Cris Fellows

The first year we started our urban garden on straight city clay fill, we amended it with a truckload of horse manure.  I got quite a few surprise California poppy patches and a couple of mulberry trees!  And evening primrose has been a constantly moving surprise.  

Hemp is a possibility as seen from this Etsy post.  Their post has outer raincoat like fabric but they state they can make both sides hemp.  It uses hemp fur and filler, I am sure that hemp thread could be found.  You just need a seamstress.

There's only one that was grown with special memories held closely in hopes that these sorts of memories could be passed down: a Maple tree.  I spent a good deal of my childhood up in a tree, and my favorite was the maple at the front of the property right by the little country road.  It had the gas meter box right beside it which served as a stepping stool to the first branch.  From there on up it was basically a spiraling ladder.  I felt safe, held, hidden there.  As my mom was/is schizophrenic and there was a fair amount of tension inside the home, this was my safe haven.  My mom tells me now that my father would tell her to get me out of that tree (so much for hidden) but she declined, thank God.  
I planted a Maple in our city back yard the year our first grandson was born.  He is now 14, and sadly we do not see him or his sister.  But my youngest grandson, age 7, loves the tree.  He hides (but only with the intent of being found, he is much more gregarious than I was and has a far more stable home) and swings and checks the bird house for inhabitants.  It is the most lovely full tree that turns a flaming scarlet earlier than most in the fall.  

So the recent fear based shortages have finally persuaded me to spend more and save in the long run (money and the planet).  I speak of toilet paper.  Just ordered some cloth butt wipes aka family cloth from Etsy...and the hubby us talking about installing a bidet!

So if your adult son is visiting from Minneapolis or other place that they ride bicycles regularly all year long, and he says, "C'mon down here"...you should not assume he means you can do this.  At the time I had a bike with coaster brakes, got really scared and put my feet down which effectively meant I had no brakes.  I ran into a short rock wall and broke my elbow.  My son days, "I meant get off your bike and walk down here."

Here is a good place to start in making your neighborhood nontoxic.  https://www.instagram.com/nontoxicneighborhoods/
I am just getting started by trying to get herbicides banned at my workplace.  I drove in to work (children's hospital) one day and directly beside the sign cheering our champions for children was a guy with a sprayer loading the lawns with toxic goo.  I emailed the hospital president that day.  Since I have not heard back, it is now time to revisit.

Scott Stiller wrote:Have a picture of it?

Here is one like mine.  My daughter in laws is a far lovlier antique version.

Lorne Martin wrote: The one that doesn't ripen is from the hardier root stalk below the graft. The one that ripens is the grafted intended tree. I would heavily prune (40% ish) the one that doesn't ripen after leaf drop or late winter about a month before the buds swell. This will encourage the good tree to grow. Do this 2x and then the following year you should be able to remove it totally or just keep it very pruned back. Most of the tree's energy will go to the unwanted side if you let it.

Thank you so much!  That makes so much sense.  I will prune it back this winter.  

We bought the 3 abandoned lots behind us and garden them.  The center strip where they buried houses and covered in fill dirt are too hard to sink a shovel or pitchfork.  I smothered the grass and used a blend from prairie moon nurseries.  All of native meadow plants have deeper roots than grass.  Yellow dock, burdock, thistle and mugwort have also volunteered.  My happy finding though was that I could dig a hole for elderberry (with much difficulty) and they completely thrived.  They went from bare root to 15 foot monsters in a few short years!!!

Hi, I have three peach trees and only one of them does this.  It pretty much has a double trunk because the split is so low, but one arm of that bears lots of fruit that will not ripen.  The other arm bears a small amount of fruit that ripens normally.  Last year I thought it was because it was partially in the shade of a big old pine, but we took her down this year and it is the same.  Last year the fruit never ripened, remaining green until fall leaf drop.