More Herbaceous layer plants for the food forest and pond.

[@noga8974]

I notice you have some large stones around your plants is that deliberate and if so is there a benefit?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yes, 2 functions: habitat creation, and creating solar thermal gradients. For habitat creation, lots of beetles like to hang out under rocks and wood, which is why I have those scattered throughout. Piles of rocks can be used by snakes, which eat moles and voles. Snakes will also use larger rocks to hide in, provided that there is ample vegetation cover around it also. For solar thermal gradients, what I mean by that is when you have no rocks, the sun heats up all areas of soil (or mulch) around the tree evenly. When you have rocks there, those areas get heated up slower in the day (the rock itself requires more energy to heat up 1 degree), and then also cools down slower (meaning that area around the rock remains warmer later into the night). Having thermal moderation like this in your designs can help flatten out temperature spikes from day/night. This can then be very useful and nice environments for soil organisms, which can seek out and find the variable temperature zones that they most enjoy inhabiting. In short - any time we can create little varied microclimates, we get the most amount of diversity. Diversity is strength and resilience.

[@JoelKSullivan]

Having all those flowers throughout is going to make the food forest even better than it already is!

[@StreetMachine18]

happy monday!

[@waykeeperfarmandnerdery]

There are some really lovely edible chrysanthemum types as well. We plant them for cooking greens and harvest the flower buds for tea. But we also let plenty go to flower and the bees love it!

[@jennifertracy1178]

So inspired! Thank you.

[@annburge291]

I always think it's amusing when you say things like 'so my wife will love the pond'... Every time Trish appears, she demonstrates so much enthusiasm and pride for your 'garden project'. Artists need a bit of resistance to bring out the creativity... resistance like defending the lawn... The lawn is so much more when the edge garden relates to the lawn, when the pond edge has an ever changing colour pallet.

[@annburge291]

Remember to give more of the whys, not just the the ' I have done' even if you have explained it in other videos. For example why a guild,? You could have expanded the explanation of the impact of having repetition of certain colours and where you position yourself to see the colours. There is more to repetition than visual. It gives insects alternative safe places when there are predictors hanging about. You lightly did a why when explaining the removal of the support species, nitrogen fixing plant near the peach tree. That why could have been expanded because people often make the mistake of trying to remove part of the trunk and root ball, instead of cutting it off at ground level and covering the stump with cardboard and mulch so it doesn't resprout. Ok, I know you are busy, but just remember to explain the whys because your latest videos are becoming a bit superficial.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Man, I feel bad, I sometimes let small frustrations about my insane ideas that I get pushback on, and then think she doesn't want all this. It was definitely a battle in the beginning, and she now wants it all to look more organized, but she definitely loves it.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

It's hard though, because if I always do that, all the videos end up 50 mins and become super repetitive.

[@H._sapiens]

Chrysanthemum tea isn't some random hippie experiment. It's a traditional Chinese and Korean herbal tea, and there is a Wikipedia article on it. It tastes sweet and is better than chamomile tea. Dried chrysanthemum flowers for tea (white or yellow) are sold to consumers, and the tea is available to order in some Chinese restaurants and take out establishments.

[@donnavorce8856]

Nice to see you. I've been in my forest and garden at every possible moment. Thanks for sharing your information. I'm mulching much more, creating guilds (so fun and wonderful), and planting every available spot with woody perennials, pollinator feeders, and veggies for me! Cheers. I'm so happy to be part of this community.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

We're happy to have you :) You are with friends here :)

[@julie-annepineau4022]

Planted 7 fruit trees and a gooseberry this week. Once we are past last frost I have lupines and a pile of annuals to plant for pollinator food. Last year my garden would sound like it was vibrating for the amount of bees in it in the evening. Hope your dragon flies emerge soon to take care of the biting bugs!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

You've been a busy bee this year!

[@julie-annepineau4022]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy 11 months since I bought the place. I have 10 acres of grass and 10 acres of woodland. I will pick away at a bit more every year until I can propagate from my own stock.

[@Growinginontario]

Lavender is very easy to grow from seed. I just take the dry flowers in the fall and sprinkle their seeds on the surface. Lavender seeds need cold stratification which winter will do and also they need light to germinate.

[@nedweeks6964]

Everything looks great! Prairie Moon Nursery is my favorite source for north American natives for pollinators. They have good instructions on stratification for their seeds. Keep on planting!

[@donnavorce8856]

I like Prairie Moon very much also. A good source for plants, seeds, and information! I popped nearly four hundred for flats of pollinator plants two years ago and was amazed. Truly amazed by the clouds of hungry pollinators who came to feed. This year I'm doubling the area if not more than double. Yes - keep on planting! Cheers

[@kayspitzmueller7544]

I have a bunch of PM seeds sprouting in winter sowing jugs!

[@debbiehenri345]

Yes, I think we all have to allow ourselves some frivolous, colourful flowers on occasion and not get too rigidly focused on 'food, food, food' all the time. Having worked in ornamental horticulture for years, I've had my fill of Spring and Summer bedding plants, roses and gaudy perennials really. However, I've always maintained a soft spot for Gentians. Totally useless as far as food and wildlife are concerned, but that intense shade of blue is just mesmerising.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Food for the soul :)

[@lwjenson]

I really wish there was someone like you in my hot summer cold winter climate :) I planted honeyberries this spring but they probably aren't going to make it through the heat... :(

[@georgettesavard4347]

Would love to see some more 'chaos' gardening videos to show the ability of the Toss and Go method. I recken this works better in the fall, when the vegetation can die back covering the small seeds, stratify naturally over winter and come up in the spring when the conditions are right. Apparently the really small seeds do better with this.. like lavendar, carrot, parsnip, dill, lettus, sage, thyme, amaranth, native plants like curly dock and lambs quarter, etc..... I've been doing experiments of my own to work with nature and add genetic diversity. If you have any info touching on this, I'd be extremely grateful to hear your insight!.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Early spring or late fall for sure. I do this every year. This is the video where I do it in the most visible way I think: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaG0Y2xtrN-ci5o

[@lrrerh8090]

I find tarragon an underrated permie plant. It is so good with mushrooms, eggs, salmon, salads,dried herb, etc….plus, it grows so vigorous,it still gives you good biomass.

[@barbarasimoes9463]

I LOVE my tarragon. Try putting some in coleslaw. Amazing! I always add some to vinegar, too. You can save a lot by making your own tarragon vinegar! I'm growing some wine cap mushrooms and, I'm sure, will be looking for ways to use them other than straight-up sauteing them. I will try it with some tarragon. Thanks.

[@mybelovedchaos]

Chrysanthemum flowers are used for tea, maybe check the variety you have to see if you can use it!

[@aarondingus3548]

Thanks for another information packed video. Love how your food forest is vibing and thriving

[@joanies6778]

Great timing. This whole idea of permaculture is brand new for me. Even newer is the idea of tree guilds... I just heard about it this past week and am in the process of building a guild around my peach tree. I am also replacing half my back yard that used to have grass with bark mulch and create a small swale around the edges. Thanks for the info and ideas.

[@donnavorce8856]

That's so awesome Joanie.

[@dialecticcoma]

lookin good mate

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

cheers!

[@ninemoonplanet]

For people looking at the climate change innovations, and the data etc I found one channel for geeks. "Have a Think". It does get into some engineering skills, all sorts of sciences, climatology, etc. El Ñino is the likely cause of the massive forest fires and heat dome in the west this year.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

What I'm thinking about permaculture is that it doesn't have to be all about food. The main goal of permaculture should be to create/develop a garden that can be maintained indefinitely, without degrading the health of the local ecosystem or the areas of any externalities. Ornamental plants can be just as useful in the landscape as any other plant we don't use for food. such as chop n drop biomass, pollinator food, honey bee food, etc.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Exactly my perspective also ❤️

[@PaleGhost69]

"Infinite diversity in infinite combination" 🤓

[@annburge291]

I understand your sentiment, but it is a bit idealistic to assume that gardens can be maintained indefinitely. First nation people and indigenous people always speak of their role in protecting, working with nature. There is no natural forest, green system in the world (except Antarctica) nthat wasn't tended by people living in the area. The people harvested, planted and were farmers in every sense of the world. It's only the late immigrants that interpreted indigenous farming as 'leaving the forest untouched and wasted' because of a lack of tilling, lack of enclosed animals, lack of monoculture. As Allan Savory says, when you remove the people and the animals that they manage, the system starts to spiral collapse into a desert.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

@@annburge291 Maintained does not mean leave untouched. Maintained indefinitely mean humans can work the garden for now and forever.

[@alisonmcinnis9997]

I love how you are so big on planting natives. Not many people would "feel bad" about planting mums in their garden, but here you are thinking that you could have planted a native. Don't sweat it, it's okay to have the odd ornamental flower in your garden ahha

[@joanies6778]

Especially since he's planting some flowers his wife loves... where she can see them and enjoy the pond! That outshines any other reason in my book. 😍

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL Happy Wife, happy life :) I actually feel bad about how I worded that section of this video. Upon further rewatching, it came across like she isn't engaged in what we're doing here. She absolutely is. She's wonderful, she just bounds my crazy ideas with some reality, and it's a good thing.

[@ninemoonplanet]

I got some seed from UBC that can be either grown with summer cover crop or by itself. Phacelia, attracts "all sorts of other living things (bees primarily) as well as hummingbirds. The flowers are quite pretty and unique, purple/blue. I also finally grew bergamot, so it's edible as well as an ingredient in Earl Grey Tea. For the side of either the stream or pond, I like the idea of nasturtiums, they're a mulch/cover I plan to put into the garlic patch until I can harvest the garlic. Another "heat dome" so the tomatoes should really start to grow much faster. Temperate rainforest? Nope, not right now.

[@catherinewilson1079]

I believe Osterich ferns can be invasive. (Other ferns are not usually)

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

They've definitely been known to spread. I'm all for native plants that are food and want to spread.

