The Morning Dump

http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/04/21/an-interview-with-jules-dervaes/

http://www.innerchangemag.com/0406_hooker.htm

…on maximizing vegatation (food growth) in the midwest plains.  Corn farmers should take notice of this one.  Here’s some snippets:

One of his main themes was what he calls the savanna model. The natural habitat in much of North America was once oak savanna – a mix of grassland and woodland. He said because the savanna takes advantage of three dimensions, vegetation high, low, and everywhere in between, you can get sixty vertical feet of photosynthesis, pull water and nutrients up from much deeper in the soil, and over time, build up some of the richest soil on earth.  The savanna model can support more total biomass than almost any other system – seven times more biomass than a cornfield.

Turning back to the topic at hand, he said that the most useful Oak savanna crops fall into the following families:

• Fagacae: Oaks, chestnuts, beeches
• Malus: Apples
• Prunus: Plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and other stone fruits
• Corylus: Hazelnuts
• Vitis: Grapes
• Rubus: Blackberries & raspberries
• Ribes: Currants & gooseberries

http://groovygreen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=355&Itemid=57

This is what I’ve been working on with a suburban plot.  The fruit trees are in.  Next are nut trees and berries in between.

This kit comes with everything you need to make an eleven cup hydorponic grow station.  I would be tempted to but it if we weren’t now just entering outdoor gardening season.  I’ll probably bookmark the page and buy it this fall.  $190.  If I weren’t so lazy, I could build it from scratch for half the amount.  It comes with the following:

	10 Gallon Reservoir
	11-32 oz white bottles &
	16 oz solo cups
	237 GPH Pump
	Grow Rocks
	12 oz pH Up & Down
	5 lb. Nutrient Solution
	24 Hour Timer
	Complete instructions included

http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/store/11plant.htm

I planted two semi-dwarf Hale Haven peach trees yesterday, and one Lapins sweet cherry tree a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve noticed that I sleep good at night after planting trees.  With some luck, in a few years I’ll have a harvest like the pictures below.

Taking a quote from the article:

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man,” said Albert Einstein.

http://www.informationliberation.com/index.php?id=21462

The chart below shows some fruits/ nuts that rely on bees for pollination.  With the social order of the honeybees collapsing, almonds, apples, and blueberries might be in for a tough ride.

http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/15/bee-colony-collapse-disorder-where-is-it-heading/