The Sami Way

...ami hut. Kuhmunen speaking eloquently about what can only be called arctic permaculture, life in touch with the cycles of life and the importance of context specific design. And speaking of context, the smoke of the fire rising up through a hole in the roof. The dirt floor is insulated with a layer of burnt twigs, followed by moose skins and a top layer of reindeer fur. It works. It was bitter cold outside and toasty in the hut. Kuhmunen and grand...

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Sources for Interesting Perennial Crops

...ote that this list of nurseries covers the entire US, not just California. Permaculture Activist plant sources The website is somewhat of a graphic design nightmare, but if you’re looking for unusual edible perennials, this would be the place to start. Hop Roots – where to get them… Hoptacular! A list of hops nurseries from the Oregon State Hops Commision. Also note that the USDA maintains a huge collection of fruit trees, nut trees and many other...

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Aerated Compost Tea: Does it Work?

...er ACT did or did not work for you. I’d like to gather some anecdotal reports for the story and your help is greatly appreciated. For those of you not familiar with ACT, here’s a good explanation with some resources via Permaculture Magazine: What is compost tea (and how do you make it)? On the con side of ACT, horticulturalist Linda Chalker-Scott has a set of pdfs as well as a long list of ACT studies on her gardening myths page....

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Help! Small birds are eating us out of house and home!

...aps we should have left it at that? ( I suspect we’re not going to win any permaculture awards for our feeder.) Bird people, help! What are your thoughts on feeders? Is it okay to leave the feeder empty sometimes? Does that encourage foraging, or is it just not very nice to be random about the filling? Is there a cheaper alternative to Nyjer ™ seed that finches like? Perhaps something that doesn’t come from Africa? (argh!) Buck watching finches, t...

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