Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>]

Debbie Mcdonald wrote:
> Paul, can you expand on the comments 
> you made regarding "forest gardens that 
> shouldn't be there anyway?? or something like that?

I'm not Paul, and Paul tends to be short to the point of 
obscure about what he means sometimes. I don't think he 
likes to take the time to type.

Trees don't grow in some places naturally. He thinks it's a 
bad idea to try to force it to happen.  Still, that's what 
any of us who garden do in essence, we force edible or 
pretty plants that are not native to the area to grow there 
so we can consume or look at them.

Now, of course in most areas there IS some vegetation (like 
tall bushes) that does grow naturally. Trying to grow a 
forest garden in a place where there is limited water and 
where tall trees don't occur naturally is not necessarily a 
great idea. BUT, you can adapt it using local edible native 
plants with some height to them, and once you do get some 
moisture retaining going on, you can introduce a few trees 
or taller bushes. It's not going to be the same or as easy 
as doing it in a place that trees grow on their own. I think 
people get too married to the idea of "only one right way" 
to do a thing.

I think if you're going to spend the water to grow a fruit 
tree or a wood tree anyway you might as well do it 
efficiently, and forest gardens look like they might be 
efficient. I like multi-use functions for things. I intend 
to lean heavily to plants that don't use a terribly large 
amount of water when/if I play with it.

> Have any of you a solar greehouse? I have a bunch of 
> barrels and I remembered reading about lining the bottom 
> of a greenhouse with them full of water to heat it some 
> but? I am having trouble imagining it:)

Barrels need to be black to help in any heat absorption, 
assuming that is the major function of the water. They work 
best in areas with lots of sunlight. Water, just by itself 
is a passive climate adjuster. It soaks up heat when the air 
is warmer than it is and releases it when it is cooler than 
it is. Think of a rock in the sun. It soaks up heat all day 
then the rock is warm on into the night. I don't have any 
first hand experience with it. I understand the theory.

Other people tout other things. I haven't got a real 
greenhouse yet, not sure I want one.

Some people use bunnies to heat their greenhouse, or so I've 
read. I imagine bunnies and water together would be ok as 
long as you keep the place cool enough the rabbits don't 
die. Rabbits don't do heat real well.

Where I live, I can see 80-90 on my plasticed in porch 
during the day(when it's 40-50 outside and sunny),I use it 
to heat up my house during the afternoon on those days, 
although it does cool down to freezing or near freezing at 
night. Part of that is the flooring not being solid. One of 
these years I will lay down removable solid flooring once 
the plastic is up and stick a monitor in there and track 
temps all day for a winter. I wouldn't want it there all summer.

Morgan