Forrest King

Still here :) the garden is surviving even in this horrible drought!

Casie Becker wrote:I would have never thought to post in intentional community for this, but it's a really good fit.  I have also added this post to the regional forum.  Interested parties might just assume this is another planned group homestead and never read the thread otherwise.

Thank you so much!

Update:

We are making great progress on the property. The food forest is producing blueberries, kale, collards, peppers, tomatoes, squash, corn, beans, cucumbers, beets, turnips, flowers and herbs, loaded with pears and I even noticed our first pomegranate :) We got a gas-powered water pump to get pond water to the garden. It has been hot and dry and we ran out of rain-water.

We have a rooster now, his name is Marshmallow :) 13 chickens now with 4 chicks. 6 ducks with 2 ducklings. We had 13 ducklings but sold them all. We are selling eggs with success as well, with regular customers. We have put together 10 bee boxes and are currently painting them.

We finished fixing up the spare house. Unfortunately we have not been able to find a good fit community-wise who could pass a background check so we have decided to hire a manager to rent it for us. The going rate for one this size is 1500 per month. We need income to keep things going. Down the road we may consider opening up the rooms to folks for a more "shared" space. It's 1500 square feet with 3 bedrooms, big open kitchen.

We DO still have the RV/Tiny House/Skoolie spot available, with septic, power, water, your own road and address. We are looking for $450 per month with 6 hours of help per month for this spot for the right person(s). Soon we may just be renting this for a daily rate.

We get a lot of inquiries about work-trade and this is wonderful but we just can't support you currently. Someday would love to offer this.

I hope you are having a wonderful Summer so far, staying cool and in the moment :)

Love, Peace and Joy,

-Forrest

https://permies.com/t/180715/East-Texas-Connections#1421831

Hello fellow permies!

I wanted to reach out and create a thread for planning in-person get-togethers for us in East Texas to connect and learn from one-another. I hope this is the right forum for that purpose.

I have 10 acres between Fairfield and Palestine. I hear there is a community in Rusk. There is a farmers market in Teague we could meet at. Lot's of options. Would love to connect with you and hear ideas :)

Some pictures of my land:

Teague has a wonderful farmer's market in a cool spot downtown. They are sometimes done in the evenings with live music

Patricia Sanders wrote:Wow, thanks Forrest, for the the info on biochar, the photo and everything. Yes, having read a little about biochar, now I'm thinking I'll burn in place, either a trench down the middle of the garden or a pit in the center, and then rake it across. Can you tell me what you mean by charging? Sounds like you're making a magic blend that, if I were to do it, I could add before I put in the wood chips?

Trace, THANK YOU for mentioning the herbicides, I did not know they could pass through the animals' digestive system and contaminate the manure. Also I had not realized how prevalent they are. So I probably can't use manure (and will have to be careful about hay and straw) because I don't see anybody around here who keeps horses or cattle who also has an organic mindset. I'm looking into veganic approaches.

Charging the biochar is like Dan described, soaking it in a mixture for 2 weeks or more. This is SO important it is not really biochar until you charge it, otherwise it will absorb nutrients from your soil instead of feeding it. You want to populate it with all those beneficial microbes before applying :) Like Dan said, crushing into smaller parts helps it work better. You would need to remove it from the pit and charge it in a container/containers.

I turned my burn trench into a hugelkultur mound hehe

Trace Oswald wrote:

Patricia Sanders wrote:Thanks, Eric, Dan! Have done a little research and will add Iron Clay cowpeas to the mix - interplant with the summer vegs. My climate is not quite warm enough to be ideal for cowpeas but they still seem to be the best choice, from what I've read. Unless someone has a better idea.

Dan - thanks for the advice. The ground is getting moved around a lot during renovating the house, and I'm having the guys terrace it. So I'm hoping the garden area will be somewhat loosened up from having been moved around - unless they've gone and compacted it with the bobcat. (I'm not there to supervise.)

But yes, I can grab some cow or horse manure from a neighbor - and had been wondering if manure should come into this, so that answers my question. I'll throw it in there before the chips. And I'll make sure I've read all Eric's posts on the subject, though I think I might have already. Thanks!

I've been reading a little about how all this actually works and it's SO EXCITING. Thanks for the assurances. I'll post updates.

I would be careful what the neighbor feeds the horses if you go that route.  Most people spray hay with preservative here now so that it doesn't mold.  It will pass through the horse and ruin a garden for years.  Just something to be aware of.

Aminopyralids, which are contained in herbicides such as Grazon, are present in a significant percentage of hay, straw and manure supplies. DO NOT put manure on your garden unless you're very, very sure it came from animals that didn't graze on an herbicide-contaminated field - or animals that have eaten hay from outside your farm. Otherwise, you'll face poisoned garden plots like the poor tomato plants in today's video are growing in.

Patricia Sanders wrote:Hi Forrest, thanks, OK, I will try! I will read up on it.

Also, I just remembered that I'll put in some biochar with the chips as well. I understand I should be able to make it right there in the clay. Another thing to get educated on.

I make my biochar in a long "V" shaped pit. Burn it in layers as the coals begin to turn white add another layer. This method was great because I could burn longer sticks and branches without having to cut them into shorter pieces.... saves a LOT of time! Have a water source nearby to fully submerge the coals to "activate" it once the last layer is done. I had to extinguish this one early but still got a lot of char ;)

I charge in a 55 gallon drum for 2 weeks in a mix off goodness :) depending on what I have around... manure, alfalfa pellets, urine, yeast and molasses, fish emulsion, compost and worm castings... yeah and water

Maybe before adding the chips, spread some granulated gypsum on the grounds, bonus if you can work it in with a broadfork. It will help break up the clay and let the composting chips get in there too.