Della Miller

I put my hay on about 7 inches thick.  I havent seen any growth in those areas.  In areas where I mulched it maybe 4 inches thick and some unnamed person ran over my area with a tractor who didnt eat dinner for a week I have had to mulch even deeper.  As a side note, I did combine wood chips on top of the hay once the plants grew up and were strong as an experiment in a couple of areas.  I like this almost better than just hay.

I havent seen slugs, but I do have squash borers.  augh..  all the plants seemed to be very happy in the deep mulched hay.  This is year 1.

Goal:  My goal is to plant edible landscaping around my pond.  Plants that will reinforce or at very least not damage the levee and pond edge.
Concerns:  Due to waterfowl some areas of the pond are eroding, changing the shape of the pond and the land that it encroaches on.  I cannot afford retaining walls at this time but plan to try that later.

Question to the group:
Can I plant ginger and amaranth in the shallow areas without causing an issue with erosion?
Are there any plants that by the root system would strengthen the lake wall?
On the back side of the lake, I wanted to plant tall tall sunflowers, (i love sunflowers) but I am afraid of the deep root system damaging the levee.

Any pond experts that can help? Pics for reference, please forgive that old service dog, she likes to be in as many pics as possible.

Lynn Garcia wrote:From what I have seen of the South the most overt racism is aimed at African Americans. The views I have heard expressed towards Hispanic/Latinos (like me) and Asians, were more subtle. Hispanics seem to have more respect among the southern whites, because they "actually work." I put that in quotes because I heard it so often while I was down there. That said most of the people I met at least made the attempt to not be rude. Most of my time was spent in cities in the South though and diversity in cities tend to push back against the overtly ugly racism. No experience with rural areas in the South but plenty of it up in the Northwest. Rural areas up here are definitely tipping the scales toward overtly racist, especially towards indigenous communities, but also towards other POC. After the civil war many Southerners moved to the Northwest to get away from the changes in the South. Their stamp is still all over the Northwest in rural communities and somewhat in the larger cities too. The American Nazi party is alive and well in this region.

I guess I am trying to say that it is everywhere in this country and there is no where that you won't see racist crap flying. Best bet is just to live your life and vocally call it out when you see it. Shame is a powerful tool so keep it sharp and be quick to put it to use.

Alot of people think that I am Asian, and not hispanic.  That may be it.  Me and my family live pretty deep in the south and have even gone deeper in some instances in the woods back here in MS, but we are always met with the same welcoming and warm greetings and interactions.  There are terrible people out there for sure, and if i ran into them I might feel sorry for them. Being a mixed couple we did consider our options if this didnt work out.  But I meet more people that are trying so hard to leave that behind and move progressively forward than those that lavish the days of the civil war.

Thank goodness somewhere to vent! LOL.
I was raised in the city, in Texas.  I met my husband and we lived in the DELMARVA area for several years (Delaware, Maryland, VA).  MY job moved me to Memphis, TN but we didn't like the city.  So we moved out further and opted for my longer commute, yay me.  
The internet is slower, we don't have that many options for tv/video/movies from our home devices but that isn't the worst. The worst and the biggest thing I miss about the city is the FOOD DIVERSITY!  You want to eat out??  "Town" is about 20 min drive, no biggie but your choices are BBQ, MEXICAN, Overpriced poor quality steak.  If I drive 40 min I can have the standard fair of food chains: On the  Border,  Red Lobster, Olive garden, fast food. DO YOU KNOW how long it took for these folks over here to have a sushi joint?  

I crave the variety of Vietnamese, Thai, Mediterranean, INDIAN FOOD.   I crave the grocer's many aisles of imported goods.  

I do not miss the traffic, the rude crowds, the crime of the city.  But I do miss the activities, the constant public access to festivals, street concerts, STUFF TO DO ON SUNDAY!  LOL.  

But the stars make up for most of that.  And the sounds of the owls, and working my own land.  We are REAL newbies at this permaculture, self-sustaining lifestyle but it makes so much sense.  The more I learn from these threads about how to make, grow or cultivate what I have been spending massive amounts of my money on the more excited I am to see it all grow.  For me, this is a NEW passion.  My husband gardened when we were in Delaware but the difference between there, and here is striking.

I was raised in the Great State of Texas and then moved to the Northeast.  I married a Delawarean and then we moved down to Mississippi.  I really worried about this because I saw the movie MS burning too!  LOL. I and My son are Hispanic, my husband is 6ft German. I worried and worried.  But it was all for nothing.  What we had to get used to was the buckle of the bible belt passively aggressively judging drinking habits, but it was a mild interaction with good intentions.  You will see what you are looking for, so I say don't look or assume.  Just be happy.  We moved here and I work in TN, because my husband is a disabled combat veteran, and I support the "homestead" it was MORE difficult for people to understand that there are some injuries you cannot outwardly see.  

Be happy, don't worry so much. There are good and bad people everywhere.  Gravitate towards the good, be forgiving of those that accidently ask inappropriate questions, and make lots of friends.  Moving him and us back south was the best thing we ever did.  

I have a patch of sloped shaded area in front of a tree line that tends to grow mushrooms. I also have access to a wet shaded patch (not owned by me but never traversed) behind my home. I would like to grow some mushrooms.  From my light reading, I have found that Morels, Chanterelles, Hedgehog, Psilocybin Cubensis are native to this area.  I really wanted to try chicken of the forest too, but trying to be reasonable I would like to start with something that already likes the soil and conditions here. I think a little success would give me the confidence to try again.  

Can you suggest a book that I might read that would help me?  Wood is something we have plenty of we have a friend who is in the tree cutting business and brings us more than we know what to do with often times.  

3 ways to naturally make yeast


Has anyone tried making bread from a home made potato yeast?  I have so many questions.  

- Can I keep this yeast in the fridge/counter?  
-How do I keep it viable to make bread with?
-If i wanted to use this yeast for my beer brew, how would I go about it? (I know that is off topic so feel free to ignore)

The more and more I dig into the origins of my kitchen staples the more amazed I am at how much money I am spending.  In making the bread, I am curious as to what I need to watch for any best tips or practices?

Thank you very much for your reply.  I am doing alot of thinking about proper placement.  What  you said has definitely helped me identify some important areas.  

John Todd wrote:I'm happy to say that a month ago I released a flock of attack chickens into my RS garden.

Cleanup is going well.  Slugs, crickets, bugs, all going to the great garden in the sky.

Leftover tomatoes don't stand a chance, either.


In all seriousness, I have split my garden in two and fenced it all in.  Right now the chooks are cleaning up this year's garden for me.  They will stay there all next year while the other side gets planted.  At the end of 2017, I flip them over to the other side for cleanup.  Chooks on one side, gardens on the other, every year I flip.

What do they do when they are in there?  Eat bugs, slugs, weed seeds, churn the hay, and poop.

-John

Wow awesome! would love to see a pic of that i have chickens but Im afraid they will annihilate my veggies

Roberto pokachinni wrote:I had similar success/observations after my first year with this method.  The issues with it began to develop a bit later, specifically this year when the voles and slugs began to abound in the mulch habitat.  Last year the slugs and voles were bad, but now they are epidemic.  This season was epic in the rain department, and my ideally damp heavily mulched raised beds were the best place for both of these species, as everything else was soaking wet.  They aren't stopping me.  Today I have been applying a deep layer of leaves and spoiled hay on top to hold the leaves from blowing away or drying in the wind.  I'm thinking that ducks or chickens might be in order for the slugs, and some kind of predator (cat/ferret?) for the voles.  Not sure when I'll get my livestock/predators though.  Other work gets in the way of those commitments.

That Ruth Stout film was great.  What an amazing woman.  I really appreciate how she followed her inner voice.   I haven't watched the next film yet.  Just on lunch break now.

I remember reading in her book she put out beer in a bowl and collected all the slugs.  Some other options I have read here and there are coffee grounds, and planting garlic as a companion.