One of my favourite parts of spring is hearing the birds. Also, seeing the bulbs poking out from the soil. Life returning to the dreary grey-brown landscape.
Beautiful... We had a cold snap last night but I can tell we're finally moving towards spring!!! I'm so excited for this coming season, it's going to be a good one!
Love seeing different biochar techniques. But I think I'll stay with the conical pit because it doesn't require importing anything to create... and that's what's in my budget right now. Saw my first hummingbird the other day. Was pretty stoked.
Mexico receives the winter birds...all droppings most welcome. Sometimes the branches are black like leaves, sunset is a total swirl and it sounds like rain. In the morning they are gone.
Indeed. They can be a bit of a pain. I think they took down one tree this year, and another that I may need to chop ankle height. But if I scooped up all the rabbit poop and weighed it, then went to compare how much it would cost to buy all that fertility, I bet the number would be in the thousands of dollars. So no thing is without a price. No good thing without a consequence, but also often our garden "problems" also come with a nice silver lining. I very much enjoy the rabbits. Plus, it's SO fun to go outside and film them, walk around with them, etc. I can't put a price on that aspect. It has given me tremendous joy.
Hydrangeas come in many variety. Some need to be cut back every year. Others do well as specimen bush or small tree. From the looks of it, you have the cut back sort. There is even a vining hydrangea
Thanks, to be honest, I didn't realize how long that puppy clip was. Hopefully people who didn't want to see it just skip forward. This was just a "day in the life of" style video anyways.
I want to make a small biochar reactor one of these years. We don't end up with a ton of extra brush, but there's enough to make good use of it in the garden. Around here wildfire season doesn't really seem to end, so keeping it enclosed would a good way to approach it. I'll probably have to screen any exhaust stacks to be safe.
I believe there are different types of Hydrandreas. I just always cut mine back and let grow again from the ground. I've found that they grow a bit stronger after being cut back and don't fall over as easy as they do if left to regrow from previous season stalks. I've done it both ways with the same plant. You'll just have to experiment with yours and see what way does best. Cheers!
Some ornamental honeysuckles are on the invasive species list in my area, and probably your area as well. The listed varieties typically leaf out very early and have hollow-pithed stems. I've pulled quite a few out of my woods. The nutritional value of the invasive varieties is far less than that of the native northern bush honeysuckle, so I've been replacing them with the native. But now that I've given my spiel, I'll say that I still enjoyed this video immensely, lol.
I appreciate this tremendously. I think I will start doing that also. These ornamental beds are kind of "my wife's area" to play in. I'll see if I can push her to replace them.
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Ornamentals don't necessarily have to be non-functional. If you can find native plants that are also decorative (or useful in some other way), it can be nice for diversity. It's just a shame at how much nursery stock is purely decorative (and completely non-native in many cases). We're lucky to have a couple nurseries that specialize in local plants so that's been a major asset in planning out the yard.
My mother used to pick the strongest branches and leave 2/3. The rest were cut at ground level to eliminate them. If the plants were very young, we would leave them alone for a few years... the difference is that ours were very old, very big and we needed to thin branches...
I’m pumped as well but also in a bit of a state of dread, wondering how on earth I’m going to get a big dumping of compost and mulch into my backyard without killing myself! 😄 Can’t pick it up myself (no truck) so I have to deal with a big batch or multiple delivery fees. But things are starting to slowly grow here in SW ON and it was so warm today! Stoked!
