Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder
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since Nov 12, 2020
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Biography
A graduate scientist turned automotive engineer, currently running a small shop and growing plants on Skye: turning a sheep field into a food forest.
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Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year
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Recent posts by Nancy Reading

[review_grid]
https://permies.com/t/99799/Dewalt-Flexvolt-cordless-tool-system
https://permies.com/wiki/248924/LetPot-Max-Hydroponic-Garden-LetPot
https://permies.com/wiki/273007/Battery-Tender-Florida-USA
https://permies.com/wiki/275683/Sheep-Wool-pellets-soil-additive#2874841
https://permies.com/t/267650/Cast-Iron-Smithey
https://permies.com/wiki/259040/Wakefield-Biochar-Georgia-USA
https://permies.com/wiki/249791/Cast-Iron-Lodge#2322584
https://permies.com/t/52148/Splitting-Maul-Fiskars#421538
https://permies.com/wiki/248920/Ryobi-System-Tools-Ryobi
https://permies.com/wiki/248974/Opinel-Pocket-Knives-Opinel
https://permies.com/wiki/248922/ADOR-Automatic-Chicken-Coop-Door
https://permies.com/t/94377/favourite-tool-gardening-general-people#773854
https://permies.com/wiki/87224/Bypass-pruners-Black-Decker
https://permies.com/t/248911/Flat-Shovel-Fiskars
https://permies.com/wiki/249241/Manure-Fork-True-Temper
https://permies.com/forums/t/52151/gear/Review-Tin-Cloth-Outerwear-Filson
https://permies.com/t/72250/rechargeable-headlamp
https://permies.com/wiki/238454#2208901
https://permies.com/wiki/247259/Cowpots-Connecticut-USA
https://permies.com/wiki/240597/YardMax-Dia-cc-Gas-Chipper#2232064
https://permies.com/wiki/85823/Felco-Pruning-Shears
https://permies.com/wiki/85824/Fiskar-Softgrip-Pruning-Shears
https://permies.com/wiki/85841/AUA-Post-Hole-Auger-Seymour
https://permies.com/wiki/85846/Bond-Telescoping-Cultivator-Hoe
https://permies.com/t/18314/Fiskars-Reel-Mower
https://permies.com/wiki/248909/Steel-Tamper-Ames
https://permies.com/wiki/98048/Excalibur-Food-Dehydrator
https://permies.com/t/85865/AGPtek-Mode-Hand-Crank-Dynamo
https://permies.com/wiki/97721/Ego-cordless-Lawn-mower
https://permies.com/t/84080/Sun-Oven
https://permies.com/t/85854/Guide-Gear-Men-Leather-Snake
https://permies.com/t/52154/Hori-Hori-Garden-Knife-Permies
https://permies.com/t/72807/Eton-radio-flashlight-cell-phone
https://permies.com/t/85848/Bond-Mini-Handle-Shovel
https://permies.com/t/86610/Review-Silky-Katanaboy-mm-Pull
https://permies.com/t/86613/Review-Stronghold-Haywire-Klamper-Binding
https://permies.com/t/86622/HeatGear-Armour-Compression-Bottoms
https://permies.com/wiki/87077/Post-Level-Johnson-Level-Tool
https://permies.com/t/86784/Darn-Tough-Socks-Darn-Tough
https://permies.com/wiki/86788/Extreem-Clothespins-Henry-Berry-Dairy?OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=MUBR-OEWJ-8GBW-8KN4-HV6H-W2H4-RC7S-0IKD#714067
https://permies.com/wiki/87069/Cast-Iron-Tea-Pot
https://permies.com/t/65000/Softstar-Shoes-Sale-Handmade-minimalist
https://permies.com/wiki/87088/Ayer-Pottery-Pie-Plate
https://permies.com/wiki/88822/Tubtrug-utility-buckets-Red-Gorilla
https://permies.com/wiki/88826/Add-Motor-Chicken-Coop-Door?OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=PJGN-OESH-LBNV-Z64Q-D554-YG7L-T1XV-NCV6#728854
https://permies.com/wiki/91240/Pruning-Shears-Sheath-Garden
https://permies.com/t/92370/Scythe-Supply#755913
https://permies.com/wiki/111916/Lee-Valley-Tools
https://permies.com/wiki/111918/Cold-Steel-Knives#915355
https://permies.com/wiki/111901/Princess-Auto
https://permies.com/wiki/114342/Fokin-ploskorez-hoe-Ecominded
https://permies.com/t/132809/Ace-Grow-LED-grow-lights
https://permies.com/wiki/135757/Norsewear-Wool-Socks
https://permies.com/t/136524/Baikal-EM-Effective-Microorganisms-Ecominded
https://permies.com/wiki/144575/Japanese-Weeding-Sickle-Garden
https://permies.com/wiki/191420/Piece-Garden-Hand-Tool-Se
[/review_grid]
21 hours ago
I give this product 9 out of 10 acorns!

