Gardening,organics,sustainable gardening,food crops,etc

[nomadguy]

I propose a challenge to you all ~ Produce a food forest or forest garden or urban garden, anything mentioned here. THis season and then present it here. SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO ~ I plan to, and so I am asking for you smarties to present what you do or have done, lets share our tips experiences and real scenarios and success (or failures) stories right here on Avalon.

Cheers
C...

[Cjay]

Great challenge nomadguy. I have already posted pictures of my current back yard here:
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post205790



This was my first ever Permaculture experiment: (click photos to enlarge)

Location 1, back - Feb 1997 - dust and weeds





Location 1, back - Apr 1998 - amazing growth (14 months later)





Location 1, side - July 1997 - most planting done





Location 1, side - Apr 1998 - amazing growth (9 months later)

[Cjay]

My second Permaculture experiment (a paid job): Click photos to enlarge

Location 2 - South - 02-July-2003





Location 2 - South - 18-Aug-2003 (finished planting)





Location 2 - South - 16-Nov-2007 (4 years + 3 months after planting)





Location 2 - North - 02-July-2003




Location 2 - North - 16-Nov-2007 (4 years + 3 months after planting)

[Patrikas]

Posted by nomadguy (here)
I propose a challenge to you all ~ Produce a food forest or forest garden or urban garden, anything mentioned here. THis season and then present it here. SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO ~ I plan to, and so I am asking for you smarties to present what you do or have done, lets share our tips experiences and real scenarios and success (or failures) stories right here on Avalon.

Cheers
C...

Good idea.......have any of you guys heard of or seen this product its interesting ..

http://www.relfe.com/sonic_bloom.html

http://www.originalsonicbloom.com/

[Cjay]

Posted by Patrikas (here)
Good idea.......have any of you guys heard of or seen this product its interesting ..

http://www.relfe.com/sonic_bloom.html

http://www.originalsonicbloom.com/

Thanks Patrikas, I saw that product about 2 years ago and passed on the information to a friend in Canada - he said he was going to run a controlled trial. I will follow up with him to see if he or anyone he knows tried it.

My understanding is there are two products:

• soni-grow has a sound like bullfrogs and stimulates vegetative growth
• sonic-bloom has a sound like birds and stimulates flowering and fruiting

I'm not sure if the nutrient solutions are different for grow and bloom - I would guess they are different because plants have different nutrient requirements at different stages of their growth cycles.

I noticed there are lots of videos here: http://originalsonicbloom.com/videos.htm and I will watch those with interest.

One issue I have with these products is that they require power to drive the sound-generators. Nature can do a very good job without electricity. I am personally most interested in perfecting more passive systems that can be used on very large areas of land in very remote areas.



I just looked up the old information I sent my friend in 2009 - here it is below:

http://befreetech.com/sonigrow.htm


This from Google Videos:

Soni-Grow - Grow Produce At The Speed of Sound
04:26 - 4 years ago
oniGrow is a completely natural, organic plant and produce growth aid that uses a special combination of nutrients along with a special sound pattern to enhance plant growth and health. The special sounds open up the pores of the plants at the leaf level, allowing the plant to drink in the specially formulated nutrient solution. So even if you have poor soil, you can grow produce that is bigger, healthier, more nutritious, longer lasting, and better tasting without any chemicals. SoniGrow will even make your plants more resistant to pests and disease, without the use of pesticides. The results are truly amazing. It’s easy to use for flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables! The Home and Garden Kit comes with an audio tape of the sound pattern, a concentrated nutrient formula, a spray bottle and a gardening spade.

I can't get the video to imbed, so here is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...3400375240409#

This is the same (very poor quality) video on YouTube:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMApqX8qTOo

[nomadguy]

I did a few small tests with certain minerals that plants want or need and a harmonic chime. I had some unexpected and amazing results... IE a four leaf clover and five-leaf that lived through winter... which included feet of snow and -5 degree F temps.

[eva08]

I am not exactly a fan of Gordon Ramsey's personality, but I found his videos of his Great Escape to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand excellent. He is showing how to make the best food from what exists and it is truly and eye-opener. I could not stop watching.
Great Escape Cambodia

[eva08]

Here is the video I was referring to, it shows how to capture and cook tarantula, how honey is collected - I guess it's good to know all that in a pinch. Actually these are the very best foods and it's all right there. The Cambodian diet was a solution to famine.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC_3MY1CgtI

there's 4 or 5 parts to this episode and then there is also the vietnam 5 part series. All excellent.

[edina]

I wanted to post this here real quick before I forget, bumped into someone today who had a conversation with an old time potatoe farmer.

Here's a tip:

If you want to grow potatoes, but feel you don't have enough water, just cut those older rotten potatoes so each cutting has at least 3 eyes, and plant 6 inches deep. They will make there own potatoes. This is not something I have heard or read anywhere. Potatoes are a great calorie crop. A good 'un to grow.

[nomadguy]

thats a great tip Edina, also everytime you eat potatoes look for the potato eyes, slice them off each has the potential to be a full potato plant. Add your slices over time to a sandy area that gets a small amount of water. Potatoes dont like too much water

[nomadguy]

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8mG-LOOYVE

[Cjay]

Dear sygh,

I'm sorry I missed your post of about 4 weeks ago.

Posted by sygh (here)
Dear Cjay,

I can't thank you enough for this thread. You have presented so much information about food foresting, permaculture, compost tea, the ethics of ecologogical design... in short, the garden of Eden, and it's wonderful. When the student is ready, the teacher appears, LOL this is exactly what I needed.

First of all, I've got about an acre of land on the coastal plains of NC, right at the mouth of the Cape Fear River (sandy soil and brackish) I'd like to set up. Can you suggest a good book that instructs the reader on what the the best way to do this might be?

