Tereza Okava

no kidding. I just saw photos of snow in Las Vegas today. Meantime, it was 55F yesterday here (it's supposed to be 95 and high summer). Instead of icy drinks and chilly watermelon to cool off, I'm making soup. Again. If this is summer, I can't wait to see what this winter will be like.....

If it has to be close to the house, I would dig a hole.
If you have more space, I'd just dump it somewhere farther out where smells are no issue.
My kid has rats and they use a clay-based litter. I tried putting it in my compost barrel (didn't want to just throw it on the ground, since there are local rats) and.... the final compost result is strange. It didn't break down, it's like sprinkles dispersed through the compost. I don't think I'll do that again.

I suspect my weather is probably pretty similar to yours, Leigh. I don't do much preserving, since I'm really limited to freezing (it's way too humid to dehydrate anything here, canning supplies are hard to get, and we mostly like fresh veg anyway), and most things are available to one extent or another most of the year. I do freeze mulberries and passionfruit, since their seasons are pretty limited, and I do occasionally like a berry pie out of season. Green beans I can stagger by planting scarlet runners in the cool season, and different types during the cold. My real limitation is pest/disease pressure, and I'm okay doing without for a few months til the next season starts.
The few preserves I do make are those I really like to eat and are abundant in their season. Mango pickle, sauerkraut, pickled daikon, etc. I clearly do it more out of taste than out of necessity!

Welcome aboard, Jamie! Look forward to hearing more about what you write (and yes, more about your garden!! Nosy plant people unite!)

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:If you want to grow dandelions for food you can just grow the ordinary species Taraxacum officinale.

I live in an area with lots of people of Italian ancestry and we get these nice eating dandelions- they don't put out flowers as easily as "yard dandelions" and there are some pretty variations with red veining, for example. Like this beauty from Baker Creek.

it seems to really depend- a youtuber i watch has enough deer to stock his freezer but they will not jump the poultry netting fence around his garden. Meanwhile at my mother's house (Del Water Gap) 6 feet was not enough, and they don`t need a running start either-- in that case we ended up making the garden only about a yard and a half wide- they were afraid to jump in because they need more space to land inside.
Try it and see what happens!! Flags and such are a good idea. Also good to see what others in your area are doing, you might get some good ideas.

lots of things to comment on (sounds awesome) but one thing: your seedlings will probably develop best in part shade. Little newborns are tender and sunburn easily. In my part of the world that may mean a shade cloth that cuts 50% of the sun, and it can be removed later when the plants are strong enough. Maybe you can add a frame where you can attach one of these (I have a super simple setup where it is tied to posts and then to the corner of my carport, and removed when I please).

Very nice! I make a lot of rag rugs, as we have a lot of old fabric kicking around and we have ceramic floors, we need rugs for bathroom and kitchen. Over time, as Stacie says, I've gotten better at it and also learned my own preferences (consistent width!!! also, you can incorporate twine into the fabric, makes a great look.) Plus it's fun to look at a rug and say, hey, that was my kid's jammies (she's 21 now).

Maybe in Australia you have the same feelings as I do- I read about guilds, and half of the plants either I can't find here or they don't grow here. Outside of North America (and maybe Europe) it seems like we're on our own. Some classic things  don't work with my weather or my pests. I plant all sorts of things together, and the things that I've seen to work over time, I keep for the next year.

I had no idea the leaves of curry got that big, OR that it got fruit!! I just planted one in my yard and just assumed, from all the curry leaves I've bought, that they were tiny!

(how exciting!! I planted a tree for cooking, and got a fruit tree as a bonus!)

I have a load of mulberries. If you have to walk under it to get in your house, for example, it is a horrid mess. But if it's in the back of my yard (where I have 4) it works for me. Definitely attracts birds, which attract cats and hawks (as do the mice). The hawks will eat everyone, so I figure fair's fair.