Member FaithK
MemberForum Replies Created
-
Mine are east-west, but I do remember Danny saying Southeast to Northwest. Then again, this was before the sun intensity has gone bonkers. Make sure to build in shade to your rows no matter how you plant them, because “full sun” for most things actually means 6ish hours a day, sometimes 8. I think as long as you’re keeping plant needs in mind, any direction will really work.
-
I like Luke. But when he “goes against the grain” he can get kinda defensive and superior. That doesn’t happen too often, but this is one of those times.
Nitrogen fixing by legumes: Nodules on roots convert nitrogen in the air to nitrogen that the plants can use. The plants respirate (breathe in) nitrogen, bring it to the roots, root nodules produce an exudate that helps change that nitrogen to ammonia. Then it’s broken down into nitrates and nitrates, the latter being what commercial fertilizers use for nitrogen. So yeah, the nitrogen IS used by the plant that produces it. Yes, you can chop and drop and it’ll add nitrogen just like any other green plant breaking down. If you totally pull that plant up, roots and all, you’re taking all of the ability to convert. It stops feeding those microbes that help that nitrogen convert to ammonia. Essentially, those nodules are the milkshake that brings all the microbes to the yard. So yeah, once the plant flowers and produces fruit/seeds, it starts dying, because that’s what plants do. So of course, it won’t continue to convert atmospheric nitrogen.
Essentially, Luke is ignoring the whole living web of soil and all the intricate relationships. He’s technically right in some ways, but not in the big picture.
As far as what Billy and others do, planting large perennials (like black locust) will continue to convert nitrogen in the soil, helping everything around it, bringing the correct microbes in, etc. and it doesn’t stop, because it doesn’t stop producing. If the plant dies, though, the nitrogen production will slow and eventually stop without other input.
-
Get enough on board, yup. We can turn it all around. But that’s the hard part, and the part that really does take patience – which I find many “freedom loving people” don’t have. But it’s something that gains momentum exponentially. So each person that “converts”, they end up bringing several more with them, and so on and so on and scooby doobie doobie…
Take for instance, the anti-abortion movement (I’m using it as an obvious example; please no discussion). Society has done its best in the last 50 years to not only normalize abortion, but in the last decade, to begin to promote it and call it good. The anti-abortion movement shoots itself in the foot with the protests and spending time and money to try to make it illegal. You prevent abortion by convincing the other side to change their minds, not outlawing it. Make it socially repugnant. Offer things that the other side won’t even touch. Offer support, physical, financial, emotional, etc. Support programs that help women and children directly, support adoptions, come up with new ways to help (“adopting” a woman and her child for a time, etc.)
In other words, you change the hearts, and the rest will follow. Look at the number of states, and individuals, that are pro-life, even if they feel it should be legal, that don’t believe it really is a viable option. The work that those of us who focus on solutions rather than laws are changing the landscape. What you see in the anti-life movement (not just pro-abortion) is the last gasp, the death knell of the movement. They are the human that makes themselves look big in front of a bear hoping like hell they’ll trick the bear and won’t die.
The same can happen in the freedom communities. Slowly win people over – not by being a dick, not by talking about stoning people who don’t agree with you, not talking about revolutions. Be aware of the world, so you can counteract the world. We are the counter-culture now, not the liberal hippies of the 60s. Live your life. Raise up your children and grandchildren. Teach by example. Be visible in your community or online, and not just in echo chambers.
Oh shit I really can ramble.
-
Tobacco poultice (with spit, not water) draws out poison from stings and bites.
I used a product called Medi-honey, which is a pharmacy med (most you just have to ask; some want a doctor, might depend on the state), to heal a very, very large open sore on my abdomen. I’m the one who suggested it to my doctor after some research into natural ways to heal sores without a doctor around, as I am diabetic and don’t play with that. The primary ingredient is manuka honey. I applied a nice layer, put on a nonstick bandage and wrapped nicely with gauze. Changed it every 2 days or so. It didn’t even leave a scar (it was several mm deep and probably 2.5″ x 2″. The first couple days looked kinda gnarly, as it was healing, it was sloughing off the dead skin on the margins. After about 3 days it was a pretty pink that gradually got smaller and smaller over another week or so.
-
There are so many things it could be. Right now, most things here are stunted because of lack of rain (6B, Southern Illinois). Other places have too much rain. Other places are having too much heat and blazing sun. And those are only the beginning of issues that could be happening.
