Jan Hrbek

R. Han wrote:Having read trough this thread but not having read the Humanure book(yet):
How are said ova being inactivated as per the humanure handbook?

..by thermophilic stage of composting i suppose..

Vermicompost is a great stuff for a garden and one can achieve it in a large ammount almost without any cost and work. I created my own garden vermicomposting system that works just perfect. It is simply a hole in the ground of rectangle shape, cca 4 x 2 meters/yards large and some 2-3 feet deep. Its walls are covered with some dense wire mesh as a protection against moles and mice. This hole is divided by several planks in two identical parts, gaps between them are essential.  I throw compostable material into one sector for a whole year. It is totally full at the end of the year. I have colonized this stuff with redworms in the beginning. In the second year, I am filling the second sector  letting the worms do their work in the first one. I also plant some squashes there.. I empty the first sector at the end of the second year - in October/November.  I get some cubic meter of vermicompost. There is not almost any redworm in it as all of them have already crowled into the fresh sector.. So only work is to dig the hole in the very beginning and then emptying one sector every autumn. No aditional cost and work. Just simple. Redworms are thriving there for whole year as the compost never freezes inside..

There is a book also available online on Google books called "Landscapes of Bacchus: The vine in Portugal". There are several pages about an old portugese technique of growing grapevine on trees called "Arjoado". Maybe you will find your answer there..

Larger seeds (peas, corn, squash etc.) are able to sprout through quite thick layer of woddchips. The smaller the seed seed is, the thinner layer of finer mulching material you must apply..

1) strew a wood ash or fine sawdust on the rims of the vegetable beds - must be done again after every rain
2) some say dried coffee grounds also help
4) beer traps
5) indian runners love them a lot
6) NEUDORFF FERRAMOL

One of already viable small family vegetable-producing farms in Slovakia, using unique system of Agro-Circles. Watch this video, english subtittles available.

Clay Bunch wrote:
Jan I was thinking more from the farm than baking soda but its incredible that it reacts that way with oak and not other woods. Definitely worth a try as a frugal option. I have some oak I've been wanting to put to use any way.
Now I want to find out what reaction causes the color change there!

The oak wood contains tannins, which react with alkaline substances and turns into dark brown color. It happens also during a long time spontaneously, when tannins react with natural trace ammounts of ammonia in the air.. You can speed this natural proces of "aging" the wood by application of baking soda.

Burn the witch!! Burn!!

What about treating the wood using old good shou sugi ban method?

You can use baking soda solution to stain an oak wood.. It makes it (but only oak wood!) brown. The more concentrated the solution is, the darker the wood become..

The nature is full of parasites (parasitism is the most common strategy of living). Your opinion that Meloe is "bad" and the solitary bee is "good" is very subjective and the best thing you can do is not interfere..