This is how we install a hoop house.

https://www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com/greenhouse_cooling_wet_wall.htm

Evolution can be really hard to understand. really really hard. How hard is it?

Can you understand macroevolution?

Then again, maybe I'm wrong!

I hate being wrong. I only allow myself the opportunity to be wrong once a day. Any more than that and I can't stand myself.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong?language=en

What are we made of?

So, it turns out that we are 10% Human, 90% Microbe. We are all walking petri dishes.

http://bigthink.com/amped/humans-10-human-and-90-bacterial

Headed to East Texas!!!

So, I was wondering what permaculture activities might be happening out there in East Texas.

'When we throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in the door                                                  with a pitchfork.' - Masanobu Fukuoka

Here are a few websites.
http://easttexaspermaculture.com/
http://offourfarm.com/blog-2/
http://easttexashomestead.com/east-texas-homestead/
http://allthingsplants.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FoodCoalition


http://www.permaculturevoices.com/1000s-of-trees-and-half-an-acre-small-scale-nursery-business-with-akiva-silver-pvp063/

We can grow mushrooms to create more CO2 for the greenhouse

Mushroom supply stuff

How much CO2 is enough to help grow in a greenhouse?

https://www.hydrofarm.com/resources/articles/co2_enrichment.php

How do you make swales with a bulldozer?

or... you can use an excavator!

on rain harvesting

This is about as good a video on water harvesting that I have seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqbMonah8II&feature=em-uploademail

Inexpensive tree sources

I am concerned about having to plant more than 4000 trees in the next couple of years. You can't do that at $29.99 a tree. So where can we get less expensive trees?

https://www.chiefrivernursery.com/store/American-Chestnut-6-12-Seedlings.html
chestnut seeds.
http://www.empirechestnut.com/catalog.htm#seed

Red Alder trees from seed.
ebay.com
or by the seedling: $.50 each
http://www.firrunnursery.com/seedlings/seedlings.php


And for the best southern apples...
http://www.kuffelcreek.com/appleorder.htm

For lots of fruit trees. vines, berries and more...
http://www.summerstonenursery.com

bare rooters.:
http://www.coldstreamfarm.net/

Looks like a good source for mulberry trees.
https://www.willisorchards.com/product/persian-mulberry-tree#.VTUoKvnF_l8


We should probably consider tree tubes to protect the seedlings from deer.
https://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/tree-tubes/tree-pro/tree-pro-5-ft/
http://www.growtube.com/prices/

Bees - defense against Mites can be tough. Small cell helps keep the problem in check

Varroa Mites are often the bane of the bee world.
As we grew the bees to be larger and larger, we created an unnatural size for them which prevented them from being able to defend themselves from Varroa Mites.

Here is a German study on how Small Cell honey bees help protect against this threat in a natural manner.

Small Cell Study

How to grow MicroGreens!

I was sent this video by someone very dear to me.
He thinks that this might be a great adjunct to any farming endeavor.
What do you think?

When the wind is in the wrong direction, you may have to Tack into it.

The She-Farmer asked me how long it would take to start having revenue from our system. I hemmed and hawed... "Eight months?" I said.

"Um, could we last eight months without an income now?"

"What's your point?"

"If we are out of business, because we are broke, then we lose."

"That is a really good point!"

So, I asked the question, "Do you think we should grow aquaponic vegetables for income for maybe ten years?"

"That would be wonderful!"

We had taken a class on aquaponics from Rob Nash in Austin, and we are pretty confident that we can do just that.

I put together a new plan.

Aquaponics under a greenhouse to control climate, moderated by using the earth as a heat sink, thermal inertia.. We would also do micro greens and eggs and a few other herbs and veggies to round things out.

In my estimate, if we can produce 1500 lettuces (or equivalent) each week, then we can produce a full time income on the farm.  Then I ran into this video above and it is like "BINGO!" just what I wanted to do, right there in Houston!

Dr. Elaine Ingham is the soil biology queen!

Do you need a microscope to examine your soil microbes? you probably do.

Recommended soil examination microscopes

Elaine tells us all we need to look for in the soil and how to make it lots better

Dr. Elaine Ingham's Website

Growing Warm Climate Apples!

Many people think that growing trees in the warmer climates is just way too hard to do.
We disagree!

You can buy their trees at kuffelcreek.com/

Got Aphids? Ladybugs might fix that for ya!

I thought I knew a lot about lady bugs, but this video taught me a lot of new things about them..

How to make fondant for your bees.

We often feed sugar to the bees. A good way to do this is to feed them fondant.

Here is a recipe for making it.
http://www.bamboohollow.com/fondant-recipe.php

You could make your own compressed air with a trompe

Bill Mollison explains a great way to compress air with falling water...

How to have the Govt. help support us Permies!

The USDA loves to pay farmers to put in conservation infrastructure like trees and swales.

Click here to see

Now we have sheep! But we don't want parasites!

Ok, so the solution for sheep is threefold.

1. Garlic acts as a natural dewormer
2. mix DE in with the minerals at a rate of 1/4 DE to the mineral mix.
3. Rotate them on pasture, and don't let them stay on the same pasture more than 21 days. 1 week is much better. then rest the paddock for at least 2 months for the worms to die off.

learned this from Skyline Farms

http://www.skylinesfarm.com/parasitecontrol.htm