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I am ultimately interested in starting a permaculture farm in Mexico. Before making that leap, I would love to be at experience others’ permaculture farms in Mexico. Are there any that you know of that you might recommend? Even better if its located somewhere in Mexico where the summer (when I would like to visit) is not too hot, such as in the high mountains. Thank you for your input.

I have a five year old permaculture orchard modeled after miracle farms. I am in zone 7b SE TN. I have a bunch of spots for nitrogen fixers that I really do not want to fill with only nitrogen fixers. I also have spots for stone fruit that I want to scale back on because I am in a frost pocket and it tends to warm up early and get hit by a hard freeze.

Anyway I have read/heard a few times that you want to plant mulberries away from other fruit trees to attract birds away. The thing is mulberries are pretty amazing and I am thinking about filling 5 to 10 spots. Has anyone done this? Did you regret it?

Location: central Ohio (zone 6a).

Vision: a greenhouse to house an aquaponics system and to grow food for home consumption – without having to step outdoors! (Fish may or may not be eaten, I’m more focused on veggies)

Specifics:

The carport is on the south side of the house. There is some tree cover on the east and west.

Footprint would be approx 10’x20′ You can’t see well in the photo, but there’s a side door to the house in front of where the car is parked. The door is not covered by the carport, and that area has pea gravel. In order for that door to open into the greenhouse, I’d have to extend the roof out a few feet on the west wall. Having a few square feet with drainage would be an added benefit to this, since the impermeable driveway will be the floor of the rest of the greenhouse.

I investigated and found that the carport section of the roof is internally separated from the rest of the roof, over the front porch. I don’t know what it looks like on the inside; there’s a “ceiling” to the carport (is soffit the right term?), but I assume it’s just wooden framing and possibly some insulation…? I’d remove the roofing and siding and replace with glass, polycarbonate, etc.

I would lose a covered parking space, but that’s not a major concern.

Ventilation: I hear those automatic wax windows can be nifty – is there a way to close them manually in a high wind? Will also need to plan fans, airflow.

Moisture: I’m guessing I would need to remove the siding and put some sort of moisture barrier on the side of the house to protect it…? And probably also paint or seal the wooden frame.

Electricity: there’s an outlet in the wall, but once I’m running lights/water pump/fans that will probably be insufficient. Could I hire an electrician to beef this up somehow?

I’m skeptical about overwintering fish in an aboveground tank, in an unheated greenhouse, in Ohio. How do folks handle this? Do hobbyists generally so three-season aquaponics and start fresh every spring, or is there a feasible way to maintain a “dormant” system through the winter?

I’m inexperienced in most of this and in the pre-planning stage, so expert feedback would be very much appreciated. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Just got this peach tree in the ma from rain tree and was wondering if I should make a heading cut on this peach tree and if I do have to do one do I cut the branches below the heading cut as well?

So about 3.5 years ago we planted out some young apple, pear, cranberry, mulberry I think, and black currant… Too close together, I think. The trees are about 6feet apart lol we got all these natives and we were excited and overwhelmed with info so we just got them in the ground. Now I’m thinking I need to mitigate this issue…? Could I trim them to be dwarves, would that be enough room for them then? (The apple and pear mainly) OR should I respace them and dig them out and do the whole damn thing with more space in between?

How far apart do you plant your apple and pear trees?

I’m in year 3 of trying to make my yard a native plant garden and mini wildlife habitat. Recently, this little buddy has moved into a pile of branches in the corner of the yard. He’s smaller than he looks in the picture, in person he looks like he could fit in the palm of my hand.

I’m glad I’m creating places for creatures to burrow– that’s the goal, after all– but now I’m nervous that I’ll end up housing animals that are invasive or detrimental.

Can anyone identify him? And in general, should I be keeping an eye on what creatures show up in my garden and trying to keep particular visitors away, or is it futile to intervene? I’m clueless when it comes to fauna.

Idk if it’s relevant here, but I’m in the Pacific Northwest.

I recently shared a self-promo post here (and in a few other subreddits) for a simple tool I built. I’m still pretty new to taking care of plants and, like many beginners, have found myself diving into plant care websites and YouTube videos for help.

My website is a small tool with a single, focused purpose. I know it’s not for everyone—some people find it helpful, others not so much—and I totally get that.

That said, I’d love to get advice from more experienced plant caretakers: What features would make a tool like mine more helpful for beginners? I’m open to improving it and would really appreciate any suggestions to make it more useful for people like me who are just getting started.”

Thanks in advance!

If you are interested here is a link to my website which is a tool for helping determine if you need to water your plants.

shouldiwatertoday.com