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. 🌱

How many of you use cattle/livestock panels to build your greenhouses? Do you have any pics/examples? Do you have a lot of wind where you are? We've had so many other projects come up this year that we haven't started building ours yet, so I'd still love to look at the way other people have theirs set up.

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!

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.

We have discussed protected growing environment issues, like water , mulch, ventilation and area, here is some figures from the end of a hot day , mid June at 18h in the evening. Last watering 20 hours ago and under the grass mulch it's still moist.(Total area 100sqm). Amount of water given 220l by watering can. Daytime temperature 30 degrees Celsius. Temperature now inside the tunnel 28 degrees. Temperature outside only two or three degrees less. Conditions of tomato plants, slightly wilting. Soil temperature 23 degrees . I would consider this to be adverage in all aspects, and the performance of the environment, to me , seems good. No disease, or pests and steady uniform growth, could be a little more advanced in growth, but the plants were small when planted and it was quite late (21 days ago)up to the last frost date.