If you’re looking for a way to get the maximum yield out of a small permaculture garden space, a tree guild permaculture design is a great way to start. What is a Tree Guild? A tree guild is a group of plants placed around a primary food producing species, such as an apple tree,
Foraging violets takes me straight back to my childhood, not just to real events that occurred, but also to the dreams I had as a little girl. When I was little, one of my favorite things to do in spring was to find a shady spot under a fruit tree, brush my hands over
Foraging Conifers is Permaculture if done right. When most people think of Permaculture, they think of lush polycultures, chicken yards, tree guilds, or perhaps water catchment. One thing that most people don’t associate with Permaculture is foraging, but foraging, if it’s done ethically, is definitely an element of a Permaculture system. An important goal
The time has come to talk about chickens and what they can eat. A chicken is a wonderful animal. She will eat many of your kitchen scraps and spent plants and weeds, while producing not only eggs, but also nutritious manure for the garden, feathers, and hours of silly entertainment. A chicken can also
For many years I waged war in my garden. I dug dandelions out of my lawn, using a tool called Grandpa’s Weeder, and I made huge piles of wilting Sheep’s Sorrel, which slowly dried up in a distant corner by the big pine tree. Every summer my back complained, and every spring the weeds returned
You can go ahead and call me a nerd, and it would be true. I engage in many nerdly pursuits and thought patterns. When I’m driving my car, with my phone charging, I find myself wondering if charging my phone in the car lowers the car’s performance just a tiny bit, so that the car
Lace leafed Elderflower This year we’ve had an unusual amount of rain, which is heavenly after the years of intense heat and drought we’ve had recently. The plants are ecstatic, growing rampant, rioting all over the yard. Early in the morning, I stand in the still humid air and breathe deeply, reveling in
Nettles thriving in the shade of a Japanese Maple Have you ever eaten stinging nettles? Believe it or not, they are delicious and good for you. Urtica dioica, stinging nettles, contain vitamins A, C, and K, as well as several B vitamins. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium, as
They call me the Queen of Quince. That sounds a bit Seussical, but it is God’s truth. I cannot pass a quince tree with indifference or treat it with insouciance, nor can I waste even a single slice of its fruit. My friends and acquaintances know of my obsession, and every October they pick
Emergencies make for an interesting and surprising journey. When I first heard that our town had declared a level 3 water emergency, meaning no outdoor watering at all, I went into my own emergency mode. I put buckets in the tubs and showers and sinks, declaring that no flush should occur with fresh water.
