an acre of this land with apple trees, pear, raspberry, strawberry, comfrey, spices, etc. I'm currently trying to grow my apple trees from seeds. I have them in the refridgerator right now and plant on starting them for the first year in pots. Any thoughts on how to get this started as well.

We are closing on the property on June 30 so It may be better just to observe the land the first summer and winter as well and start the major work in the spring. I'm just anxious to get started!!!


Thanks,

Nick