I had a 2lb bag of the wool pellets to try out, these are normally priced at $24. They are packaged in rather smart resealable bags, so the contents are kept safe and dry if not all used at once.

sheep wool pellet review
resealable bag

When opened there is a slight smell of sheep. I could hardly smell it, but my husband said it was fairly distinctive. The pellets were brown and firm but are soft on the hands, not hard edged as feed pellets would be.
I'm most interested in how the pellets might repel slugs, so I sprinkled some around my freshly planted perennials: two hosta and an echinacea - both normally slug magnets. The echinacea has no additional protection, the hostas both have a cut off plant pot collar around them, which I normally find gives some protection.

protecting plants with wool pellets wool pellets sprinkled dry on soil surface
Hosta (left) has plant pot collar echinacea (right) just sheep pellets

I sprinkled the pellets on fairly thickly so that there was very little visible soil between them.
One thing I was worried about was whether my dogs would think the pellets were dog candy. I have had problems when using sheep fleece as mulch in the past with the dogs eating it and making themselves poorly. Both dogs showed an interest in the fresh pellets, but there is no sign of them wanting to eat them. I'm very happy about this, since it means the pellets won't need protecting from the dogs.

sheep wool mulch not interesting for dogs
Della checking out the fresh pellets

The following day it rained, and the pellets swelled up rather more than I was expecting. They fully covered the soil around the echinacea, and rose up in the collar around the hosta. It looks like they will go much further than I was expecting. I love the way that you can see the colours in the individual fleeces - you can tell these are more interesting than the average sheep flock!

sheeps wool pellets as slug repelling mulch sheep wool pellets swollen in rain
Wool pellets after soaking in rain for a day.

sheep wool pellets multicoloured fleece
colour comparison of soaked and dry pellets


It is too early to say whether the pellets will protect the plants from slugs (which is my greatest interest) however they are clean and easy to apply. It looks like they will go much further than I thought they would - just a couple of handfuls are plenty to fully mulch a single plant with a four inch barrier. I love the authenticity of the fleece colours - it wasn't just boring white sheep that made up the flock that provided this wool! Hopefully my hosta will survive the growing season unmolested by slugs - and the pellets ought to gradually contribute to the fertility and ultimately growth of my plants.

Overall I like the pellets as a mulch, and am looking forwards to trying them as part of a soil mix in a potting compost, and as protection for my carrot seeds too.
22 hours ago
That's a lovely elegant design Matthias. I like the lack of moving parts - nothing to seize up!
Do you find the knob is getting hot? I Think that the wooden knob (although it looks nice) might not be durable.
That's a great comprehensive article for people in marginal fig areas - thanks M.K. for posting the link. I don't have a fig yet, but I know that people do grow them successfully in my lattitude.....
1 day ago
Summary



Wool Pellets are an ideal choice of fertilizer for sandy soils. Because it is a slow-release type fertilizer, it breaks down slowly over the season. This helps combat nutrient leaching often found in gardens with sandy soil due to rain or excess watering. In clay soils, wool pellets retain structure while breaking down slowly, improving aeration.

Because wool both retains moisture and improves aeration, Wool Pellets make an excellent, sustainable source of organic material to use in soil blocks and seed starts in place of peat moss. Peat moss takes thousands of years to generate, while sheep are shorn once or twice a year.

When used in potted plants or grow-bags, wool pellets make an great option for reusing potting soil. Potting soil can exhaust its nutrients over one or two seasons, making it a costly option to replace the potting soil every one or two years.

Try mixing wool pellets with older potting soil to renew it's vitality. You can add fresh compost worm castings to the potting mix to enrich it with microorganisms and help break the wool down faster.

Anti-slug Fortifications
As an added bonus, wool pellets make a great slug deterrent! The easy-to-arrange pellet format makes it fun to add fortifications around your plants and discourage slugs from feasting.













Where to get it?

Again and Again homestead shop


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Related Threads

Experiences using wool pellets


Related Websites

Again and again homestead - about wool pelllets
1 day ago
Hi Spencer! I seem to remember that I found them pretty easy to germinate, so I would be inclined just to plant them outside. Incredible vegetables suggests for best germination sowing them in a tray of compost, putting them in a bag in the fridge for 7 - 10 days, then put in a fairly warm place (20 Celsius).
1 day ago
There is a certain amount of pleasure one can get with knowing how much one saves by mending or making do. Or like not buying a lottery ticket - a win every week!
I too don't like the acronym. I don't feel I am missing out.... Maybe we can make an acronym out of THRIFT? - The Happiness Received In Frugal Tastes
2 days ago
I don't know about Gandalf, I think of him as more of a wanderer, however I like this depiction of Granny Weatherwax's house:


source

Not full of stuff, but nice details like the moon on the bench she is sitting (while borrowing), wildlife and flowers integrating in the garden, a house that looks like it has evolved rather than being built....
2 days ago
art

Ben Brownell wrote: a more locally evolved set of designs, techniques and stylistic touches that are well suited to a specific climate/eco/cultural context. In essence, there should be many different PC aesthetics, based on where you look on earth and who's invested the time in refining a distinctive yet practical look that holds up well enough to become relatively standardized.


Yes! The permaculture aesthetic would follow the functions required and the materials available in the locale. So stone, cob, wood, thermal mass or through ventilation according to the local climate (and culture).

Vernacular in Chad

source

Blackhouse in Hebrides Scotland

source

Toba-batak in Indonesia

source

Each of these is perfect in it's environment and beautiful in it's own way, but locate in a different climate and the would no longer be appropriate.
3 days ago
art
Thank you for sharing your detailed design.
Keeping the birds safe would be my #1 issue too. We have escaped American mink here which can devastate a coop....
You say that you wish that you had a roof on the run - is that to keep the chicken dry outside, or for another reason?
3 days ago