I just discovered that fact about Peonies myself 2 years ago. After I learned that I thought of how much my wife loves them (which made a lightbulb flick on in my head and I suggested we line our front driveway with them, making her happy and able to appreciate the fragrance, while simultaneously growing food and medicine camouflaged as pretty flowers). ;)
You don't like the smell of peonies!? Well I suppose that is a great example of how there is infinite diversity in human beings and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes they are very good at attracting ants aren't they. Such a clever plant, the way she leans her blooms down to the ground, secreting sweet substances to invite the ants to do the work of pollinating her flowers. I have come to appreciate ants in my garden in some contexts as well as they do a great job pollinating my smaller blossomed pepper plants (such as Aji Charapita, Biquinho and Chiltepin peppers).
Yes the use of Peony root has a long history of use in Chinese traditional medicine. I linked a couple resources to an updated version of the article above but i`ll share more links for you below incase you would like to learn more. I think you have also inspired me to do a whole article on Peonies as a potential member for a Food/Medicine Forest design at some time in the future as well (thanks for the inspiration! :) ).
Info on the medicinal and edible properties of Peonies:
I'm convinced that neither the lawn nazis nor most of the rest of the population know what the plant for a root vegetable actually looks like, hence so far none of the carrots that I grow in my front garden have been stolen or destroyed.
Excellent article and resources offered, thank you. I have been to Charles Dowding’s garden a few times and he is doing wonderful things. His books are great resources . I created forest gardens in a couple of places and even ran a garden exchange system at one stage. Where people offered land/gardens to those who had none or not enough to grow vegetables. The system stopped because I had more land offered than gardeners ! I think it would be different now as more people are aware of food security.
I got the rest of my seeds today and the raised planters arrived also. Ran out to get some Fox Farm seed starter soil and ordered some flats. Its funny (not actually funny) every time we get a new inspector from our HOA, we get a Nasty letter telling us we have weeds on our flower bed. Every time I send them a letter explaining my qualifications and the "weeds" are actually native wildflowers and the plants are natives as well. I always invite them to come to my home and point out what is unkempt, weeds, and not authorized. I then offer to explain how the neighbors have the wrong tree in their front yard according to the HOA documents and that people who top their trees are unsightly to me and the neighborhood. I basically point out all the flaws in what they are citing me for and they usually respond looking forward to seeing the flowers in bloom. They're gonna love the 4, 2x3x8 galvanized planters going in the back yard next week. I hope I can manage to keep the stuff in them green. Some of the seeds were sent by a new friend who writes a bunch and has a really cool book. This same guy has some great YouTube content on gardening and philosophy. You might know him. He's been around for a while even though I just found him. Thanks for inspiring people to take up gardening, You certainly motivated me and I am optimistic our efforts will improve our family life, our health, and hopefully my outlook on life.
Thank you so very much for sharing this valuable information. We've been growing a backyard garden for several years now. I'm always open to continue learning all I can about gardening though. Thanks again.
Another great article Gavin, thank you! I just love how you combine the miserable reality (with humor!) many of us are witnessing with the amazing potential of how it could be if (when!) sanity reigns. 🙏
Your observation on the plant illiteracy reminds me of a funny story here just a few years ago. They had some raids on gorilla cannabis growers b/c I guess it was becoming an issue. It was reported in the paper that one of the busts was a real bust, because the officers in the helicopter that called in the spot had actually had them raiding some poor guy’s okra patch! 😂
Thanks! :) I added some more to an updated version of the article today (including but not limited to a link to an awesome sounding book I want to buy called "Gardening Like a Ninja: A Guide to Sneaking Delicious Edibles into Your Landscape") haha :) Here is a link to the author's website http://untrainedhousewife.com/gardeninglikeaninja (which I look forward to exploring more when I have time).
That Okra thing is hilarious (though I do feel bad for the poor gardener).
Which yes, lends itself well to my theory about food forests being "invisible" to botanically blind people who only barely know how to identify a tomato plant (maybe) lol.
