permaculture

[Claude Genest <genest@together.net>]

> hollyhock & other mallows - big showy, various colors; edible
What part of hollyhocks are edible ? The flower I presume ?  I thought they were toxic ?
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Where are you from?
>
>
> > I am from Oklahoma City, and live on a city lot in an older Oklahoma
> > City central neighborhood built in the 1920s.  All of my available
> > space for gardening is in my two front yards (I am on a corner), and
> > the buildings are right up against the other property lines.  I am
> > finishing the third year of my project of creating a "forest edge
> > garden".  This past year's garden diary is online at
> > http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/2002gardendiary.htm .
> >
> > I am in the master gardener's training program with OKlahoma County
> > Extension, and today we got the results back for our soil test.  On a
> > per acre basis, mine came out:
> >
> > Nitrogen:  232 lbs/acre
> > Phosphorus:  575 lbs/acre
> > Potassium:  1462 lbs/care
> >
> > which are all waaaaay above what Extension described as being ideal
> > for vegetable gardens.  My soil pH was 6.7.
> >
> > My gardens are untilled raised beds on top of a former lawn, planted
> > intermixed about 2/3rds perennials and 1/3 annuals.  I presume it had
> > been lawn since the house was constructed in 1929.  For the three
> > years I've been working on this, I have fertilized with nothing but
> > compost.  My compost is primarily shredded trees, grass clippings,
> > flowers, dried leaves, and kitchen leftovers.  The walls of the beds
> > are logs (mostly elm) from two mature trees on this property that in
> > my first two years here were taken down by wind and ice storms.
> >
> > I had very lush growth and good production all summer, except for the
> > tomatoes, which grew very nice plants but were a bit stingy on the
> > tomatoes (it was also an abnormally cool year for Oklahoma City, not
> > one single day over 100 degrees and I only watered maybe 6 times since
> > spring.)  And except also for most of the perennials like fruit trees
> > and berry canes/vines which haven't been in place long enough to begin
> > producing.
> >
> > Another question:  how do y'all feel about pruning grape vines?
> > Everyone I know says "prune them".  I was wondering how some of the
> > more experienced permaculturists felt about that.  I haven't pruned
> > mine since planting them two years ago, but was thinking about doing
> > that for the next season.
> >
> > I'm thinking that Extension standards are probably based on
> > conventional agriculture and gardening and I was wondering how these
> > soil test results compare with others of you out there who have had
> > soil tests done on your permacultured gardens.
> >
> > Third question:  I mentioned the master gardener class I am in, I was
> > thinking about producing a handout to give to everybody in the class
> > with a short list of food producing plants in each of the seven layers
> > of a permacultured forest garden.  I have quite a bit of material, but
> > I would like some more suggestions for "color".
> >
> > Thus far under that I have Maximilien sunflowers (mine put on two
> > separate and very showy displays of flowers this year), purple
> > echinacea, rosa rugosa, purple hyacinth beans, Mexican mint marigold,
> > daylilies, perennial kale, dandelions, and amaranth (which in my
> > garden is self seeding).  Any other suggestions?
> >
> > And finally, about those Maximilien sunflowers, I was expecting a bit
> > bigger seed, as supposedly they are an oil sunflower (so I read
> > somewhere on the net).  Any thoughts about extracting oil from the
> > seeds?  Also, should I cut them back closer to the ground (I bought
> > two pots, and they each grew into 10' tall stalks, covered with
> > flowers.  Even if they aren't edible and I was mistaken about that,
> > their beauty is food for the soul.
> >
> > Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma City
> >
> >
> >
> >
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Green Mountain Permaculture: Solutions, Sustenance, Sustainability

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