Isawela Yonah

Paul,
How does someone delete their account? I'm just not fond of the fact that all of my posts are searchable via google without someone being a member...I'd prefer to be removed and would do it myself if I could figure out how. And will the posts be removed?

Thanks
Isawela

Hi Everyone,
I just moved back to Northern Calif. after 20+ years in the SouthEast. I was born and raised here but lived in the suburbs of Sacramento, and I guess pests are different in the suburbs than they are in the outback grasslands.
We're out in cattle country now, with oaks, oats, star thistle, and cows. We bought a place a year ago, and due to a cool damp spring, summer was pretty nice. We worked hard to get a lot of plants in the ground over winter and spring, and now, EVERYTHING is getting eaten by a PLAGUE of grasshoppers. I mean everything-like tansy, tomatoes, rosemary, lavender, marigolds, especially anything that wasn't healthy (the leaf hoppers helped that just before the grasshoppers got here) or drought stressed plants, but there's really no rule-they're pretty much eating everything.
We've got some net bags over small fruit trees but it's looking pretty bad.
And NO we're not prepared to eat the grasshoppers. They eat things that can be toxic (like paint) and can carry tapeworm.
We've been feeding some to the chickens, but it's not making a dent.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this, and perhaps what you've ended up NOT growing due to grasshoppers.
Any wisdom would be appreciated.

Peace,
Isabel

I'm fair, but due to the high humidity, I usually didn't wear long sleeves or a hat-the humidity makes the sky whitish, and the UV doesn't get through as bad.
I wore short skirts (hey, even if you're a guy-it keeps your legs WAY cooler!) Honestly, I tried to wear as little clothes as possible-thankfully we lived where no one could see us, and I didn't work during the afternoons. In the hot days I got up at 6am, got right out, came in around 10-11, and went back out around an hour before sunDOWN, which leaves a few hours....Even by moonlight occasionally. And yes, try to work in the shade AMAP. My DH also would stay wet-just pour a milk jug of water over his head to keep it wet. Be SURE to stay hydrated!!! You sweat a lot there and you HAVE to stay hydrated, cause heat stroke sucks!

Good luck!

PS, I know you know what BUGS are, being from Missouri (my dad was from Bourbon, mom from St. Louis) so be sure to bring some natural bug repellent. Chiggers and gnats can be pretty bad in So. GA!

HI,
Oh you'll have fun! There isn't a huge amount of Permie tourism, especially in the south (We taught the first PDC there in '09) but check out Koinonia Farm, in Americus Georgia. Koinoniapartners.org It's Christian Community (but very laid back-not preachy). It's a quaint place with set in the fields and orchards of rural Georgia, with nearly 70 years! of history (Martin Luther King has been there) and over the last 4 years, some new very cool folks have come in and REALLY changed this huge farm-they have done a lot with permaculture there. Once you sit down to lunch with the whole community you really become part of the extended family, and now adays it's double worth it to see all their doing with permaculture! Tell them Bob and Isabel said HEY!
Their sister site "Jubilee Partners" might take visitors there too...They're in more north GA, not far off I-85 east of Athens. If you stay in Atlanta, check out Oakhurst Community Gardens, Lake Claire Land Trust, East Lake Village,...

Be sure to call ALL those places in advance-remember, they are communities, so there's a lot going on and they need a little notice for sure.

Hostel in the Forest is a place near Savannah (in Brunswick.) I'm sure you can find them on the web too.
Plan on spending more than a few days in Asheville/Black Mountain if you can. That's permie mecca Pierson Gardens is small community garden tucked away, but Janell Kapoor of the Ashevillage Inst. should know tons about who/what/where. Tell her we said Hi too!

If you have more questions, I'll try to help. We lived in GA for a long time and were permaculture homesteaders/teachers there-till we came back to my home out in Calif.
We also have a farm for sale in GA if you know anybody 40 fenced acre permie site! $120k!

Enjoy!!
Isabel

Check this out!
Permaculture has a chance to go to the White House! (And MTV!)

University of Mass at Amherst is hoping to win the "Campus Champions of Change Challenge" Go to
https://campuschallenge.uservoice.com/forums/148562-campus-champions-of-change-challenge
and vote for them! They had a huge lead, but just today, it's closing....They are in the finals, but they need ALLLLL of the permies to vote and to share (before March 3) with more permies! Come on, we can do it!
The top five vote getters will be invited to an event at the White House. They will also be featured by mtvU and MTV Act and be given the opportunity to host an episode of mtvU’s signature program, “The Dean’s List.”

Here's their blurb on the site...
The UMass Amherst Permaculture Initiative is a unique and cutting edge sustainability program that transforms grass lawns on the campus into diverse, edible, low-maintenance, and easily replicable gardens. Over the past two years students have create three community demonstration permaculture gardens that have engaged over 1000 students and more than a dozen local K-12 schools. Permaculture is defined as, "ecological design for sustainable communities that involves people working together to care for the planet." It is considered to be the most sustainable form of gardening and farming and UMass Amherst is currently the only public university in the country implementing new permaculture gardens directly on campus each year and using the food in the dining commons.

Please share A LOT on other lists and on Facebook!! Let's knock this vote thing out of the park and SHOW the President how much Permie Love is out there!!!


Peace,
Isabel

PS,
Ken, there's a good group around Gainesville, FL, including graduates of 2 classes my partner Bob Burns did there...contact the guys at http://www.ediblelandscapers.com/ they'll connected you.

Peace,
Isabel