Sigh. The artist and Nature-lover in me has been trying to grow a garden since 2021 - the first full year I was here in NH in the country. I seem to be in a perfect-storm location for ticks and black and deer flies. On the edge of a forest and across the road from a wildlife/nature sanctuary. They ravage me. I have tried everything. The only place they (sort of) leave me alone is on my tiny patio. I might have to change the location of my garden and/or do some container growing this year. That being said, I have made friends with a lot of the wonderful farmers at my local farmer's market and I love supporting them. I live on a hill and have let it grow wild with abandon. It's full of Yarrow and Goldenrod and Dandelion and Meadowsweet and etc. etc. You get the picture. I had visions of wandering through the meadow barefoot, but...ticks. You do know the story of the dumping of ticks by our gvnmt, right? RFK Jr. just interviewed Kris Newby, author of "Bitten" last month on his podcast. But, I digress... :)
Sorry for the long-winded comment, Gavin. I am thinking that this year I might forgive myself for not being the A+ gardener and instead appreciate myself for letting the plants go wild and do their thing with abandon. Thx for another great article! I love seeing wild gardens in urban areas! 🌿 💚
If you spread lime or dolomite very thickly on the soil (so it looks like snow) before rain, this greatly reduces the tick population.
I did this around my house yard, when my son was a toddler as every time he went outside he was covered in ticks. After the liming, he could roll on the lawn with abandon and only picked up ticks when he went over the gate into the animal paddock. I did this once and the effect lasted for the 14 years we lived there. I used a "helicopter mother" amount of lime = 14x20kg bags on approximately a quarter acre!
You could try taking the homoeopathic remedy Staphysagria in a very low potency (6X) 1/2 hour before going outside. This has worked anecdotally for people who are particularly attractive to mosquitoes.
Oh it turns out that mantis do eat ticks! Perhaps that is why they are never an issue in my garden despite my leaving tall grass in areas for the beings that prefer such habitat.
Is there any difference if you were to get gardening done at the crack of dawn ?
How about protective clothing?
Have you noticed any praying mantis in your yard? I just posted a note about how I like to encourage a healthy population of those amazing beings in my garden and I have noticed them grabbing mosquitoes and black flies right out of the air in my garden (not sure about ticks though).
I did not know about the dumping of ticks by the government, what is that about?
No need to apologize, I am glad you shared and want to help any way I can.
Here are some resources for creating natural insect repellents and for attracting more predators of black flies and mosquitoes to help defend you in your garden space.
Hi Gavin, I have tried just about everything. Even my beloved Yarrow isn't enough. And rumor has it that the Susun Weed claim that the army says it's more effective than DEET is bs. I've tried different times of day. I'm wondering if the theory that they love Type O blood is true. I've even donned the fashionable bug netting but when it gets hot - forget it! We have tons of Dragonflies - they arrive like an army. But, there are just too many deer/black flies. I'm going to try really hard this year not to complain too much. Maybe i'll take a road trip. Or stay in the house and get some writing done. IDK. I feel sorry for the animals. But, for now I'm enjoying the bug-less winter. Well, I was until a friend of mine sent me photo that says a winter with lots of snow on the ground helps the ticks survive. WTH??? UGHHHHH. Here's the podcast I was referring to. I read her book a few years ago. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bioweapons-and-lyme-disease-with-kris-newby/id1552000243?i=1000642252702
I ask this with all seriousness and respect for all of Mother Nature's creatures - what purpose do ticks serve on this planet? 💚
Not sure if this would be an option for you where you are, but we had this problem when we started too. The ticks were SO bad, and we got Muscovy ducks and Guinea hens, as well as chickens. Since then we hardly see them anymore, sometimes on the outdoor dogs who wander far off. We don’t have the ducks or guineas anymore and still no issue!
Thx, Michelle - Not really an option for me but I did have a party of five wild turkeys visiting at least once a day most of the summer last year. I think it helped a lot. And I mowed the grass right around the house. They're mostly wood ticks but they're just SO DISGUSTING. :( I'm mostly bummed because the woods are right outside my door and I'd be in them all day if it weren't for the ticks and the BITING flies. They're absolutely monstrous - especially the deer flies. Pretty much mid-May - mid-August is a wash. :( #ilovewinter!
Ahh the old bring out your fascistic tendencies HOA litmus test, yes, and then if you combine that with a massive propaganda campaign from the government telling everyone that if they capitulate to big pharma propaganda, receive injections and put on medical looking facemasks they are better and more responsible citizens than all those "dirty anti-vaxxers" then you will really find out how fascistic their tendencies are! I found that reality of the past 4 years revealed a great many closet fascists and opportunistic bullies in my circles, it was very helpful for separating the wheat from the chaff in my life.
Thanks for the amusing, illuminating and thought provoking comment.
I suppose I would agree if the solar panels are hooked up to an elon musk lithium battery bank, though there are cool designs for passive solar for heating water or more advanced newer solar powered electrolysis/hydrogen generating systems that I think have a lot of potential.
Considering how energy demanding greenhouse lights are for growing, why not do a gourmet medicinal mushrooms attic grow room instead? All one needs is a DIY humidity control and ventilation system and one can grow copious amounts of protein, mineral, medicinal beta-glucan and vitamin rich mushrooms using free "waste" materials from various industries (landscaping, power company pruning, organic agriculture chaff, coffee grounds etc).
Photovoltaic power wouldn't exist without massive federal subsidies. None of them turn out well. LEDs don't consume anywhere near the power that old school incandescent lights do, and they emit light at the specific frequencies that the plants thrive on. Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on greenhouse growing written by actual practitioners?
Great point about federal subsidies and Photovoltaic tech (the manufacturing and disposal processes also poisons the water table and earth) . I have seen passive DIY solar water heating systems that used upcycled materials which I think are a great idea though.
Okay so lets assume you can make a super energy efficient LED grow system in your attic. Would you choose that pathway for growing plants instead of using natural sunlight (if you had the ability to do either)? And are you talking hydroponic or LED grow lights with real soil?
RE: "Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on greenhouse growing written by actual practitioners?"
That is a little like saying "Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on synthetic mRNA injections written by actual synthetic mRNA manufacturers and proponents?"
I have friends that own large hydroponic greenhouses here in Southern Ontario (some grow cannabis, some grow vegetables or strawberries) and I have helped them fine tune their growing methods so I am well versed in the tech involved and what those types of industrial scale LED grow greenhouse systems can produce.
When we do a Brix test of their harvests grown in hydroponic systems and compare lets say a tomato grown with synthetic inputs, and no soil under LEDS to a tomato grown under sunlight in living soil, there is a significant difference. Given some of these guys are growing Cannabis we also have some of their crops tested using MASS Spec equipment to get a full profile of all the phenolic compounds, terpenes and cannabinoids present. We have also done comparisons of those crops grown in natural conditions to hydroponic and the crops grown in living soil with natural light are the clearly superior crop.
That being said, I personally use LED grow lights in my home for a number of different cultivation methods, so i`ll take on the role of an "actual practitioner" and do my best to speak on what I have learned so far.
LED-s are great for starting a huge amount of seedings or leafing out a big batch of hard wood cuttings to give them a head start while it is still cold outside. I also use them for supplementing the light that my lime trees get on the side of the plant not facing the south window in our living room. These are very helpful tools in that regard. However, given that natural light and living soil provide the plants with nourishment no amount of synthetic fertilizer or various spectrums of artificial light can match, I always go with cultivating the plants as adults for producing edible/medicinal crops using sunlight and living soil.
Other considerations:
Soil substitute - there's no soil substitute that can qualify as regenerative or of long term benefit. Plants must have full freedom to choose for themselves what and when to eat and at what amounts. There are also myriad symbiotic relationships that take place within the rhizosphere of plants when they are grown in living soil that contribute towards their resilience and capability to produce peak levels of nutrients and medicinal compounds that no hydroponic system can replicate.
