Angie Greene

Leah Sattler wrote:just missed some interesting spam is all from the president of the united states of all people


thats a big question.... is the iron really a neccessary part of the equation or just something that won't fall apart during the process? steamed bones. if sue is right then maybe a bonemeal paste would work too. if my thinking is correct the bones will get steamed and the water will condense and return back to the bottom pot. it seems that could be easily simulated (if the iron isn't crucial) by putting bones in steamer basket in my pressure cooker.

Taking that a bit further, can steamed bonemeal be used in some way to make an effective treatment? Has anyone tried it?

These forums are full of good information that I am learning about bit by bit. I do still use some soil ammendments such as kelp meal and azomite. I would like to know about local products such as compost (not Eko and not from an old tires dump), composted manures, rock dust and others if available.

Elaine Alexander wrote:Hi. I was looking at this forum and remembered something relevant I had come across recently.

I found it again. It's from the "Humanure Handbook" By Joseph Jenkins. An amazing,revolutionary and enjoyable book!
From Page 57:
" An Austrian farmer claims that the microorganisms he introduces into his fields have prevented his crops from being contaminated by the radiation from Chernobyl, the ill-fated Russian nuclear power plant, which contaminated his neighbors fields. Sigfried Lubke sprays his green manure crops with compost-type microorganisms just before plowing them under. This practice has produced a soil rich in humus and teeming with microscopic life. After the Chernobyl disaster, crops from fields in Lubke's farming area where banned from sale due to high amounts of radioactive cesium contamination. However, when officials tested Lubke's crops, no trace of cesium could be found. The officials made repeated tests because they couldn't believe that one farm showed no radioactive contamination while the surrounding farms did. Lubke surmises that the humus just "ate up" the cesium."
Referenced from an article in Acres USA, December 1989 page 20. "All things considered in the wake of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident".

Grow your soils!!!

Thanks! A search on the title you provided led me to this very helpful page http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/3786. It has specific info on this and other approaches mentioned in this thread.

Nick Garbarino wrote:Watching TV, medical tests like X-rays, etc, and air travel also increase radiation exposure. The Fukushima problem is not a threat to the continental U.S. Don't worry, be happy.

I found a quick read about types of electromagnetic radiation: http://emwatch.com/EMF%20Explanations.htm I know that some people do try to be careful about other types of radiation as well.

Fukushima is not the only source of nuclear contaminants. It does at this time provide a focus for discussion. I wonder also about contaminants remaining from US nuclear tests years ago and fertilizer plants in the shadows of US nuclear plants.

I agree that it is best not to worry, and also not to have attitudes based on sensationalist reporting for example. It is quite an effort though to be truly informed. The radiation network site is only about real time readings, not cumulative totals for example. And, how can an individual really know the safety of the sources of soil ammendments? A group like this one could help sort it out. It's worth a try at least.

I am finding the posts here to be very helpful. I am sure that there will be conflicting information for years to come. The radiation network sampling sites are few and far in between. Some testing by others located certain hot spots http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/04/radiation_levels_in_portland_a.html; certainly there were others not found by sampling methods.

Linda's remediation suggestions seem promising, and I have seen similar information elsewhere. The hard part is to find fertilizers from relatively safe areas. Any thoughts?

Glad to see the info about air quality. The video about the prototype is interesting and I am sure that some fairly simple modifications could improve the unit to come to a point where the mass heater operates smoothly and resolves any concerns regarding operation and air quality.  Going through the approval process would perhaps benefit from having a group of people involved.

Sorry to hear you will be discontinuing the talks.  I found the two I attended very interesting. 

Sepp's farm is so amazing.  He spent many years observing to come up with his methods.  I do think it also takes a lot of observation and thought by each grower to be able to use the methods in his/her own situation.

I have been reading recently about purslane, especially its omega-3 content and would like to grow it for food.  I have a fairly wide range of plants to select from in trade.  

No offers yet.  Purslane is such a common weed.  Do I need to offer something else in trade? 

Here are some links with photos of purslane http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1547/
http://landscaping.about.com/od/weedsdiseases/ig/weed-plants/Purslane-Photo.htm

I agree about Helen's talents.  Over a period of years I asked one Missoula county extension agent and then another, and then another, what to do about bacterial canker on a peach tree.  Not much luck and the problem spread.  When I heard about Helen, I called her and she made a suggestion which worked.  I have somewhat followed her in the media and am glad to see her advance in her methods and professionally.  It's great to have these forums where we can continue learning about her methods.

Now, about that brown goo.  How can I learn more about this brown goo? 

I also wonder about a variation of hugelkultur.  The kugelkultur mounds have advantages (of which I am aware so far) of built-in organic matter, good water and nutrient retention, good drainage, generate heat, and height to capture more sunlight.  It seems though that they could have a rather long lag time before the decomposition effect kicks in. Adding nitrogen materials could help but large pieces of wood might still decompose very slowly.  My idea would be to pile up very course to fine compost makings and cover with soil.  The decomposition would be quicker and there would be a wider range of nutrients.  A number of questions naturally arise. Would there be enough oxygen if small branches were included? What would Helen say about the temperature and the organisms?  Would decomposition heat the mound too much for planting right away?  Would she add some of that brown goo?

vegan01 wrote:
  Are the food grade products that are safe for animals also safe for humans?  I see one (GreenSense  http://www.beorganic.com/products/green_sense.html) that has 12% silica.

  If part of the benefit is the silica, what is the optimum percentage?

  Is there perhaps some other factor in being fit for human consumption, such as processing methods or checking for any possible contaminants?

After contacting someone selling GreenSense on ebay.com, he told me that the posted information was not clear and that the product they sell is also Perma-guard.  I emailed the Perma-Guard folks and they told me that their product is clean enough for human ingestion.

In conclusion, buying Perma-Guard from that or another company is the best food grade diatomaceous earth for human ingestion.