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I have been reading about the native american farming system called the 3 sisters and have been amazed by the beutiful simplicity of how they all compliment each other both in time of growth, nutritional balancing and overall effectiveness. This got me thinking about if there was a possible equivalent using european native species in the UK, i know that Broad (Fava) Beans or Peas could serve as the 2nd sister as it is a nitrogen fixing legume, what other plant species could fill the roles of corn and squashes? Or might there be a different approach maybe with 1 or 2 more plants?

I am experimenting with ponds and am determined to stay plastic-free if at all possible. I am curious about trying a hybrid sealing method of packing the clay that’s already in the soil as firmly as I can, and then also doing a 5-6 inch layer of grass clippings, leaves, other organic material, and then a couple of inches of soil on top of that. I would bring in some ducks and/or pigs if I had ’em, but I don’t at the moment (nor do I have secure fencing to borrow any!) I also don’t have any way to transport manure, even if I could source some, so I am just trying to do this with what is on hand. I’d love to hear of any experiences or tips if anyone has played around with similar projects, or encountered any in books or videos out there.

I’ve been experimenting with sugarcane as part of my backyard food forest in 10a . It’s been thriving with very little input, and I made a video walking through how I grow, harvest, and propagate it. Figured I’d share in case anyone’s considering adding sugarcane to their permaculture setup. Open to tips or feedback!

I’m about to plant 12 hazelnut bushes, 22 chestnut trees, and a few rows of mixed berries. Originally I was planning on applying bark mulch annually to suppress weeds, but I’m interested in opinions here on whether white Dutch clover would be a good cover crop to plant in the rows of the bushes and trees to keep the more unruly weeds down and help rejuvenate the soil. It seems like there are a fair number of up sides, but before I commit, I was hoping for some experienced advice from this group.

My only major concern is keeping the clover from spreading too much to the surrounding areas. I’m also curious if clover cover can take the place of mulch, or if mulch is still recommended around these plants to begin with.

I’m in zone 5b.

Hi all, posting looking for advice. My MIL insisted on hiring a lawn guy for our new place. She told him to work on removing our English ivy overgrowth and asked to avoid spraying.

Today I found the lawn guy spraying a heavy layer of some herbicide all over the property, and learned that this was second time everything’s been coated. He refuses to tell me which herbicide it was.

What remediation steps should I take? I had hoped to compost some of the fallen leaves and non-ivy invasive plants around the property, but now it’s all drenched in mystery herbicide. I had rented goats to munch on the ivy previously, and they did such a great job I was going to rent them again, but now they can’t be on the property. I’m feeling pretty lost as this seems to be a nontrivial hitch in my plans. I was hoping to slowly replace the ivy with native species.

Any advice is appreciated!