Also, I am finally finishing up my college career studying solar, thermal, and geothermal sustainable energy sources and solutions, to include architectural and ecological design. I had been trying for a Electrical Engineering Degree because I wanted to design alternative energy systems. However, I would have had to move, which was impossible for me. Consequently, the road I have taken has led me to exactly where I needed to be. Where I live, a group of us have spent a lot of time promoting, and talking in front of voters (bond issues) and patrons to incorporate alternative energy solutions and design into the local community college. YEAH!!!!! Now I get to attend these classes. HURRAY!!!!

Further, I am blessed to be involved with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) showcase project, right on the Cape Fear River, here in Southport, NC. We find ourselves in the home planning stages. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have all of this knowledge you have shared, as an inspiration. With permission from everyone involved, maybe I can post some of the progress.

Firstly, thanks for your positive comments about the information I have shared in this thread. I'm glad you are finding it useful. I don't pretend to know it all. In fact, I am always learning new things. It's nice to be able to share my new knowledge with anyone who is genuinely interested.


I recommend Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren.
Here is a direct link to where you can purchase the book:
http://www.permacultureprinciples.co...principles.php

For an overview, start by reading this post and watching the video:
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post242648
Then go to the Permaculture Principles website and read all of it:
http://permacultureprinciples.com/


I also recommend PERMACULTURE: A Designers Manual by Bill Mollison.
You can purchase that book (and other great books) here: http://www.tagari.com/store/12


You will also find some useful tips in the video Greening The Desert (Geoff Lawton) - the second video in this post:
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post187963


You will need to select your plant species carefully as the brackish environment might kill most plants. I suggest searching Google for "salt-tolerant plants" - you should find lots of information. If you are planting some plants that are not salt-tolerant, such as vegetables, you might need to have raised garden beds to keep the roots out of the brackish water. This may not be necessary, depending on how far below the soil surface you find the level of the ground water.

It's also a good idea to find some outstanding gardens in similar locations in your area and talk to the owners/gardeners about their experiences (particularly problems they encountered and their solutions) and discuss your project with them. Their advice and local knowledge could be very useful.

I am interested to see your progress reports. Good luck!

[WhiteFeather]

Simply Fantastic, Wow!

[nomadguy]

Nature is Teacher ~ read the plants read the landscape
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/07/1...the-landscape/

[Dennis Leahy]

This thread needs a good bump.

In my latitude of the northern hemisphere, it is time to plant a few of the seeds (indoors) for crops that need a longer growing season than we have. I'm just planting some leek and onion seeds now.

c'mon gardiners: share!

Dennis

[pugwash84]

I heard that if you plant onions with your carrots then the carrot fly's wont lay eggs and the maggots wont eat the carrots because they wont be able to smell them over the smell of the onions.

[nomadguy]

I always start the three sisters in doors early(Feb-Mar), IE melon/squash+corn+beans/peanuts

[Strat]

Tomatoes transplanted yesterday. After planting those, I transplanted squash and cucumber. About an hour after planting the wind blew really hard all the way into the night. Then it rained till morning. Then about afternoon the wind came back again.

I think everything is OK (albeit beat up) but one of the cucumbers might not make it. It's up to nature. I'm really looking forward to see how the tomatoes turn out this year. You can see I have a lot more room for more plants, I'm still deciding on what to plant. I'm thinking swiss chard and sweet potatoes but I'm not too sure.

[eva08]

Strat, I have success using straw as mulch and covering young plants a little as wind cover, frost blanket and heat shield (necessary in my area)

[Dennis Leahy]

Posted by Strat (here)
Tomatoes transplanted yesterday. After planting those, I transplanted squash and cucumber. About an hour after planting the wind blew really hard all the way into the night. Then it rained till morning. Then about afternoon the wind came back again.

I think everything is OK (albeit beat up) but one of the cucumbers might not make it. It's up to nature. I'm really looking forward to see how the tomatoes turn out this year. You can see I have a lot more room for more plants, I'm still deciding on what to plant. I'm thinking swiss chard and sweet potatoes but I'm not too sure.

Strat,

Do you have the catalog from Horizon Herbs?

Here's some info I posted elsewhere a few days ago:
==================================
A small seed company I'd like to share with my friends: Horizon Herbs - "Seeds of Medicine, Seeds of Sustenance" (herbs, spices, vegetables, etc.)

Horizon Herbs is a certified organic farm and organic processor.

(from their humble catalog)

"Our seeds and plants are GMO-free, untreated, open pollinated, and packed with love. All seeds and plants provided by Horizon Herbs are meant for the public good and shall remain in the public domain. No patents or genetic engineering allowed."

==============================

A number of unusual herbs and medicinal plants you might not find elsewhere. And, it is extremely important that those of us who care deeply about seeds that are organic and non-GMO, (as well as those of us that want culinary and medicinal herbs in our gardens), support these small seed companies!

In addition to all the cool medicinal and culinary herbs, check out some of the interesting vegetables and grain seeds. For example, (if you have room to grow corn), check out the Hopi Blue Corn (30% higher protein than hybrid corn), Double Red Sweet Corn, and Anasazi Sweet Corn ("Originally obrtained from a cave in New Mexico where a forward seeing Anasazi Indian had sequestered the seeds in a ceramic pot, lidded and sealed with pine pitch. After sprouting and growing out, the corn revealed itself as a currently unknown strain of multiple colors tasting wholesome and sweet.")

http://www.horizonherbs.com/


==================================

Dennis
p.s. I'm jealous if by "transplant" you mean into outdoor soil. We got at least a foot of snow yesterday, and Spring has not yet sprung here.