How funny--I just made a batch of charcoal the other day, too, using your method. I'm thinking about getting another barrel and *not* cutting it on its side: I will stand it upright and basically burn the brush in the same way but with a smaller opening and therefore with less room for oxygen to get in. I'm also thinking about setting the lid on top (but NOT sealing it--for anyone else reading this who might not be aware, sealing it would be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and cause it to explode) so that the gasses could get out but none could get in. Not sure if I'll get to buying another barrel this spring, but I figure I'll try that eventually. I'll let you know how it goes. I also have a question for you: how did you protect the wood posts on your trellises from moisture? I'm planning on making similar grape trellises this year or next year, but my research into wood sealing isn't quite as straightforward as I'd expected. I had thought that something "natural" like linseed oil would be a good choice, but I'm starting to think about simply charring the outside (a la "shou sugi ban," I believe) and burying it in a way that will prevent water from pooling around it (maybe using gravel directly around it). But I'd be interested to hear what you did, since I bet you know a lot more about wood sealant than I do. Have a good one, and keep enjoying this beautiful spring! I'm on day two of sunny skies and 65-ish degrees F (18C) and am so, so grateful for it. Wishing you similar outdoor beauty.
Just remember, pressures will dictate what gasses do. For example, Gasses could get out but none could get in, that's impossible. You could create a vacuum and the barrel would collapse until the pressure differential was relieved. Doing it vertical is possible, it would just make stomping it very difficult. This gets REALLY hot. Twigs burn at roughly 1200F. This is much much hotter than a typical campfire. So just be careful setting up something where you have to lean over the fire and stomp. Could be how you get a really bad burn. When I stomp this thing ROARS, and I wouldn't want to be any closer than I need to. Just be careful.
Thanks for the warning about creating a vacuum. I was thinking about how Sean from Edible Acres makes his biochar--he puts the woody material in a closed container and sets it in his wood stove--but I guess that creates different conditions than suddenly closing off a fire that has been at least partially using oxygen to burn. Scary. Very glad I mentioned it to you and didn't just try it. I'm still interested in ways of maximizing pyrolysis and increasing the amount/quality of the charcoal I get, but it sounds like that is NOT the way. It's insane how hot these charcoal burns get, isn't it? I sometimes have trouble tamping it down even on its side. I do think orienting the barrel that way would increase pyrolysis (and would mean I could fill it to the brim), but I sure don't want to burn myself. I think if I stand on a ladder to tamp it, I'd be okay, but I'll have to mull it over a little more. I *did* singe some of my arm hair on Saturday, so...
Ha that is a lot of rabbits! Keep in mind when the snow gets deep, rabbits stand a little bit taller and can reach branches on fruit trees during some Winters. You should take up falconry😀👍
Aren't all Walnut trees allelopathic? I can't remember what type of Walnut my former neighbour had, but it cleared all the ground underneath the canopy so there was a dead space of about 25 square metres. As a precaution, I planted my little Walnut sapling at some distance from everything else of value (the grass underneath can struggle as much as it likes). So I wonder if your Walnut isn't going to endanger everything close to it. As far as I remember, the chemical responsible for killing off the competition isn't just in the roots, it's in the leaves as well.
It is but some things grow well near them. I don't think grapes do well, but by the time it matters these grapes will be long dead. It will be an interesting experiment. That or I dig it up when it's small. I want to see it leaf out to make sure it is walnut. I may also instead just add more juglans stuff to the backyard and make the backyard a juglans guild. Pecans, butternut, buartnut, Walnut, Hickory, etc.
There are plants that will grow with black walnut...but not apples, rhododendrons... Our pecans tend to kill off many plants except grass, peaches, mezquite and mulberry... And they get aggressive when I least expected it... it's more than drought stress, high temperatures... It seems to happen when we have a rainy year in the desert.
I still can't get over your previous video comment that you were going to leave your old man's trail leaf piles alone... I keep asking myself if I would be so restrained... perhaps blue berries, pumpkins, thyme....
Hahah, yeah. The thing is, unless these are turned constantly, they will go a little anaerobic and mat out for a bit. I try to give them a kick as I walk through them to help get oxygen down in there to break down faster (and into CO2). But I don't think planting in them this year would work great. Another year and they'll be fantastic. Also, I kind of want to see what volunteers down there. I'm sure I planted at least 100,000 trees just from all the seed in the leaf bags. Likely a lot of maple, but we'll see what we get before we decide where to plant other trees. For me it's not too hard to exercise some restraint because I have many other places I can plant for this season.
I'm having trouble finding sea buckthorn cuttings/plants. I need both male and female. Do you want to put your son into business getting cuttings out? :)
Yeah they are a bit of a hit and miss thing. I'm starting to see them pop up in nurseries more now. I get mine from my local nursery. Most of my larger plants are a wild variety I found down at the highway. The thorns are ridiculous, so I've actually started by hard-cut-back of these. I will transition them into the named varieties. Those named ones haven't started suckering yet, maybe 1-2 years from it. I may be able to sell some at that point. In the next few years, I'm going to try to do some kind of workshop where local people can come here, or maybe at a nearby site, we can do a morning talk, do some afternoon project and I can bring stuff like this to sell also.
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Wow, this stuff is hard to come by! I do have a couple of local nurseries looking into getting me some. Sheesh. considering the health benefits, it should be everywhere.
I have female plants coming in the mail. I can get a male from them in a few months. So it's a start. Just know that it might be a good business opportunity, as it was a lot of work to find any; most businesses are out of stock if they carried them at all.
Love the video, dogs playing, kids playing, birds singing and new life appearing all around. Beautiful!!!
Heck yeah! From zone 5a in the Finger Lakes. First peak of nettle leaves yesterday 💚
Nice!!
One of my favourite parts of spring is hearing the birds. Also, seeing the bulbs poking out from the soil. Life returning to the dreary grey-brown landscape.
I am working from home right now due to covid. I pull my laptop outside and do my work surrounded by a chorus of birds. It's the best office ever.
The robin song is wonderful! -1 here on Vancouver island this morning but a beautiful sunrise...
Beautiful... We had a cold snap last night but I can tell we're finally moving towards spring!!! I'm so excited for this coming season, it's going to be a good one!
If you harvested that bunny poop, you'd make a fortune selling it. Good stuff.
The dogs wrestling were so cute.
It's too valuable to sell :)
Pumped is the word.
Love seeing different biochar techniques. But I think I'll stay with the conical pit because it doesn't require importing anything to create... and that's what's in my budget right now.
Saw my first hummingbird the other day. Was pretty stoked.
Yeah, the reason I haven't done cone-pit is because I don't really have anywhere to put that where my wife wouldn't murder me.
Mexico receives the winter birds...all droppings most welcome. Sometimes the branches are black like leaves, sunset is a total swirl and it sounds like rain. In the morning they are gone.
Hi Dear Friend! Totally awesome video! 👍 9
Hopefully no more heavy frosts! I'm in zone 6b and just planted a whole lot of potatoes so fingers crossed.
I make biochar without even trying. When I burn off my old tree and brush cuttings, I'm left with a pretty big pile of it.
All that rabbit poop😂. It means your doing great job and creating a refuge in nature
Indeed. They can be a bit of a pain. I think they took down one tree this year, and another that I may need to chop ankle height. But if I scooped up all the rabbit poop and weighed it, then went to compare how much it would cost to buy all that fertility, I bet the number would be in the thousands of dollars. So no thing is without a price. No good thing without a consequence, but also often our garden "problems" also come with a nice silver lining. I very much enjoy the rabbits.
Plus, it's SO fun to go outside and film them, walk around with them, etc. I can't put a price on that aspect. It has given me tremendous joy.
Hydrangeas come in many variety. Some need to be cut back every year. Others do well as specimen bush or small tree. From the looks of it, you have the cut back sort. There is even a vining hydrangea
Thanks 😊
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Some are also spreading, get sisters and over time will take over.
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Great video, love seeing the little ones play.
Thanks, to be honest, I didn't realize how long that puppy clip was. Hopefully people who didn't want to see it just skip forward. This was just a "day in the life of" style video anyways.
I want to make a small biochar reactor one of these years. We don't end up with a ton of extra brush, but there's enough to make good use of it in the garden. Around here wildfire season doesn't really seem to end, so keeping it enclosed would a good way to approach it. I'll probably have to screen any exhaust stacks to be safe.
