Sharon Carson

There Is a difference in rotting and composting .I  feed scraps to my chickens and dog the animal wastes are used long with weeds to make beautiful and non stinky compost without turning in a year. It is transformed by worms and made in round wire circles . I posted a utube video in the process .I used to use biodynamic preps to make it but no longer need to .There are no chips in it -just soil like humas .I even sell it for$25/5gallon bucket . It's as simple as it gets  Ibuild the piles in various gardens so It is where I need it . I have 5 gardens (sharonsnaturalgardens )

I have grown many peaches here by simply allowing them to grow in the hedges where people throw out the pits . The problem is I use no chemicals or poisons on this farm and the brown rot and peach tree borer gets into all stone fruits .Its not easy to grow tree fruits in the humid climate of southern Delaware .Pears are easiest apples next but peaches are very iffy .I keep planting plums and peaches and hope eventually there will be more usable fruits I also grow a lot of berries and grapes .

Here's a photo of our greenhouse built with recyled doors and windows in the winter .In use over 20 years now Sharon

Thanks for the educational tips .I never thought of honey as acid.  I usually do a similar thing by simmerring herbs on my wood cookstove but only with roots or things like rosehips . I usually make infusions and use raw honey to sweeten when using medicinal herbs . I grow my own elder for ease of harvest and to be sure its "Clean' I never wash my fruits (berries). I rub the berrys off and make tinctures, dry them or make wine . Have you ever worked with high bush cranberries? (Crampbark) ?

So many think you need to add sugar to make syrup but a tea or simply the tincture in a bit of juice or hot lemon and honey is very tasty and helpful .

Is it possible to charge enough to charge a battery that would run a water  pump as well as a heat tape to keep it from Freezing?

This was our CSA garden which has evolved when the trees got bigger

I suggest burdock and wild chinese yam as crops that can be benificial. Mullein , wild violets , dandelion too are all good for an orchard.  wintercress and plaintain too .All are edible and medicinal . Sharon

I will look at incoming coins for you. I raise some things that self sow here in southern De bitter melon and an African flower/ herb called wild dagga  that self sows . I also have a self sowing jobs tears and tulsi (sacred basil ) If you are interested I might like to swap for perhaps corn since I have played with that over the years or some kales or Mochata squash .I have grown here 40 years no chems and op seeds mostly. Enjoy the seasons! Sharon Carson

I tried collecting and drying it as rabbit feed a year ago in the spring before flowering when its at its best . It was too damp here to dry and it molded . I do dry it for personal use as well as make and sell the tincture of the leaf seed and root. I am playing around with the idea of learning to turn the stalks into a fabric as well . If I had a hoop house it might be possible to try larger quanties of the leaf for sale. I feed it to my chickens rabbits and horses in small amounts dried  and use it as a fertilizer too . I tried making nettle wine but did not like it. It makes a nice, green natural dye. There's a book from England called" 101 uses for Stinging nettle"  that is useful.