Diane Kistner

adam johnson wrote:I live in metro Atlanta, and am interested in connecting with some other people that are interested in permaculture. I am suburban, so I have a relatively small space in my back yard, but I am taking a shot at it. Are there any current clubs or groups people would recommend? I am trying to stay away from groups that just appear to be interested in prize-winning hydrangeas, or things like that. Any advice is appreciated. I apologize if this is info that is located somewhere else, but I can't find it.

Adam, I'm in Athens, and I just found out about a group called PlowShare that looks very promising: https://www.plowshareoc.org/

I'm going to my first outing with them tomorrow, a tour of some local gardens. I'll let you know the sense I get of them, but the person that turned me onto them is definitely not your prize-winning hydrangea type!

Eric Hanson wrote:Diane,

I think I like “overbose.”

Add me to the list that thinks that you need some more sunlight.  Start in pots and add more light and I think you will be off to a great start.

Eric

I'm working on it. Heavens, it's so expensive to have trees taken down. I've done 20 of the smaller ones myself, but those whopper pines are beyond my pay grade. Slowly but surely, though, I'm getting more sun onto the property. Learning how to observe....

Trace Oswald wrote:Diane, if you send me a PM with an address, I'll send you some more comfrey plants.

Bless you!

Eric Hanson wrote:I have a habit when writing of being overly verbose.Eric

I coined a great word for this (for I am, too, sometimes): overbose. Overbosity has its merits!

Timothy Markus wrote:I hope you only use ethically sourced urine...

LOL!!!

Eric Hanson wrote:Diane,

I had your problem about two years ago.  I will give you some suggestions based on my experience.  Prior to buying comfrey everything I read suggested that if I merely put the little root piece into the ground I should stand out of the way or I would be impaled by the rapidly growing comfrey plant.  Reality was a little different.

LOL, Eric! Yeah, that was kind of my experience as well. I like your suggestion of potting up the roots instead and then planting them once established. And I really like Michael's thought of cutting a big hole in the bottom of the pot, letting it establish, then cutting it up and moving it, leaving the root in place.

So I guess I'll try yet again. I've got chickens. Which of the Bockings should I get?

I've ordered lots of comfrey roots twice already, and all of them died. I was going with Bocking 14 or Bocking 4, but I'm wondering if I wouldn't do better with the reseeding common comfrey. I'm in Zone 8a, and we have had either extremely wet conditions OR extremely dry conditions. I'm in a "rural neighborhood" zoned area. I've got diseased pine trees I'm taking down as I can, acidic soil, lots of poison ivy I'm still working to eradicate, and areas I've mulched thickly with sheet mulch trying to smother out the PI.

I've planted the roots (and a few crowns) I ordered according to instructions, and all of them still died. I do know that I've been digging up garbage all over the place here, because apparently when this house was built they just tilled in construction debris and such. Could that be the problem? I want to get plenty of comfrey going on my ~1/2-acre back yard that I'm working to turn into a forest garden (one picture to give you an idea below). What would you advise? I cannot afford to keep buying roots that die on me.

Thanks in advance for any advice. If you think seed is my best bet, please recommend a source.

Steve Thorn wrote:The mustard plants are getting big.

My 7-top turnips look just like that.

Kalaina Nielson wrote:NE Arizona food forest we are working on. We have buried and above ground hugelkultures. Drip irrigation (only 10 psi). Hard clay and sand with PH of 8+ Zone 6B

So much work! You look like you're making very good progress!

Steve Thorn wrote:Diane, I've never grown the perennial buckwheat.

Here's an older thread talking about it a little though.

https://permies.com/t/8348/Wanted-Perennial-Buckwheat-Fagopyrum-dibotrys

I've really enjoyed the annual buckwheat so far, so I'll probably be sticking with that. Let me know how the perennial buckwheat is if you try it!

Thanks, Steve. I'll check that out, but if annual is fine, that's probably what I'll go with. Or maybe I'll try both!

On second thought, after reading that link, I think I'll stick with the annual buckwheat. I know just the place(s) I'm going to put it.