I checked on the cuttings today and they're looking good! Might be some currants next year I pulled the grass from around them and mulched them slightly, but my experience is that they fruit fairly well without much attention.
Ooh, thanks for 'bumping this thread, and welcome to permies!
I never did get to try growing chia, but I've got my polytunnel now, so maybe next year.... I note Hodmedod still list the UK grown seed.
One of the trees I've had surprising success with here is the Holm oak (Quercus ilex). It is a mediteranean species and is supposed to have acorns that require less leaching to make them edible. I knew they were growing and spreading in the South of England, but they have been surprisingly good here too, growing at least as well as our native holly, and quicker than some of the common oaks I have planted. The only problem I have is because they are evergreen, one or two have suffered from windrock in the winter. I even have some flowers developing, although as yet have not seen mature acorns. I think we're likely still too cool for them here.
I was going to put the building on the edge of the escarpment, over looking the tree field. However when I tried out a couple of locations and dug a few test pits the soil wasn't as deep as I'd hoped and this would have meant the roof line would be too high to really blend in.
possible forge sites
The sticks on the green grassy area on the right mark the probable actual roof heights at the the centre of the structure.
So I looked to the left of the path which winds down the hill from the end of the rotten rock drive area to the left and in front of the trees. There is a natural depression in the escarpment where a track used to go down (too steep so we use a different track now). I haven't done a test pit yet, but am thinking that this might be a better location.
view from path downhill towards revised site
The central stick is the probable roof height. The top of the roof would blend into the rotten rock driveway, which has been built up. The only uncertainty I have is whether the location might tend to get a bit damp. Intercepting and diverting run off from the hill behind would have to be carefully done.
They used to use clay on blackhouses and sheilings here in the Scottish highlands - a fairly constant wet environment though. I wonder whether you could cut clay with sand and/or earth (like making cob) and still have it waterproof but not crack?
I'm contemplating trying a thick layer of newspaper on the roof of my hobbit-forge. It wouldn't be fully dry, but would shed water I think.
David Nightingale wrote:Has anyone ever tried to put together a volunteer cookbook from Permies? Cookbook with anecdotal excepts on how people in different places grow the ingredients? Permies, has a truly unique good food as health genre with a miraculous diversity that I don’t see anywhere, perhaps?
Great minds think alike! Barbara and Rachel got together and put an index for permies recipes here It would be interesting to make it into a book as you suggest....
How many trees do you want to end up with? I think with 30 seeds you could probably just plant them where you want the tree to grow. Maybe five or six seeds per location? I'd suggest putting five or six in a pot with some growing medium out of the way of critters as a back up as well. I'm pretty sure in Austria you'd get a natural vernalisation to chill the seeds naturally.
My first residual dollar (pound) was an online sale of the 'midge farmer' T shirt I designed for sale in my physical shop (anyone can be a midge farmer... ).
It's exciting to see a sale, and teemill manage the actual printing and posting for me. I'm wanting to develop some permaculture themed T shirts too, but maybe I'll see if I can find a US based producer as well.
My second dollar (pound) was an affiliate sale for a permies digital market item (a RMH bundle if I remember correctly) That was super exciting I think I need to modify my signature link to include a digital market item too.
A graduate scientist turned automotive engineer, currently running a small shop and growing plants on Skye: turning a sheep field into a food forest.
I pulled the grass from around them and mulched them slightly, but my experience is that they fruit fairly well without much attention.
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I think I need to modify my signature link to include a digital market item too.
