Scott Stiller

Hello Greg. A long time ago I read that horseradish, onions, strawberries and asparagus made a dandy polyculture so I gave it a try. Everything went well until lemon balm escaped a pot and took it over. The one only issue I found was harvesting the horseradish and onions without damaging the other plants. I started over in different area with strawberries, asparagus and walking onions. I just harvest some of the onion tops without disturbing the soil. It continues to work great!

I walk the property with this one in hand. Tree bark really stands out in winter and there’s no mosquitoes. For instance, the American beech doesn’t lose its leaves so it’s clearly noticed.
Invasive privet is evergreen and sticks out like the sore thumb it is. There’s also a couple more from yesterday’s walk I haven’t tried to identify yet.

Krameterhof is the name of Sepp Holzer’s farm in Austria. It’s on a mountainside and if I’m not mistaken, has seventy two ponds along it’s slopes. The ponds aren’t large and flat but tucked into the hillsides instead. From the videos I’ve seen it’s a real marvel. If you have supported any of Paul’s kickstarters there’s a good chance you have access to long documentaries here on permies. If not there are shorter ones on YouTube that are still pretty darn cool.

I also use teepee trellises as Christmas trees.

You made some really solid points Rob, thank you. Like Michael I live in zone 7b. The blackberries that grow wild here are the best tasting ones I’ve ever eaten. They are however, a literal pain. They like to grow up through my elderberries and chokecherry’s causing me lots scrapes and scratches. I have found them to be a great erosion stopper in one of my fields though.
It’s steep Carolina clay and soil loss is a real issue. I’m thankful that wildfires are not a huge threat here though. If they were my outlook would probably be very different.

I agree with Gabriel, this thread is a goldmine of knowledge. Thanks to all that have participated so far!

Hi Anna. I too reside in zone 7b, but in NC. Are you planning to use the native invasive blackberries or a different type?

I want to make sure I’m understanding this and not loosing my mind. I can become a master gardener for only 200 bucks?  WoW!!!

I settled on 2/1 wax to coffee. Having more wax than coffee is a must. I don’t think molasses are a must though. I had read that they helped bind the grounds and coffee together better which I can’t tell makes any difference.
I happed to have some craft wax leftover from another project so that’s what I used. I think that any blend of wax would work as well though.
If you try this please post so I can see what you did. I imagine there are better ways to do it than I did.