Betsy Moll

Yesterday I finished the first two rows of the food forest. I’m officially in maintenance mode until late fall, which is a great feeling. It’s not perfect, and not everything rooted, but the system is established and, most importantly, there are roots in the ground. There are still a few small projects left—building borders, weed eating, and continuing to move mulch to create a thick layer that suppresses weeds and feeds the soil. If I end up with a surplus of wood chips, I’ll start laying out future beds now to give them a head start for fall and spring planting. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to start with a manageable plan. It’s far easier to successfully establish a few beds than to spread yourself across ten. Another lesson: grass pressure is no joke. The sooner you address it, the less maintenance you’ll have down the road. Progress in a food forest isn’t measured by perfection. It’s measured by roots in the ground, soil being built, and systems becoming more established each year. 🌱

New comment 1d ago

Betsy Moll

2 likes • 7d

@Jim Flach my sprinkler is VERY effective. I had to move it this year since my tomato plants were blocking the line of "sight" for the motion sensor and they got to my green beans. Now that I've moved it, the green beans are recovering.

Betsy Moll

1 like • 1d

@Sarah Peterson true

Jim Flach

🔥

5d •

Family Permaculture

What does regenerative mean to you?

That word gets used a lot, and it can mean different things depending on where someone is standing. For me, regenerative starts with one question, "Is this system gaining life over time?" Is the soil becoming more alive? Is water soaking in better? Are roots going deeper? Are worms, fungi, insects, and birds showing up? Is the garden becoming less dependent on constant rescue? In a backyard, regenerative does not have to mean a perfect system. It may start with one covered bed, one compost pile, one perennial plant, one pollinator patch, or one family learning to observe before reacting. When you hear the word “regenerative,” what comes to mind first?

Poll

11 members have voted

New comment 5d ago

Betsy Moll

3 likes • 5d

For me, it really combines all of them. I've always seen something that regenerates as something that is self sustaining and doesn't need to be constantly monitored. Living soil supports the plants without a lot of external inputs. Yeah, sure, I input compost to feed the microbes in the soil, but that compost comes from the garden at a previous stage. So the garden is supporting itself and I'm just the intermediary. Growing food with nature means that I use nature to help the plants thrive. This means planting crops that either repel or draw pests to them so that the other crops don't suffer. It means planting crops that draw in the pollinators and beneficial predators that help the garden thrive. It means working WITH nature and not ignoring it. Biodiversity keeps things healthy. Doing only one crop in one area can lead to soil that is only good for one thing. And since my garden is for my kitchen, that would be a problem. I have a lot of different plants in my garden all jammed in together. When the soil holds water better, the whole system thrives. If the soil can't hold water, everything falls apart. And when everything thrives, that means that things are more stable. Not perfectly even, but stable. One bad day does not ruin everything.

Jim Flach

🔥

12d •

Using Food and Herbs

Some Herbs Build Slowly

Last week we talked about what an herb is doing in the body. Now we need to add one more layer. Some herbs are gentle supports. They are not always used because something is wrong right now. They are used because they help the body stay nourished, steady, and resilient over time. Nettle is a good example. It is mineral-rich and often used when the body feels run down or depleted. Oatstraw is another steady herb. It supports the nervous system in a slow, nourishing way. Rosehips can bring gentle daily support through food-like nourishment. These herbs are more like compost in the garden. We do not add compost and expect the whole garden to change overnight. We use it because it helps build the ground. This week, pick one gentle herb and ask: Would this herb be useful as steady support, or am I expecting it to act like a quick fix? A strong home apothecary starts with simple herbs we can understand and use with care.

New comment 8d ago

Betsy Moll

4 likes • 11d

I use both nettle and oat straw in my daily tea drink.

Sarah Peterson

15d •

General discussion

How many of you produce your own fertilizer?

We've always had lots of animals, including horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, etc.. so we always have an abundance of fertilizer/compost at various stages of drying out. Do you raise/make your own? Or do you buy it?

New comment 14d ago

How many of you produce your own fertilizer?

Betsy Moll

3 likes • 15d

I have a compost pile and I also have a local landscaping supply place where I get organic compost when I need to top dress the beds.

Sarah Peterson

18d •

General discussion

Food/Herb dryer

I bought this on Amazon since I've been drying so many of the things I'm foraging lately! Hopefully it works, I hung it up in our RV (we aren't using it, it's super clean, and the bugs/mice can't get to it). I've got jewelweed in it now!

New comment 8d ago