Ann LeFebvre

Thank you to everyone~ you have eased my mind about this topic.

Michael, these are low shrubs, a dense hedge that we trim below the height of our living room windows.  I want to keep them because they offer nice shelter to wildlife, both voles/ shrews and birds.  They aren't casting shade onto the potato bed nor the locations where I want to plant the hardy kiwi.  They might potentially compete for water, so I am using deep compost and mulching in both places. All of the mentioned plants are in full sun. The whole spot is adjacent to a rain barrel, too, making them easy to water as needed.  I will keep that in mind.  All of my garden beds drain quickly with fluffy light organic soils on a gentle slope, and dry out after even a few warm/ windy/ dry days... I am working on that with deep mulching, a small hugelkulture bed, lasagna beds and, this fall, I hope to dig swales.  It is quite an issue in general around here.

I have a dense, low, yew hedge that I want to keep.  We pruned it back significantly, revealing a long rectangle of bare soil that had been shadowed by dense branches.  I decided that, for a couple reasons, that would be a neat location to try growing potatoes above ground, using deep/ iterative mulching/ burying to see how much production I could get.  We started with about 6 inches of compost, and buried the seed potatoes and they are all doing great.  Now, I am having second thoughts.  Although they weren't buried into the soil that has been under yew branches for years, is there any concern about toxicity transferring into the potatoes?

My design also currently calls for 2 trellised hardy kiwis just outside of this zone, with the plants being buried less than 5 feet from the current yew branches, and even closer to the bare-ground rectangle space.  Unlike the potatoes, these plants would remain in their locations indefinitely.

I found this article, but have not been able to unearth any additional insights into potential risks of packing food plants so close to yews:  http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/woodpro/technotes/toxicity-of-yew-wood-and-roots

Any experiences or additional information out there?  I have found many mentions of yew shrubs and trees throughout these forums, in which they seem to be considered just another plant to integrate into a permie landscape.    This gives me hope that my design might be acceptable.

Many thanks~

Ann

Will,

I am researching a similar question, (and may end up posting here)- in the meantime, I found this.

http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/woodpro/technotes/toxicity-of-yew-wood-and-roots

Amy~

I love this idea.  My 116-year old daughter and I have immersed ourselves in our local film-making community a couple of times over the past two years.  I fell in love with the process.  There is nothing in the world quite like set come to life with a tight team who share the passion and commitment and communicate well.  I also find myself in the early-stage enthusiasm towards permaculture as a holistic way of life, and I can't get immersed deeply enough over the past few months!  The idea of combining these two passions of mine is VERY appealing to me!  I am in Illinois.  I only have a large yard at the moment, but hope to join or help create an intentional community before too much time passes.  

On set, we started off as PA's and have kind of found a niche in production design, but I really love doing script supervision and continuity work, too.  I am good photographer, but have never done most of the more technical roles on set.

You are right, the long hours on set and the demands for sleep and food, as well as sharp mental focus and artistic inspiration mean that living together and solving those challenges in a unified way makes a lot of sense.

I just wanted to give me hearty agreement and cheers in response to your post!

Ann

I just bought the download and everything worked great.  Also, the plans are impressive.  I think *even* I might be able to follow them!

Tyler,  I agree, your idea is worth keeping visible.  Land like yours could offer up experiments in "how to camp well",  and one powerful version of your idea would be to facilitate restoration beyond single ownership boundaries over time. Your post is valuable as an idea to expand/ diversify upon what Liu has begun.   I only saw your response today; thank you!

I agree, there is nothing quite like mulled wine to warm a body and soul...

Last winter, here in town where I live, my Austrian neighbors taught me how to make gluhwein, along with physical experience of this treat, from the old country while we illegally burned some yard brush in a vacant lot near our homes.  It was perhaps not good permaculture, but it was romantic, since we were celebrating our first snow and a full moon.  I can share a bit of what Andrew said as well as my own modifications.

Andrew does recommend cheap red wine.  He buys it by the box.  He buys organic oranges and adds a few slices with the peels intact.  He adds sugar.

I buy cheap sweet wine, such as a rosy moscato or even a bottled "sangria" so I don't add any further sweeteners.  I tend to juice a full nectarine and just add the juice, since I am not patient enough to coax out sufficient citrus flavor from sliced fruit.

From there on, we share the same recipe per bottle of wine:  2 whole star anise, 3 whole cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3-4 whole cardamom pods and part (maybe 1/4) of whole nutmeg that has been cracked open with a gentle knock of a hammer.

Using my shortcut of adding juice, I am shocked at how fast the spices infuse into the wine, and it doesn't really take long to have complete flavor.  The trick is to not leave it simmering too long or put in too many spices.

Another key is to keep a tight lid on it, and respect the balance between warming/ infusing the drink with losing alcohol to evaporation.  

Tyler Ludens wrote:This is the exact thing I would like to do on our land.  We have the beginnings of a camp, with a composting toilet and a meeting site which were developed for a different camp idea which fell through when the organizer became seriously ill.  But we don't have any buildings.  I'm not a people person or a teacher, so I can't actually do anything about organizing the camp, I can only offer a patch of land.  I don't know if it could be a permanent thing, because the land is small, but it could be a testing ground, if anyone in this region is interested.  Our region is severely degraded - the carrying capacity of the land has been reduced to about 1/5 of its historical level, so there is a lot to do in this part of the world.  We're also likely to be vulnerable to climate change because it is a brittle environment subject to extremes of drought and flood even without climate change.

So if anyone reading this, who is in this region and does not have access to a piece of land to camp on and restore, here's a possibility.  It could be the beginning of a regional movement, perhaps.  

Can you explain a bit more about your situation?  How much land?  In your earlier vision of a camp, how many people did you anticipate being involved?  What aspects of John's project do you believe your land could contribute to the most?  (the logistics of camping/ the logistics of certain restoration techniques? etc...)  Do you believe that there is any chance that your land could become the camping spot for restoration efforts that extend to other privately owned spaces in the region?  Or is that unlikely?  What is the native ecosystem and plant community types that would be found in central Texas if the region was ecologically healthy?  What sources of financing do you anticipate?

Thanks!

Hello~

I am 49 years old with a teen daughter who can be very loving, kind and supportive to other young people.  She has friends who are as close to her as sisters, and has always been very social and connected.

I live in IL but I can relocate.

I have a passion for and experience with livestock and companion animals (Animal Science degree, caretaking of many animals throughout my life), natural systems (Ecology degree, professional work in endangered species management before becoming a mother), permaculture (I have made my yard into a "working yard" with some permaculture principles, but I have * a lot* to learn) and from your description, it sounds like we have a similar outlook, in terms of enjoying the luxuries (chocolate!) available for now, while working towards self-sufficiency for any eventuality that may come to pass in the future.  I have studied meditation and energy work for many years.  I use meditation in my daily life in a quiet, personal way, but can offer what I know to others as well (such as in a community exchange or retreat setting).  I have begun to learn about herbalism, with a special interest in medicinal herbs, but have only learned enough so far to realize how little I know!

I love conversation.  I am capable of lavishing attention and enjoy spending time with the people I love. I know how to deeply settle into my home base and I love creating a sanctuary out of my home, full of comfort and beauty, even while constantly expanding who I am and what I know and think about.

I came onto this site to find an intentional community to join, but to find a romantic partner would be far better!  

My email is...

anamsong at g***.com if you would like to connect more.