~SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

[sumisu]

>Monica, your zone 7 makes me jealous compared to my zone 6, but I have less humidity, which is fine with me. But clearly, I'm about a month behind you plus I could never use as much manure as you can. My neighbors would throw me out of the neighborhood.

I could use Daisy in my garden now. It rained again until mid afternoon and the sun never came out to let me take pictures. Tomorrow it should clear up.

Yes, the potatoes will be interesting as to growing in straw versus growing in soil and compost. When I mix the soil and compost, I throw in a little Gardens Alive for root crops, so that may skew the results.

I like the Smart Pots a lot, but they utilized much dirt, which will be added to the garden at season end. There are smaller porous pots. Look at the following link:

http://www.watergarden.org/Pond-Supplies/Pots/Plant-Container-Package-B

These are aquatic plant containers and I'm not sure how they would do outside the water. I think they would be OK. It would be worth a call to the manufacturer to determine if they can be used in the garden. Maybe we should both call and see if we get the same scoop.

YOU are so well prepared for the Peak Oil Era. The skill set needed for survival plays right to your strengths. Right now all I can do if I want cheese is go to the store and buy it! Most people would have to do the same.

I've already resolved that I will learn to can my tomatoes at the end of the season. I need to increase my skill set. Just growing things is not enough.

Keep up the experimenting!

Eddie