Soil testing doesn’t have to be expensive to get an idea what’s going on nutritionally (at least with NPK). Lustre leaf (or leaf lustre, or something like that) has what they call a 40 test pack. It’s 10 each of pH test, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. I found out I basically had dead soil, very slightly acidic, that needed a bunch of things to produce. I don’t keep up with the fertilizer though. I really wanted a STUN garden (sheer, total, utter neglect) but I’m a few years from that. Anyway, that test pack is only like $15 and can be found at most big-box stores or even places like Ace. It’s good for keeping tabs on how your soil is changing through the season. You can get in touch with your local extension service; they may offer free or very very inexpensive soil testing. There are places online that also do pretty detailed soil testing for like $40-50 with quick turnaround.
Good luck, and come back with some pics! Experienced gardeners are great at diagnosing a lot of issues just by looking (I am not one of them lol)
-
Off topic: Multipass! 😜
-
Oh, and have you noticed they they’ve brushed under the rug all of the medical records that were hacked from major medical centers, research centers, nationwide medical info companies? Oooh, protect your credit score! Don’t look at all the shit we let them steal about you that is very, very personal, and can be used for more nefarious means. Just call the credit agencies like a good little sheep, and get really riled up and worried, and don’t look at anything else we’re actually letting them do.
-
Still trying to figure out what good my credit score is anymore, since with my killer score that I’ve brought to up to excellent from like 520 for both myself and my husband is just going to be used to make me pay more for a mortgage to “support” people who still have, and always will have, a 520. And it’s so easy to fix nowadays – you call the credit agencies and say “it’s not me; I was in the LA drivers license breech” and they go, oh, okay, here, we’ll take it off your report.” You can “freeze” your credit so no one other than you can use the credit… well if they have ALL of my other information, can’t they pretend to be me to unfreeze the credit? Jeez.
-
You mean the short? No, the neighbors are logging the property that butts up the cabin. So alll those beautiful trees behind him on porch time are gonna be gone.
-
How about this. Weather patterns are being affected seriously by the smoke and heat.
And… There’s video of the day the fires in southern Quebec started. They started in many places, many many miles apart, very literally simultaneously. Dutchsinse posted it one evening, and was like, WTF is happening? You can see the smoke at each starting at exactly the same moment… on a clear blue day.
-
YES! I’m so happy. Other than one shishito pepper picked way too soon just because it was there and I wanted to taste it lol, this has been it other than some greens.
And yeah, the part of the video from the morning was yesterday. It was actually like 85 at that point with a 95 heat index (I checked after I filmed). When I planted this morning, it was 88 with a 97 heat index – at like 830. This afternoon I think it’s supposed to be like 100 with 110+ heat index. Horrible. And humid too. Not like Louisiana humid, but still. We better get rain, because I don’t want to water the seeds I planted in their place (purple hull peas, burgandy snaps, martian jewel corn, – GEAUX TIGERS! – and pattypan squash). Rainwater! Yeah, not likely. I’ll water the seeds in tomorrow morning if it doesn’t rain today, and the forecast changes. We’re in official “moderate drought”. I’m lucky I’m getting anything.
-
I forget where you are? It’s really easy to grow in most areas. I was thinking about buying a bag or two of cheap alfalfa for backup, and growing a little patch in a few places in the flower beds along the house to soften the brick, add a little, what do the home shows call it, background interest. 🙂 Then it’s there for me to chop up into tiny pieces and compost or sprinkle around the real garden with other things too.
-
Alfalfa is a good ground nitrogen source, I’d say better than cottonseed meal because that stuff is usually GMO and sprayed heavily – unless you have a good source. I love me some cotton flowers…. anyway… lol If you want something ground and heavily nitrogen, alfalfa is great. It also jumpstarts a compost pile like nobody’s business, even better than coffee grounds. Of course, I think they just approved a GMO alfalfa too, so…
-
Yep, for tomatoes and peppers. My in-ground at the big garden have a thin layer of shreds because the weather is so dry and I didn’t have a good natural mulch source. The bags/containers over at the house have it since containers can dry out quickly. I tell you, in those poly bags, with the shreds, and letting them be in partial shade (technically full day of sun, but not 100% all day blazing like at the garden), I seldom have to water. The soil isn’t soggy, but it doesn’t dry out easily at all. I used to have to water containers daily here, but not this time with the changes.
-
Absolutely agreed. Maybe less shade in that direction may open up some additional farming or grazing land for them? Maybe they can guerrilla plant some pecan trees, or some kind of perennial plants once the owners aren’t paying attention.