I believe there are different types of Hydrandreas. I just always cut mine back and let grow again from the ground. I've found that they grow a bit stronger after being cut back and don't fall over as easy as they do if left to regrow from previous season stalks.
I've done it both ways with the same plant. You'll just have to experiment with yours and see what way does best.
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing!
Pruning hydrangea depends on what type. See YT vid on pruning hydrangea.
Some ornamental honeysuckles are on the invasive species list in my area, and probably your area as well. The listed varieties typically leaf out very early and have hollow-pithed stems. I've pulled quite a few out of my woods. The nutritional value of the invasive varieties is far less than that of the native northern bush honeysuckle, so I've been replacing them with the native. But now that I've given my spiel, I'll say that I still enjoyed this video immensely, lol.
I appreciate this tremendously. I think I will start doing that also. These ornamental beds are kind of "my wife's area" to play in. I'll see if I can push her to replace them.
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Ornamentals don't necessarily have to be non-functional. If you can find native plants that are also decorative (or useful in some other way), it can be nice for diversity. It's just a shame at how much nursery stock is purely decorative (and completely non-native in many cases). We're lucky to have a couple nurseries that specialize in local plants so that's been a major asset in planning out the yard.
For sure
Still have yet to make biochar!
Your dogs practicing jujitsu hahaha muy bien
I would suggest you only leave the hydrangea branches up that have buds. Cut the rest to the ground.
Thanks!
My mother used to pick the strongest branches and leave 2/3. The rest were cut at ground level to eliminate them. If the plants were very young, we would leave them alone for a few years... the difference is that ours were very old, very big and we needed to thin branches...
Mice/voles are a bigger problem for my young fruit trees. especially when snow is deep on the trunks. I have to wrap them until they get bigger.
I’m pumped as well but also in a bit of a state of dread, wondering how on earth I’m going to get a big dumping of compost and mulch into my backyard without killing myself! 😄 Can’t pick it up myself (no truck) so I have to deal with a big batch or multiple delivery fees. But things are starting to slowly grow here in SW ON and it was so warm today! Stoked!
How funny--I just made a batch of charcoal the other day, too, using your method. I'm thinking about getting another barrel and *not* cutting it on its side: I will stand it upright and basically burn the brush in the same way but with a smaller opening and therefore with less room for oxygen to get in. I'm also thinking about setting the lid on top (but NOT sealing it--for anyone else reading this who might not be aware, sealing it would be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and cause it to explode) so that the gasses could get out but none could get in. Not sure if I'll get to buying another barrel this spring, but I figure I'll try that eventually. I'll let you know how it goes.
I also have a question for you: how did you protect the wood posts on your trellises from moisture? I'm planning on making similar grape trellises this year or next year, but my research into wood sealing isn't quite as straightforward as I'd expected. I had thought that something "natural" like linseed oil would be a good choice, but I'm starting to think about simply charring the outside (a la "shou sugi ban," I believe) and burying it in a way that will prevent water from pooling around it (maybe using gravel directly around it). But I'd be interested to hear what you did, since I bet you know a lot more about wood sealant than I do.
Have a good one, and keep enjoying this beautiful spring! I'm on day two of sunny skies and 65-ish degrees F (18C) and am so, so grateful for it. Wishing you similar outdoor beauty.
Just remember, pressures will dictate what gasses do. For example, Gasses could get out but none could get in, that's impossible. You could create a vacuum and the barrel would collapse until the pressure differential was relieved.
Doing it vertical is possible, it would just make stomping it very difficult. This gets REALLY hot. Twigs burn at roughly 1200F. This is much much hotter than a typical campfire. So just be careful setting up something where you have to lean over the fire and stomp. Could be how you get a really bad burn. When I stomp this thing ROARS, and I wouldn't want to be any closer than I need to. Just be careful.