LEDs - I have a lot of concerns about LEDS from a human health and ecological impact perspective, the PCBs used for one. LED bulbs also contain lead, arsenic, and a dozen more potentially hazardous substances (for more info: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es101052q ). LEDs may be especially helpful for those in darker, colder regions like Alaska where the sun disappears for long stretches of time as well as heavily urbanized areas like Tokyo for those seeking to step up their food production capabilities but we should also honestly assess the downsides.
Now another thing to be concerned about in terms of hydroponics is that it is energy reliant. So if you’re in a place where the electricity tends to cut out, or if you want to be capable of growing food with or without a centralized power grid, then this is really something to consider. Mushrooms can be grown with or without electricity.
If your lights go out, your plants will die. Sadly that’s just the reality, it’s a very fine-tuned system and you can get great productivity out of it. But at the same time, plants produced in such systems are not as resilient as those grown in natural conditions.
And that brings us to the next major point to consider. Natural conditions tend to enable plants to develop a buffer capacity against changes in temperature, lack of water, etc. They toughen up and produce all kinds of amazing secondary metabolite plant compounds that help protect them from stress. We are now discovering how healthy some of these compounds are for us humans. Secondary metabolites such as anthocyanin also offer a range of great health benefits. Secondary metabolites called ‘glucosinolates’ in the broccoli family have anti-carcinogenic properties! So plants toughening up to growing conditions can be a good thing for them and for us.
So over all I would say an LED growing system can be a helpful tool, but relying on such a system as one's only method of growing plants leaves one open to serious disruptions in food supply and the food that is produced is of a lesser quality than food grown in living soil with sunlight.
If you install LED lighting in your greenhouse, you can keep the plants growing 24/7, regardless of what the sun does. If your LED grow lights are full spectrum, you are wasting most of the electricity they consume. Plant's needs for light are very frequency specific and tunable LED lighting is available and in use. The sun's output is not broadband or consistent.
So if you could grow plants for eating with either LEDs or outside in the sun (as in you have the space for both but are choosing one over the other) you advocate for choosing LED grown food??
And are you talking hydroponic or LED grow lights with real soil?
Full hydroponics in a greenhouse with lighting for after the sun is down.
Plants don't know or care about the source of light, but they grow better with certain frequencies of it than others, or white, for that matter. White LEDs are blue LEDs with phosphors that emit white light when excited by intense blue light.
Lawn nazis can't bitch about beautiful flowers. From there, one simply inserts food plants. Many flowers and abundant herbs makes even Hitler smile.
I have a patch of red, white, and pink heirloom peonies in the front yard.
they're pretty and all, but they'd always annoyed me because they draw ants and don't smell as good as other flowers.
I had no idea they had medicinal uses, much less that they are edible!
thanks for the data, as usual it's interesting and useful.
I just discovered that fact about Peonies myself 2 years ago. After I learned that I thought of how much my wife loves them (which made a lightbulb flick on in my head and I suggested we line our front driveway with them, making her happy and able to appreciate the fragrance, while simultaneously growing food and medicine camouflaged as pretty flowers). ;)
You don't like the smell of peonies!? Well I suppose that is a great example of how there is infinite diversity in human beings and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes they are very good at attracting ants aren't they. Such a clever plant, the way she leans her blooms down to the ground, secreting sweet substances to invite the ants to do the work of pollinating her flowers. I have come to appreciate ants in my garden in some contexts as well as they do a great job pollinating my smaller blossomed pepper plants (such as Aji Charapita, Biquinho and Chiltepin peppers).
Yes the use of Peony root has a long history of use in Chinese traditional medicine. I linked a couple resources to an updated version of the article above but i`ll share more links for you below incase you would like to learn more. I think you have also inspired me to do a whole article on Peonies as a potential member for a Food/Medicine Forest design at some time in the future as well (thanks for the inspiration! :) ).
