Ali Green

Caesar Smith wrote:I got a message like OP yesterday. Apparently I’m gonna lose access to my Permies account just because of Hotmail? Having to set up a new email account is rather inconvenient. Isn’t there anything else that can be done about the situation?

I got the same message and added the permies email address to my contact list in the hope that it goes through again. I don't know how I'll know if it has worked or not though...

That sounds like a great project. I don't have any advice or personal experience on the matter, but I was recently watching a video of a guy who has made a living tunnel using a polytunnel frame and covered it with espaliered trees as well as flowers and annuals. Maybe you can glean some useful ideas from it.

Nancy Reading wrote:Congratulations Ali on the new arrival. Do I spot football goals in the garden plan? You may enjoy Nicole's threads about her kids in the garden: https://permies.com/t/permaculture-playground for example.
Welcome to permies!

Thanks Nancy, I have seen that post already - lots of great inspiration. We have a couple of trees that need taking down, and we hope to use them to make the kids a play area, with dual purpose structures for kids and plants to climb on. Well, that's the idea anyway.

I have one very similar to the hand pull one, and a big (well, normal sized) version of the electric one.

The hand pull one is brilliant for mushrooms, pesto, salsa, herbs etc. It can cope with raw nuts too. I hadn't dared try as the blades are quite thin and flexible, and I was worried it wouldn't hold up to tougher things, but my mother in law chopped a load of nuts in it for granola and it worked fine. I don't think it would do well for roast nuts or carrots, but it might. It is a lot faster than I expected, only needing a few pulls to chop a half load. It also cleans surprisingly easily too. My blades and bowl go in the dishwasher.

I imagine the electric one would be fine too. Better for nut butters and harder vegetables. It will be easier on your hands as well (not that the pull one is very hard). It might take more space to store, and obviously uses power. It may be more durable. Cleaning is similar.

I hope that helps a little.

Kaarina Kreus wrote:Charming "vegetable". Is it a boy or a girl ❤️

A little girl, and my 4th "little pumpkin".

Firstly, a big thanks to those that make the site what such a fantastic and friendly resource. I have been dipping in and out for years, but about a year ago we moved to our new home. It has the biggest plot I've ever lived on, and I started to dream and research. I found myself devouring the many years of conversations that have been had on here and finally got an account.

In the last year I have been observing and enjoying what is already on our 1/3 acre suburban plot, though we did manage a little pallet collar veg bed and planted some fruit bushes/canes from our old garden. I am now planning to prepare a large area for a vegetable garden at the front of our house, and develop our food forest at the back. I expect I will make many posts in the relevant forums to ask for specific advice, but for now, here is a sketch of my early ideas for my home, and a cheeky pic of the main thing I grew this year: