Wheat need to be somewhat processed before being usable, and I'd like to avoid that.
Now that you will be planning the winter garden reconsider the wheat which is a winter crop in your growing zone. Try the wheat berries often sold in bulk for human food. These are generally selected for ease of processing. In my area soft white winter wheat is sold for animal feed and when it ripens threshes out with little effort. My practice is to feed chickens whole grains in there movable pen through the garden and then pull or cut the resulting grain stalks and let them do the threshing to feed themselves.
This is very encouraging; thank you! One place I’ve really had difficulty eradicating them is right next to our back of raised beds. I've got some blueberries there, but they’re less than happy in that spot. I think maybe this fall I’ll move the blueberries to a sunnier spot and create a support structure for the blackberries that are already rooted there. It’s on the downhill side of a slope, so kind of a natural swale effect, which will help give them the water that they like without drowning them (and very little additional water needed for them, which would be ideal). A little structure, some judicious pruning…yes, I think that’s manageable. Should benefit both the blueberries that are surviving but not thriving and provide us with some additional fruit.
Generally Himalayan blackberries will reach deep water on their own and not need any watering. Blue berries are generally only happy with very heavy mulch covering the soil and do prefer finding water without having to send down deep roots. So consider the Himalaya deep feeders and the blueberries shallow feeders.
Stacy Witscher wrote:To my taste, himalayan blackberries are bland, maybe adding some fertility would help that. It's worth a try. Fortunately I only have a relatively small patch of those. I have planted marionberries which are the only blackberry that I really like but they again want more fertility than I currently have to get large and tasty.
This year we removed all the himalayan blackberry canes but they have of course come roaring back. I will try adding nutrients and see if it helps with the taste.
When the black berries propagate by seed they vary in flavor. There is also a variety we call evergreen because it is less prone to shed its leaves in the winter. It is slower growing and more disposed to the vines remaining viable for multiple years but it is also mostly flavorless even lacking sweetness in many cases. The leaves are more finely divided than the Himalayan but otherwise not much distinguishable.
The reason they come roaring back is the capacity to store a lot of energy in there crown; as I mentioned the crowns of well established vines are the size of a football and small roots that break off when digging them out wit come up and reestablish the batch without diligent removal. If a large vine is allowed to tip root, within a year or two it will establish a crown that is verry difficult to remove. Keep that in mind for the diligence in maintenance and for propagation of a desirable vine.
Yes Qberry farm has embraced Himalaya blackberries. With their larger canes they are more self supporting and basically require more pruning than my Boysenberries and Loganberries. They start ripening as those finish producing and do not stop producing until winter rains start making them rot. Having sturdy posts and wire to tie them to is the first step. They grew on the field fence where the birds would rest so I removed the fencing except for the top wire six feet up. anything above that gets tied down to the wire or pruned off if there is not enough room. All spent fruiting spurs are pruned off during the winter and and any main canes that turn brown [some main Cains bear a second year] During thew winter the first year canes will grow with the intention of reaching the ground and tip rooting so it takes diligent pruning these off to keep them in control. Side shouts come off the main cane in the spring which are the fruiting canes. So select the best main canes and space them so the fruiting canes have room to be accessible. My root crowns are now the size of a football and the canes are over an inch in diameter. A 100 foot row produces a 3 gallon bucket of berries each day and because they are well trained it only takes me 30 to 45 minutes to fill the bucket. On my Facebook cover the Himalaya are on the right of the 2 rows of boysenberries. The logan berries are on the other side to be shaded from the afternoon sun which causes the delicate fruit to scaled.
Here on the wet side we also have a dry season of 3 to 4 months. Before modern clear cutting and agriculture intervened trees would fall and rock or land slides would occur or beavers would build dams and slow winter streams creating deeper soils. My farm has a flat clay field that was an ancient lake bottom, it had a natural zig zag swale pattern but for plowing purposes it was diched for rapid drainage and spring plowing resulting in it drying out during early summer by blocking or filling the ditches the natural flow leaves shallow ponds that remain into July and the field may remain green into August or even until the rain returns in September.
On another property a year round spring ran to the salt water. We would regularly block the flow with rocks or logs to divert it to different gardens and orchards down the slope. The water would soak into the sandy soil and travel along the impervious layer until it came out near the beach. So with observation and design the natural prosses can be enhanced for greater productivity and sustainability.
An easy to load log clip. Good help from the fellas on this one. Process is tough to conceptualize the same.
Remember this concept from decades ago. Dairy farm with sawmill as side job. had it set so log trucks could dump on one end then roll logs one at a time to other end to pick up with forks and put on sawmill.
Adding to my previous reply: Because my worst problem is the peach leaf curl and it is best controlled by keeping the tree dry I have my trees in a high tunnel made from abandoned portable garages. some of them come with screened side walls so that reduces the curculio flies and they prefer the non fuzzy plums anyway so the peaches have little problem. I should have removed the cover during snow season so now I have to rebuild the covering.
Richard Henry wrote:Hans - Thanks for showing how to use the new oval stone. I bought one when I broke out my last old scythe stone and was not sure how I would use the new shape. I have been using scythes perhaps 15 years less than you have, but I found that when using the old shape stone, I would not grab the stone like a handle. I found that it was far safer and easier to grip the sides of the stone such that when I finished the edge feather, I could slide the stone upward and not get my skin anywhere near the sharp edge. I also did my initial sharpening runs from back edge toward the front, but find my final edge is sharper if I finish with an upward stroke diagonally along the edge. Fingers and knuckles are always safely back on the stone. If one was worried about slight slices, they could also purchase some butcher knife-proof gloves.
Maintaining close attention to what one is doing, of course, is the best practice. Sharpening a scythe is not a multi-tasking situation.
" find my final edge is sharper if I finish with an upward stroke diagonally along the edge" Agree. It may not be clear but in each direction the stone is held at an angle to the travel starting with the meddle of the stone and ending with the tip at the end of the stroke. So the stone is traveling up against the edge.
If the edge is very sharp and thin it may curl over the bottom and not cut very well. To check for that the flat side of the stone is run flat on the bottom edge with very little pressure just feeling for any drag that will be caused by a back curl or nick. Avod making any bevel on the bottom edge because that favors the the blade sliding up the stalk of grass instead of cutting in.
Angela Wilcox wrote:Hans, thank you for posting this video. I have a scythe and have not used it yet, because I’m unsure how to maintain it. Your instruction was clear and helpful.
Next video will be on how to swing the scythe using the human anatomy according to its design and the scythe design.
I started scything about 1949 when I was 9. There was a long history of scythe use in my family and there were ferns that had to be cut to suppress them in the pastures. To sharpen the scythe I imitated what I saw done and you have probably seen in videos and possibly do yourself. stand the scythe on ten end of the stave and run the stone out the length of the blade. I have scares on my knuckles from doing that. Here is an alternative which also takes advantage of the modern oval scythe stone.
I started scything in 1950 in 1980 I needed to bail some and I also came up with the same trashcan method. Here is a tip for you and others based on my decades of experience.
I personally am not a fan of the "shorts" but they are intended to be shot in portrait orientation and be viewed on cell phones. So thank you Briella for filling that niche in attracting that group to Permies. You could include see more at permies.com.
Edge of small town: Conceivably one could find a few acres on a road that isn't a main through-highway and be able to comfortably human-power oneself into the town
Key center here on the Key Peninsula There are available lots on each end. South end one is next to the library which is next to the fire department which is next to small office park with the thrift store which is next to the food mart and associated eateries. next to the lumber yard. Across the street is the bank and nursery store The other lot is on the cross street on the NE corner and the post office is a block further west. PM me if you want contact information.
1. When do actually deprive the plant from energy?
When it has put all its energy into growing new rhizomes near the surface and then you completely remove them.
This is my step by step proven method. Mow surrounding area and use it to mulch as deeply as possible. Cover that with as heavy and impenetrable material as you have available. In my case old tarps and discarded carpet. Everything will decompose except the Elymus repens; it will but all its energy from deep roots into colonizing this rich new environment forming great curls of roots on and near the surface. The decomposition critters will have left a soft easily forked soil so carefully lift the curls of roots out without breaking them. Almost possible to get all of them if the soil is soft enough. Repeat the prosses but this time in strips or with planting holes and transplant things like squash or melons to grow on top of the carpet or other cover. Then repeat the forking prosses after harvest and cover again.
2. Does the grass outside of the beds pump energy into the rizomes underneath the beds?
And if so, how wide should a perimeter be to stop this from happening?
3. Does the plant go into a "hard to pluck" mode with short predetermined breaking points?
Point 2 was fairly well covered so plan on invasion prevention.
3. yes! That is why I developed the grow it out method.
4. Bed preparation to weaken the plant
What seems to help is to put something like a rainbarrel on the ground and let it sit for a couple of months. Then when i remove the barrel,
every plant underneath is dead...except for the couch grass, which just turned white and can then be removed..at least partially.
Good observation it was what I used to develop my method.
5. Cover Crops
I plantet some squash and mulched the area with hay, hoping that when the hay breaks down the squash will make
enough shade to get rid of the couch grass...however when i look at the grass coming up between my existing crops,
i doubt this will work. We will see.
That is why the penetration resistant barrier has to be used and the forking repeated after harvest and before each planting until you have very soft soil that the roots will always pull out.
6. Couch grass recipies
Eat them if you wish but do not let them touch the ground again. My grandfather hung them on the fence all summer thinking they would be dead and he could compost them; they grew.
I am to old to spend the energy foraging for wild edibles. I just let them grow as part of my permaculture plan. Weeding and harvesting have become combined as one activity. Some plants are less desirable so they get harvested as soon as they are recognized Some of the wild flower are my favorite foods and also the deer's.
paul wheaton wrote:
Just to be clear, there are many types of hedges and the type of hedge we wish to create is something that will keep animals in. Something that you grow for two or three years and then do this:
I have had a grape vine fence on the north side of the garden for ten years. It kept the deer out. They would brows the tender tips as they grew in the spring but those need to be pruned anyway for best production and control of spread. Satisfied they move on instead of trying to get to the tasty things in the garden. I have just rebuilt it so it is not deer proof at the moment but I will try to find a before picture and take a current one.
I got free sliding glass doors to build the front and used old carpet and padding for the north side for insulation during the winter but can be removed for summer. High hot summer sun is blocked by roof mid day during the summer.
I mix my worm compost with local sand to make starting mix. Drill 3 or 4 holes in the bottom of yogurt containers and set them in old pans with water around the bottom for starting plants.
My mason bees use the triangle between green siding and white trim boards. My observation is they hover in front looking for the dark hole. Holes drilled in posts they favored the ones in the smooth light colored pealed surface over darker split surface. Crown bees suggests they also use smell to locate used holes.
A high low registering thermometer is a helpful tool to stimulate the record keeping. The temperature in the greenhouse needs to be regulated by opening and closing doors. I have a collection of bound account journals with space for date, item and income/expense columns. I make notes on weather and planting in the item space and the low high temps in the income/expense when I close the doors and reset the markers for high/low. This gives me a comparison for planning starting dates next year.
So important. Many come to me in pain because some small injury caused them to alter their walk pattern then never returned to the proper pattern after they healed.
Unburied grow bags would need to be stored in an unheated but freeze free space like a garage or crawlspace for the winter. I bring my grow bags with potatoes into the greenhouse where they start growing earlier than they could outside though potatoes do overwinter outside in my climate. Started yacon in grw bags this year because voles ate the storage tubers when I left them in the ground too long.