Thanks for the warning about creating a vacuum. I was thinking about how Sean from Edible Acres makes his biochar--he puts the woody material in a closed container and sets it in his wood stove--but I guess that creates different conditions than suddenly closing off a fire that has been at least partially using oxygen to burn. Scary. Very glad I mentioned it to you and didn't just try it. I'm still interested in ways of maximizing pyrolysis and increasing the amount/quality of the charcoal I get, but it sounds like that is NOT the way.
It's insane how hot these charcoal burns get, isn't it? I sometimes have trouble tamping it down even on its side. I do think orienting the barrel that way would increase pyrolysis (and would mean I could fill it to the brim), but I sure don't want to burn myself. I think if I stand on a ladder to tamp it, I'd be okay, but I'll have to mull it over a little more. I *did* singe some of my arm hair on Saturday, so...
Yeah when the coal starts burning you can actually melt iron. Lol
Ha that is a lot of rabbits! Keep in mind when the snow gets deep, rabbits stand a little bit taller and can reach branches on fruit trees during some Winters. You should take up falconry😀👍
Yeah, we have rabbit damage 4 feet up in some places where snow builds up.
Aren't all Walnut trees allelopathic? I can't remember what type of Walnut my former neighbour had, but it cleared all the ground underneath the canopy so there was a dead space of about 25 square metres.
As a precaution, I planted my little Walnut sapling at some distance from everything else of value (the grass underneath can struggle as much as it likes).
So I wonder if your Walnut isn't going to endanger everything close to it. As far as I remember, the chemical responsible for killing off the competition isn't just in the roots, it's in the leaves as well.
It is but some things grow well near them. I don't think grapes do well, but by the time it matters these grapes will be long dead. It will be an interesting experiment. That or I dig it up when it's small. I want to see it leaf out to make sure it is walnut.
I may also instead just add more juglans stuff to the backyard and make the backyard a juglans guild. Pecans, butternut, buartnut, Walnut, Hickory, etc.
There are plants that will grow with black walnut...but not apples, rhododendrons... Our pecans tend to kill off many plants except grass, peaches, mezquite and mulberry... And they get aggressive when I least expected it... it's more than drought stress, high temperatures... It seems to happen when we have a rainy year in the desert.
🧡
Don't you out just love the signs of life!!
So much
I still can't get over your previous video comment that you were going to leave your old man's trail leaf piles alone... I keep asking myself if I would be so restrained... perhaps blue berries, pumpkins, thyme....
Hahah, yeah. The thing is, unless these are turned constantly, they will go a little anaerobic and mat out for a bit. I try to give them a kick as I walk through them to help get oxygen down in there to break down faster (and into CO2). But I don't think planting in them this year would work great. Another year and they'll be fantastic. Also, I kind of want to see what volunteers down there. I'm sure I planted at least 100,000 trees just from all the seed in the leaf bags. Likely a lot of maple, but we'll see what we get before we decide where to plant other trees. For me it's not too hard to exercise some restraint because I have many other places I can plant for this season.
Does your food forest attract any bears?
We aren't in bear country thankfully. Check out Paul Wheaton in Montana. He is in bear country.
I'm having trouble finding sea buckthorn cuttings/plants. I need both male and female. Do you want to put your son into business getting cuttings out? :)
Yeah they are a bit of a hit and miss thing. I'm starting to see them pop up in nurseries more now. I get mine from my local nursery.
Most of my larger plants are a wild variety I found down at the highway. The thorns are ridiculous, so I've actually started by hard-cut-back of these. I will transition them into the named varieties. Those named ones haven't started suckering yet, maybe 1-2 years from it. I may be able to sell some at that point.
In the next few years, I'm going to try to do some kind of workshop where local people can come here, or maybe at a nearby site, we can do a morning talk, do some afternoon project and I can bring stuff like this to sell also.
@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Wow, this stuff is hard to come by! I do have a couple of local nurseries looking into getting me some. Sheesh. considering the health benefits, it should be everywhere.
I have female plants coming in the mail. I can get a male from them in a few months. So it's a start. Just know that it might be a good business opportunity, as it was a lot of work to find any; most businesses are out of stock if they carried them at all.
Eat more rabbits