We are not going to wait for someone to do it for us.
Update on http://nowthepathforward.us
NOW the Path Forward has been operational for two weeks.
Participants have initiated six courses so far.
- Alternative Gardening Methods: Round Bales, Raised Beds, Etc.
- Cooking From Scratch
- Reading Club: Classic Books at http://www.gutenberg.org/
- Listening Book Club: Classic Audio Books at https://librivox.org/
- Harvesting Rain Water
- Building FLOSS C/C++ Programs from Source Code on Windows & Linux
Two people from my SchoolForge list (educational, supporting Linux and Open Source Software) are actively working on developing and contributing.
I added a philosophical statement on the frontpage.
The philosophical premise is that we are not going to wait for someone else to do it for us. We are doing it ourselves ... now.
I got to thinking, "what can nowthepathforward.us offer, that other sites do not?" For example, one participant shared a link to http://davesgarden.com. It is an amazing site with over 700,000 members and discussion forums. But it is scattered information. I hope we can come away with document packages that supply a holistic view. In the case of gardening, I want for each geographical area everything you need to know for a food forest. What to plant, radically amend, water, off season growing, how much to feed your family = a system that works.
Some geographical areas already have systems developed. Not here in north central Texas. Landscaping, yes. Vegetable gardening, no.
Please write in the comments if you have suggestions about how to communicate the purpose better, or any other ideas too.
Comments
Don't be too rigid on the food forest idea.
There is no one food forest that "works" for any region, but many. The food forest is modeled on what nature already does, which is anything but rigid, or predictable, or consistent, or even reliably stable. Every site should get its own forest, attuned to its specific soils and rainfall and light and microclimates, and one that permits a lot of tweaking over decades as you get to see what works and what doesn't. Nature also tries all kinds of possibilities on any site and ends up with the one that doesn't die. Even after you decide what kinds of plants you want, the sourcing will result in different outcomes, due to the genetics of the individual plants.
And while Davesgarden is very useful (I have it bookmarked), especially because it notes sources for these plants, there are several such sites that should be looked at for any species or cultivar.
More useful for your specific inclinations might be
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Default.aspx
And there's
https://plants.usda.gov/java/
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfindersearch.aspx
https://www.wildflower.org/
And for practical input on mixing your plants:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants
There are many, many more websites for more specific plant groups and objectives. And of course there are hard-print books that are unavailable on the toobz, especially if you are interested in heritage plants.
Thanks for the links and wisdom
"Food forest" is a term I use rather loosely and in ignorance!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
For us in the cold climates
the best option seems to be growing a traditional harvest garden and preserving the surplus.
So I need help with things like how to make a clamp (that's outside storage for taters) or for how to store the excess in the basement and not attract every mouse and rat in the neighborhood.
Another difficulty we have is that with a short growing season, you don't get any do overs. If Phil the groundhog eats your bean plants, you don't harvest beans that year.
Permaculture, which is where the Food Forest idea comes from, was developed in Australia, and is very applicable to tropical environments. Mollison has some good ideas for cold zoners, but unless you can afford heated high tunnels and greenhouses, you better be planning on food storage.
For you in Texas, you might want be thinking about water capture and storage. If you have a large spread, you might want to consider tree planting on some of it to raise your water table. You have two growing seasons, maters, peppers, cukes and zukes and big squashes in summer and cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) in winter.
Mary Bennett
I appreciate your information
Thank you!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Pest control
This shit is bananas.
What I hope for is rodent proof storage.
So they don't get into the stored rutabagas and I don't have to buy cat food and litter and don't have cats pooping in the vege beds in summer.
I am thinking of moth balls, inside the basement, not out, which nothing eats and which do seem to deter rodents.
Mary Bennett
OMG
I am so envious of you that you have stored rutabagas.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
That was last year, and they stood all winter in the back yard.
I do think they are an excellent variety and I hope to have more this next season.
Mary Bennett
Not many get this
Possibly I am not communicating this properly. Or it might be beyond the realm of understanding.
If I or others do not figure out how to grow food locally here. People will die.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
May I suggest, go to the library
and look up Bill Mollison. See if you can get his big book, the one with the world egg with a snake curled around it design on the front cover, through interlibrary loan. That is the permaculture bible. I also strongly recommend a subscription to AcresUSA, which is mostly for sustainable farmers but has a lot of good info for gardeners as well. Some Barnes & Nobles carry it.
In the meantime, is there no gardening club near you? The members might be chemical gardeners, and you might have to be too. I hope not, but if that is what it takes till you figure out how to work with your soil and climate, at least it gets you gardening. And the members undoubtedly can connect you to someone who does make a go of non chemical methods. In hot climates, TIMING is critical. I found that out when I lived in CA. Plant after a certain date, it was late April in CA, and your plants simply don't get enough water at their roots, never mind how much you irrigate. Local gardeners can help you with that.
Mary Bennett
Teach by example.
Sometimes that is all you can do. The more folks take up food growing, the more respectable it becomes.
Mary Bennett
Even famous Texas gardener
Neil Sperry (sp) says, "we Texans love our state but know it is difficult to grow vegetables here."
Terrible alkaline soil and really short growing seasons. This year when I started growing in big round bales .. I know I crossed a threashhold. Radical soil amending. Plus. It has to be in A March 1.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
People are already dying in
I think what you are doing is great and can help prevent despair.
I have a brother who has had a veg garden most of his life,even if he had to use pots while living in an apartment. Great skill to have imo.
The unpredictability of climate coupled with increased intensity of drought and storm is a monumental challenge we all will have surmount.
But doing nothing is not an option. Thanks for sharing what you are doing!
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Liberation Permaculture
Thank you for the update. I dream about growing stuff but am landless and stone broke, cannot even make dirt. But I can still dream, and I still tend the volunteer oak leaf lettuce in my tiny deck container, ate four leaves yesterday. lol One of my regular bookmark visits is to r/Permaculture/ , a lot of "industrious" people you have to dig for the good stuff. I think its where I saw Lessons of the Loess Plateau. Here is another talk (sorry if its redundant) by Toby Hemenway called Liberation Permaculture.
http://tobyhemenway.com/
Another documentary from John Liu:
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/whats-on/ou-on-the-bbc-hope-changing-climate-0
Thanks for teaching and sharing, and thanks for making dirt and growing food. Cheers!
PEACE
Thanks for the links and info!
The lessons of the loess plateau video really changed my way of thinking. Then I noticed my garden area taking on a life of it's own. Don't really know how the two should merge. ???
I had you in mind when I put up nowthepathforward.us actually. You might not be able to garden, but there can be a course/space on any topic. "Having fun with Slackware"? "Family Stories as History" ?
Peace to you too.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo