Oddbean

Ended up with over 60lb of squash from the food forest this season. https://i.nostr.build/9L9X.jpg https://i.nostr.build/kmrV.jpg We have grown squash in the food forest for the last 4 years. The first year we grew very little but the second year we were able to get over 60lb. Last year was similar to the first, very little squash but this year we grew over 60lb again. There has pretty much been no consistency when it comes to planting times and techniques, so I'm not surprised by the inconsistency. It would cost almost $80 to buy at this much organic squash at the grocery store, right now. While the seeds were cheap, I did spend some time planting the squash. I didn't keep track of how long it took exactly but I bet it was less than 2hrs total to plant. Plus, by integrating the squash bed into the food forest I was also fertilizing the perennial plants at the same time. The only additional interaction I had with the squash was harvesting it, no watering or weeding. All things considered, even though squash is fairly cheap to buy at the moment, I think it was worth it to grow my own. There is also something special about eating food grown with homemade soil and the sunlight and water that falls on the homestead. #homesteading #permaculture #permies #meshtadel #foodforest #selfsovereignty #squash #subsistancecrop #gardening #forestgarden #garden nostr:nevent1qqsp2cfr64ghjnjuhlgx5tjr5qzusddwq2asd25vpz893neydhkkm6gpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz8rv0da

Spaghetti squash lamb yakisoba https://i.nostr.build/dwoOO.jpg Still stretching what we harvested last fall into this spring. Not the most exciting dishes but using what we have. The squash, lamb and golden oyster mushrooms all from the homestead in this meal. https://i.nostr.build/GeMKV.jpg https://i.nostr.build/Z5xOP.jpg We used some fiat scallions too but thanks to inspiration from a fellow pleb, I'm planting the bulbs to see if I can get another harvest. #homesteading #permies #permaculture #meshtadel #foodstr nostr:nevent1qqs2rjg4ysqu5vx4e9p5w5f7g55alus5exnl6ufv6xunx7fap0gz3sgpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczypxsy08fmlt45leswkuw3cyyqz97z7slw5xx8dw7wg0xa7yr4hrk2qcyqqqqqqgyzl72z

A food forest is a perennial garden modeled after a forest. Each plant filling a niche amongst the 7 forest layers. The food forest I have planted is 7 years old and the largest fruit trees are now starting to produce. I'm growing apples, peaches, plums and cherries. Below are hazelnut and elderberry. Then raspberry, gooseberry and currant. Below that, rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish, comfrey. Finally strawberry ground cover. I am growing hops and grapes trellised in nitrogen fixing black alder trees too. Everything is commingled in rows and in-between the rows of perennials I plant subsistence crops like potatoes, squash, and garlic while I can still get enough light before the canopy of the fruit trees close. There are more plants in there that play a more supplemental role like mulberry, black locust, cup plant, yarrow, and zizia. Hundreds of pounds of food come from the 1/10 acre area every year without watering. I weed/fertilize less each year and spend more time planting, harvesting and managing the existing plants. It's a low time preference way to grow a diverse and large amount of nutrition in a small space. Just takes years to establish. #permaculture #permies #homeateading #meshtadel #foodforest nostr:nevent1qqs9ydqfcw8hyh8jxx77qwqx6pkhds45nu2yv8lv9qpwpk2vtzursaspz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qr0rs5q2gk0e3dk3nlc7gnu378ec6cnlenqp8a3cjhyzu6f8k5sgsxpqqqqqqza8tw9k

I really like the edible acres YouTube channel for permaculture ideas and inspiration. https://youtu.be/hd58moWMs0E?si=Me0yWr4jnTPK4T5B nostr:nevent1qqsfd9a0hqw3780smkmprvh55j7ghvq246ukq7nlw97g0pf2x22ldlcpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczyqduwzspfzelx9k6x0lrez0j8cl8rtz0lxvqylk8z2ustnfy76jpzqcyqqqqqqgvfyh0r

Here are a few examples of the harvest last year from the food forest. Hard to get a sense of everything in there because it's all so tangled up and wild looking. nostr:nevent1qqspclgvvnmats27rzhc4relzzc9zwm84ywwkhfqqr528uzmalnd20qxa3l7t nostr:nevent1qqsp2cfr64ghjnjuhlgx5tjr5qzusddwq2asd25vpz893neydhkkm6gpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczypxsy08fmlt45leswkuw3cyyqz97z7slw5xx8dw7wg0xa7yr4hrk2qcyqqqqqqgrarlqq nostr:nevent1qqs8pj8ega9jffpq3mv3x078hv6zq48q66pg2y8w9qxm0phyv0r9s0sp8c60x nostr:nevent1qqsqwv4c6z2x3hmpufjr49t7xlsdccm385wlt67d38hkcxnvv5z5qkcysdmyq nostr:nevent1qqsd34as0cwar9ptn6wsuus2qtsj38ws5l0f3xyj8vxcy7pem8act4qrdttv3 nostr:nevent1qqsftt3hz97v6cpajevptllpkptvl4ner0rcm3ee6v9qlkylr90t3cqpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczyqduwzspfzelx9k6x0lrez0j8cl8rtz0lxvqylk8z2ustnfy76jpzqcyqqqqqqg9wdngj

Nice summary. No book needed. My situation is on smaller scale in my front/backyard.. believe like 350ft2. Doing permaculture style. Thing is with all the mulching the snails/slugs have a beautiful place to live and they eat away almost anything I plant or sow. They eat the flowers from the zucchini, baby beans, etc, except my oregano 😃 Tried years fighting them with beer/koffie/eggshells/garlic/coins/catchingthem/killingthem:(. Even ate some snails(pretty good). Now just buying organic veg and letting be, have a plum tree and some herbs. This year thinking about nematodes after they ate all the flowers of some new plants just planted for the spring, but not sure how good this is for other insects, worms. and if i F things up in a other way.. Any ideas?

I don't know much about sails and slugs nor nematodes. However, if you think the mulching is what creates the habitat for them to thrive, you could use different mulch that they don't like to live in or use some sort of ground cover instead like strawberry or clover. Another thought that comes to mind, assuming you can't have or don't want chickens or ducks, is to create habitat for snakes. If you created the habitat for the slugs, can you create habitat for the predators of the slugs? Another thing you can do is find more plants, like oregano, that the slugs don't like and grow those instead. More perennials, I am always planting more perennials.

Thank you. I might have a hedgehog and toads living here, at least they pass through. No snakes, need to go to nature reserve for that and even there they're rare. I think they'll get run over with to much traffic here if ever they want to roam or relax on the warm road. I'm happy for your thoughts on the matter and actually just enjoy seeing a different topic pass this nostr, so I had to post a question and see if you might have the eureka answer on the slimy plague however cute they might look😄 I feel my little garden is more for some herbs, berries and fruits, maybe a hazelnut. Good luck with the food forest and that it may give you plenty. 🙏