To maintain clearance along a fenceline we would take our herd of dairy goats on a walk to a section of fence line each day weather allowing. They are only going to brows for about an hour at a time anyway then spend time lounging and chewing the cud. With 3 family members our schedule would sometimes allow for 2 or 3 walks per day. With a electric net and shelter, abundance +plans, you could progressively work down a fence line by letting them out to eat ahead to clear enough to make the move easier for the next section then putting them back in the pen where they will chew on things because they are bored. We had a few sheep as well to maintain the grass. Goats will unite to trample a fence down and sheep and pigs to go under it. Each one clears a different level of growth so consider all three.
I did a ferment in a glass peanut butter jar which has a gasket ring in the lid. Used a stone from the top of the wood stove figuring it was sterilized by the heat. Figured if the lid was too tight it would bulge to remind me to burp it. Keeping it on the counter top so if I see bubbles trapped along the sides I tap the jar on the counter to bring them to the surface. Have not had to loosen the lid. What should fermented kale be called?
Welcome to permies Luca Dicecco. Most likely the plums will be edible but you will have to sample them for desirability.
You did a good job of attaching the photos . It is not always obvious to new posters that attachment means photos. Note that there is a space to write a caption or description for each file. Tis is strongly encouraged so the images are more searchable.
I am not familiar with this quince. I have a red flowered quince grown for its spring flowers which is a large shrub with very small fruit. My friend has a white flowered tree quince with large fruit that has a pineapple flavor. I wish I had tried to grow the seed from the pineapple quince. The success rate of pome fruit in the soil does seem to be much less than the stone fruit. Plums especial seem to succeed on their own very well. Peaches and avocado come up in the worm compost.
You want to let the water drain down so that air can get into the soil each time. How long that takes varies by soil type. You want to encourage the roots to grow deeper to find to find natural water so gradually extend the time as long as the tree is not getting stressed. The smell of diluted urine will drive some bugs away as well as feed the tree..
I am on the other coast, so not familiar with those. I do have an heirloom variety called green gage which is still green color when ripe but very sweet.
Jenny Wright wrote:
Or, I like to watch videos like yours but with subtitles explaining what's going on, or little titles in the corner identifying what step of the process. I also watch all YouTube videos on mute unless I'm watching a music video. I'm guess I'm weird but I'm a very visual learner and the audio distracts me.
There are many channels that I turn off the audio because of the music and turn on the closed captions for when they explain what the scene is about. I really appreciate the creators that use segment titles under the time line.
If I want my type of music with a muted video Clasical KING streaming I can learn new plastering and painting techniques on Lumnah Acers with my eyes while my ears get me into a sleep mode.
You can do winter chores with me for 10 minutes with subtitles because the intended voice over did not work in the editing software I was using.
With bulk seeds sold for food there is no guarantee of viability so test a small batch for sprouting before committing to a large planting. The untested seeds in this video did not sprout although previous purchases did,
I gave it 2 days hoping one of those with more experience with kiwi would respond. My experience is more with grapes but the vining habit is about the same. they always look for an opportunity to go up. They seem to be able to sense when there is something above to reach for. My preference is to grow a central leader then cut it back to force lower buds to form laterals. Do not let them have free will. I know of a summer cabin where the arbor over the back porch was to be covered but now the whole cabin is covered.
I remove group 3 & 4 immediately and remove group 2 from tree to ripen and prosses for jam to try to get all larva. Trees usually over produce so thinning and pruning back excess limbs results in larger and better fruit.
I agree with worm castings and possibly a few worms to keep the soil clean. Larger pot to always have room for new roots to grow.
Is it possible bright sun on water droplets focused and burned parts of the leaves?
I think there is a lot you ca learn from this experience that you can apply to next year. Using your trellis supplies like you did you can warm up a section of soil to prepare for early transplants directly to the soil. The black bags of water suggested would be very effective in doing that. Inconsistent hot and cold days has been my problem for years. I made my greenhouse so the north side is an insulated blanket that I can lave completely open when there is sun. Even on cloudy cold days it will get up to 80*F when closed and 100* with sun. With water barrels between tomato plants my goal is to keep them above 50 at night and below 80 during the day. Potatoes overwintered in high tunnel came up in March and are well along in development.
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