James Landreth

I would go with any but the first, simply because it invites partisan dialogue, which I would shy away from. Maybe choose "The Edge is where the action is." You could tie that theme into so many workshops and talks, including things like hedgerows and grassroots movements

Adaptive seeds often has her stock available. It's where I buy the sweet meat seeds I use. I didn't see that variety at a glance but they may have it. If not, their other varieties have been great for me:


https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/seeds/vegetables/squash/winter-squash/

It also depends on how tall the tree will get. It will reach for the light as it gets older, and when it's young it will probably be fine with the September shade; it'll just go dormant sooner I imagine.

I would aim for trees that ripen in summer, like summer plums and early apples (yellow transparent, for example). That way they have the sunlight for sugar when they need it. Trees developed for short growing seasons would also do well I imagine (St. Lawrence Nursery's stock, for example)

Here we have very dry dimmers, which effectively stops it from spreading anywhere that isn't being watered, at least where I am

Mick Fisch wrote:

Looking like your homeless generally doesn't work to your advantage.  If your appearance says 'I don't respect myself', others will tend to not respect you either.  

Woooahh everyone, I'm feeling a little attacked by a few posts on this thread. I said that I dress "second hand," not like a homeless person. My clothes are not stained, ripped, or holey. They are just from Goodwill.

I bathe every day and wash my clothes regularly, just so we're clear.

I have a cosmic crisp tree in a pot that I'll be planting this fall. I probably won't get fruit off it until the fruit is already in stores, unfortunately. For now it's only available in Washington State (the tree)

What sort of a retail store is it?

I feel like part of living this lifestyle is breaking down current values and returning to or creating new ones. One example of this is turning lawns into food (valuing life, biodiversity, food, etc more than trends and aesthetics). Another might be going out of your way to produce something for yourself “the hard way” so you don’t have to buy it and contribute to an unethical production process.

I have faced near relentless criticism for living this way. I’ve received praise too, which is nice, but another subject. A lot of the criticism I’ve received has been about dressing (I dress comfortably and second hand) and other personal aesthetics. It’s hard. I don’t shave as often or neatly because of time and energy, I don’t care if clothes match, etc. Oftentimes I brush it off and continue about my business, but lately it’s been hard not to dwell on.

What are your strategies for coping with this? Do you turn to other permies and like minded folks when things get hard?

Thanks everyone!

Has anyone fed grape leaves?

Next week I'm teaching a free class on home orchardry. I live in an area where people are very invested or interested in livestock raising. One element I would like to include in presentation and handouts is information on growing animal feed using drought tolerant trees and shrubs. I've done some research but it's been difficult to come up with lists of what works and what doesn't, as well as an adequate species list. I've heard that people use the following trees (and in some cases their fruit) for animal fodder. What is your experience? All ideas are welcome.

Mulberry (fruit for poultry and pigs; leaves as high protein fodder that can be coppiced)
Apple (fruit for storing as animal feed; leaves fresh and as tree hay)
Elm (I don't know much about this one)
Ash (same as elm)
Hazel (Came across it for fodder but I've never experienced using it that way)
Persimmon (fruit for fodder)
Storage pears (same)
Honey locust? (I've heard mixed things about using it for fodder)
Linden (I hear it can be coppiced and used for fodder)
Siberian pea shrub (for poultry)
Chestnut (nuts as fodder; leaves as fodder or tree hay, can be coppiced I have read)