May Lotito

Last year when I tried to spin the yucca fibers, I turned my basic sewing machine into a charkha-like device. To spin the singles, I wet, overlap and roll thin strands of fibers to join them into longer ones then spin a 3-4 ft section due to my arm length. I wind that onto the spindle, park the end and repeat. The singles are strong and even, making subsequent plying by hand very easy.

The picture was from this post:permies.com/t/267449/Permie-Textile-Sewing-Project-Brag#3723685

A couple years ago I planted lava beans in the fall and they survived a mild winter (didn't get below zero Fahrenheit). They grew well and flowered then we got the typical wet spring and weather also warmed up quickly. Stems started to have black steaks above soil level. Most seeds failed to mature before the infection spreaded and turned the stalks mushy. Fava beans can be quite challenging to grow if you don't have enough cool days.

Where do you get the seeds from? Due to their weight, cost per seed is very high from most online sources and I can't find any bulk seeds locally.

Hi Anna, your fig looks very healthy and robust. Ripe fig in July? That is very early. Are you in a warmer pocket of Kansas? I have the impression Kansas is cold and even we in the Ozarks gets below -10F in winter. If you have more room in front of the house, train the younger branches towards that direction because in the coming years the fig will grow bigger and bigger.

Can you be more specific about the types of oak and cedar? Red oak or white oak? Northern white cedar or Eastern red cedar? Some prefer moist and swampy environment and some can tolerate dry conditions. It is species specific so good to know what they are. Also inspect dead trees in the lot and the cause. What about understory trees and ground cover do you have? Some pictures would be helpful.

Before the last heat wave I painted the south and west-facing windows and glass doors with drywall joint compound from the outside. I have house plants so I didn't apply a very thick coat. It worked very well reducing the heat trapped between the glasses and inside curtains. We had several storms since but the water didn't come sideways to wash the paint off. I can rub them off with a rag and hose when summer is over.

I love watching bumble bees feeding on the flowers. They are so big they kind of get stuck inside somehow. Occasionally there will be smart ones that figure out how to suck honey between the sepals and tubular petals from the outside. It's hilarious to see.

Here in the Midwest we have different native beardtongues and they are major bee and hummingbird attractors. Penstemon pallidus is smaller and blooms early. Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) is a larger with glossy leaves and tall stalks of showy flowers. The husker red penstemon has a red tint and pinkish flowers, making it a popular choice for wildflower gardens. Garden centers also carry breeds of compacted and highly ornamental beardtongues in spring.

Here is an old pic of a native P. digitalis in bloom.https://permies.com/t/141378/Post-flowers-Native-native#1112634

It has been very hot and I was afraid the water extraction method wouldn't work. The indigo leaves would likely rot before the pigment precursors can be leached. So I went ahead with the other way that does takes a bit of energy and  some common household chemicals but can be done in a day with guarantee. Due to the scale I focused more on time and resource efficiency and sacrificed recovery rate a little bit. Still that's a lot of indigo pigments for dyeing projects.

M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:

May, I'm not familiar with the black-staining polypore (Meripilus sumstinei), but here is an excellent description from mushroomexpert.com to help with your identification:

https://www.mushroomexpert.com/meripilus_sumstinei.html

Here is the wikipedia entry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meripilus_sumstinei

Hope this helps!

Yes, it's Meripilus sumstinei. I trimmed off the tender edges for stir fry and my fingers stained black in minutes. Tasted like oyster mushroom but tougher. The base was too woody to handle and I saved most of mushrooms for stock.

Containing gardening has been quite challenging for me if I choose to avoid the soilless system of peat and soluble plant food. A cubic ft of mineral soil is not the same in a container as in the ground. It has more air to it, heats up and dries out easily, organic matter breaks down faster. The initial fertile soil with good texture quickly turns into a lifeless brick. Usually I need to amend native soil with lighter materials to reduce bulk density and add water retention. If you are in a dryer climate, drip irrigation with just the right amount of water would save a lot of work and reduce nutrient leaching.

I have no experience with cover crops in container.  When I set up the pot (mineral soil + biochar + compost), it is ready for planting. The fertility hardly lasts for more than 2 months due to hot and humid weather. I would regularly add healthy plant materials as mulch or weed tea to get the plants fed. So far, my container yuzu tree and tropical flowers are doing fine without frequent repotting.