John Suavecito

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since May 09, 2010
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Biography
Food forest in a suburban location. Grows fruit, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms.  Forages for food and medicine. Teaches people how to grow food.  Shares plants and knowledge with students at schools.
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Recent posts by John Suavecito

I love how we can gather information over time by listening to different observations.  When I go look for seaweed in the winter and fall, bull kelp is the one that I find the most also.  I am looking for days in which I can gather a lot.  I have never found a lot of seaweed to gather in the winter or fall.  When I find a lot, it is not mostly bull kelp.  I like the idea of a wide variety of seaweed, as they probably have different nutritional characteristics.  I wonder if one factor is that there is a lot more population near Portland than near Coos Bay, which, for those who don't know, are many hours away from each other-7? I also live 1 1/2 hours from the beach, so I can't go all the time, and when I do, I'm usually on a different type of outdoor adventure trip.  I find bull kelp to be a little more work than other kinds of seaweed. It comes in large, thick pieces which need to be chopped up in order to be optimal for gardening needs, IMHO.  Still, it's way better than finding no sea weed.  When I have a day in which I gather a lot, I forget about it and don't need to gather any more for a long time.  

John S
PDX OR
3 hours ago

Randy Eggert wrote:I had a grad school professor in Chicago who didn't drive (everybody agreed Chicago was safer that way). To get to campus he biked every day--it wasn't far, less than a mile--even on the iciest, coldest days. When anybody expressed surprise that he'd bike on such a cold day, he'd say, "It's a choice between being utterly miserable for twenty minutes or in excruciating pain for five."



We don't have the ice and snow like in Chicago, but we get a lot of drizzle, especially in the cold 1/3 of the year.   Some people are astonished that I would still bike to school on those days.  If it's strong, hellish, downpours, I'll drive.  Otherwise, I wear rain pants and a coat. I show up energized and happy, and leave the same way.  I save money on the gym membership, and I'm also not polluting, using gas, and creating demand for more parking lots.  I get my exercise on the way to and back from work and shopping. Otherwise, it's hard to get out into the cold, dark, drizzle and move my body. Helps fight SAD too.

John S
PDX OR
4 days ago
For either a talented or a curious person, that could be a really fun and exciting project! Our cat is an indoor cat and he would run away and get eaten by coyotes.  

Good ideas.
John S
PDX OR
2 weeks ago
I found that the mouse had eaten some more apples, so I got worried. After all of the concrete work was finished and solidified,  I did a test run to see if the nibblers were still in there. I left out an apple in the open, not in any box or anything. I've done that before to see if there is something alive in there. Last time, one was alive and ate the apples.    And this time?........

The apples were left untouched.  The latest cement sealing seems to have worked.  Now I can actually store what's left of my apple harvest in there.  I know that it is likely that at some point, I will find a dead mouse in there somewhere.  Oh well.  

Nice to know that the harvest can continue now. I had a run of 15 years before they figured out that sneak entrance route.

John S
PDX OR
2 weeks ago
One thing I remember: I had left a tall (12'?), wooden measuring stick for the oil tank leaning against the door a few years ago.  They managed to climb up the stick and into the tool shed.  

Also, today, I filled in the cement on that last slot after the rain had stopped.  Hopefully, that will be the end of it.

John S
PDX OR
2 weeks ago
I have used the horsetail preparation and I consider it to be valuable.  As I recall, Steiner urged people to harvest it near the summer equinox. I realized that I was a bit late this year, so I didn't make it. I am usually so busy in the spring/early summer.  Yes, Jacqueline was the mentor.   I got to see her last summer. What a wonderful human being!

I was amazed at how well the tree paste hung on the tree all winter and spring despite living here in the PNWet.  

I have used Neem oil before, but I haven't for awhile. Nothing against it.  You know how orchardists/farmers/gardeners are.  Never enough time for everything. Plus I hang glide, sail, skateboard, play baseball, ride motorcycles and bicycles, etc.  I always say that it's better to have done lots of cool things and not have time enough for all than to spend your life regretting that you never got to do what you wanted to.  

JohN S
PDX OR
3 weeks ago
Many people use either fruit sox (Maggot barrier is my favorite brand) or Surround. The fruit sox need to be soaked in a clay solution to be effective.  Surround is a commercially made clay product that you spray on your trees. It needs to be resprayed periodically. I bought it but haven't actually used it, as I'm so busy in the spring.

John S
PDX OR
3 weeks ago
I had a suspicion that I hadn't found all of the entrances. Then I heard noises.  Then today, I saw a mouse.  Where was the other entrance? I went to the front of the shed, below the ramp the previous owners had installed, there was a very long slot, that was about 1/4" to 1/2" wide.  Even more CSI: it had old remnants of apples left in it.  It even dropped down really low to where a mouse, but not a rat, could climb down and slide his little body into the tool shed.  I filled it almost to the top with 1/4" gravel. I wanted to leave enough room for the concrete to have a little internal toughness so the critters won't keep clawing their way in.    I didn't put cement/concrete in yet, because it is going to rain heavily tonight and tomorrow.  I left it as is, so I can see if there is any movement in the next couple of days.  


Then I will fill it up with cement or concrete.  It won't be as thick as the other concrete around it, so it might crack in some places, but it will be tough enough to stop a mouse from digging his way in.  
3 weeks ago
I think the popularity of cats was related to this as well.
John S
PDX OR
3 weeks ago
I had to draw the gravel back so I could make the concrete thick enough to stay solid.  Soon, I will move the gravel back to discourage them further.

JOhn S
PDX OR
3 weeks ago