[@barbarasimoes9463]

Those flowers will be beautiful! I'm on the hunt for a goumi, but other than that, I'm at the point where I can now go back and fill with some flowers. While not food for us, they do feed my soul! I am starting to develop a healthy interest in medicinal plants and herbs, which tend to attract pollinators. I just planted some borage, Saint John's wort, sorrel and others out back, where they can run. I have lemon balm, chamomile and peppermint in another guild with figs, rhubarb, bush cherries, mulberries and persimmon. It's on my list to go harvest some of the leafy herbs to freeze-dry. I'm thinking if I whiz some dried mint in the food processor, I could make some mojitos without having to muddle the leaves every time. If it works, it would make for easy entertaining!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

All wonderful choices! Great job! I agree, we always think about feeding our bellies, but don't forget to feed your soul!

[@MsCaterific]

💙

[@nancystafford3216]

I love your videos. So much helpful information. Inspires me to plant more. Where did you get comfrey? I notice it's not in the seed packet array at the stores around here.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I got mine from a nursery that went out of business during covid :(

[@jonipleau9284]

I enjoy watching your videos with my ☕ first thing in my morning! Hopefully I'll have 1 guild to sit beside next season. I'm looking for Fiddleheads Ostrich fern. Im in eastcoast canada. NB where I can buy them in my grocery store. Where did you buy your 🌱 plants?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I got mine from a nearby friend who spotted them in his forest. I went and traded a few hours of consultation for about 8 plants (out of around 1000 wild ones). I've seen them sold at Richter's nursery, you could try them. There was also one called "Grow Wild" in Omemee that had them, but I'm not sure they still operate or not.

[@jonipleau9284]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy unlike some I'm trying to grow as many perrenials to give back lots of free food next season! I'm not going to continue paying 7.00 for spinach! Or 3.00 for green onions or 4.00 for bok choy or or or! I'm investing this season buying stuff but that ends next year! I can't wait to harvest my first Green!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah it's great. I've been eating fresh salads from the garden for a month or longer, and my last frost date is this weekend coming up. Perennials are the way to go!

[@jonipleau9284]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy on my walk today I found a patch of Fiddleheads! I've put a few clippings in a jar of water hoping it roots! 🤞

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm not sure how well they root. I've never tried propagating ferns like that. You could always dig up 1 or 2 of the outside ones, as long as the patch is large. I try to follow a 95/5 rule when foraging... only ever take 5% and leave 95% in nature.

[@JW45174]

Hello from Michigan! I see comfrey all along the edges of your plantings. Is it working as a barrier for grasses?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Indeed!

[@alisonmcinnis9997]

That forearm in the thumbnail *swoon*

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOL

[@jeannettedewit9005]

Can I put freshly chipped wood chips throughout my gardens?

[@donnavorce8856]

It's ok but with some caveats: What sort of wood is it? For instance, black walnut chips would probably kill off most plants. Cedar has chemical properties such as repelling insects and might disturb the ecosystem of soil critters coming in contact with it. (A theory, that.) If the chips are rather plain and neutral - general hardwood maybe some pine mixed in it would be less stressful. Also, what condition is your soil in now? Is it loaded with organic matter? Or just dirt? A soil loaded with organic matter would deal with a fresh layer of chips much better than old tired abused dirt. When I use wood chips I'll leave the huge pile for at least a month before I put it around as mulch. Letting it start to decompose on its own first seems to limit the potential stress to plants and soil. If you do use it right away you might read up on supplementing nutrients in the soil. The use of mulch is great though. I'm sharing what my own experiences have been. What I'm more likely to use around my veg garden is half rotted straw, straw bedding from my hens, and grass clippings (on the edges only). I use wood chips mostly around established fruit tree guilds and perennials. It's an attractive top dressing when I use it this way. Hope this helps. Cheers

[@susanmyer1]

You’ve got tons of energy. Makes me tired just imagining how much time you spend in the food forest and posting.

[@donnavorce8856]

The thing about it is that it renews me to be out there. Yes it's good physical activity to keep the body limber but the other payout for me is inner peace and joy. When the pollinators arrive in clouds to sip all the flowers it's simply magic. Susan, if you're interested, just start small. And stay small if that does it for you. My little acre is a lot but when I only had a patio and 12 x 12 soil plot I worked with that to my great satisfaction.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I have to say, it's similar to working out in gym. You HATE IT, hate it hate it, but you force yourself to exercise because you know it's good for you. Then after a while, you find out that you really love it. You love how it makes you feel. You love the energy and positivity that radiates from you. It's the same thing with work in a garden. It's a lot of work, sure, but it's when I feel alive. After a day of working in the garden, I FEEL SO GOOD, knowing how much I got accomplished that day. The difference between this and working out in a gym, is that then even if you do nothing, your work multiplies and pays you back over and over even without you doing more work. Every plant I planted this past weekend is going to just continue growing and spreading over the next 30 years of my life. The food forest style of gardening is this giant snowball effect that just builds and builds and builds.