Info on the medicinal and edible properties of Peonies:
The petals contain significant amounts of numerous phytochemicals, including sugar, organic acids, protein, minerals, flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, carotenoids, fiber and a high antioxidant capacity. ( https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jchem/2020/4942805/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0981942820303107 )
Fun recipes:
- https://www.alaskapeonycooperative.com/blog/2021/05/11/enjoy-peonies-year-round-from-your-kitchen/#:~:text=We%20all%20know%20the%20magical,petals%20and%20even%20the%20seeds.
- https://persephoneskitchen.com/2012/05/20/precious-little-strawberry-peony-jam/ (i have tried this one and it is lovely).
The root offers the following medicinal benefits:
Key Actions: Antioxidant, Antitumor, Immune Enhancing, Antispasmodic, Febrifuge, Vulnerary, Emmenagogue, Tonic, Astringent, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Anti-aging
Key Medicinal Uses: Female disorders, headaches, lowers blood pressure, expands blood vessels, inhibits platelet clotting, regulates blood sugar, diabetes, fever, muscle pain, strengthens bones.
- https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/peony/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/white-peony-root#benefits-of-white-peony-root-plant
- https://www.hobbyfarms.com/peonies-peony-beautiful-edible/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7365904/
Thanks for the comment and happy peony harvesting!
that's a lot of useful information, thank you.
jelly recipe bookmarked as an easy test item.
I'm convinced that neither the lawn nazis nor most of the rest of the population know what the plant for a root vegetable actually looks like, hence so far none of the carrots that I grow in my front garden have been stolen or destroyed.
Excellent article and resources offered, thank you. I have been to Charles Dowding’s garden a few times and he is doing wonderful things. His books are great resources . I created forest gardens in a couple of places and even ran a garden exchange system at one stage. Where people offered land/gardens to those who had none or not enough to grow vegetables. The system stopped because I had more land offered than gardeners ! I think it would be different now as more people are aware of food security.
I got the rest of my seeds today and the raised planters arrived also. Ran out to get some Fox Farm seed starter soil and ordered some flats. Its funny (not actually funny) every time we get a new inspector from our HOA, we get a Nasty letter telling us we have weeds on our flower bed. Every time I send them a letter explaining my qualifications and the "weeds" are actually native wildflowers and the plants are natives as well. I always invite them to come to my home and point out what is unkempt, weeds, and not authorized. I then offer to explain how the neighbors have the wrong tree in their front yard according to the HOA documents and that people who top their trees are unsightly to me and the neighborhood. I basically point out all the flaws in what they are citing me for and they usually respond looking forward to seeing the flowers in bloom. They're gonna love the 4, 2x3x8 galvanized planters going in the back yard next week. I hope I can manage to keep the stuff in them green. Some of the seeds were sent by a new friend who writes a bunch and has a really cool book. This same guy has some great YouTube content on gardening and philosophy. You might know him. He's been around for a while even though I just found him. Thanks for inspiring people to take up gardening, You certainly motivated me and I am optimistic our efforts will improve our family life, our health, and hopefully my outlook on life.
Right on man!
I appreciate you sharing your experiences regarding HOA-s and thanks for the kind words.
I would love to hear how your gardens are coming along once things get growing.
Thanks for the detailed comment.
Landlord raised the rent 3% this month. I expanded the lawn to garden project about 20% :)
Heck ya! Take that inflation ! ;)
I like your style my friend.
Thank you so very much for sharing this valuable information. We've been growing a backyard garden for several years now. I'm always open to continue learning all I can about gardening though. Thanks again.
I am glad you found the information to be helpful Carol. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment :)
Another great article Gavin, thank you! I just love how you combine the miserable reality (with humor!) many of us are witnessing with the amazing potential of how it could be if (when!) sanity reigns. 🙏
Your observation on the plant illiteracy reminds me of a funny story here just a few years ago. They had some raids on gorilla cannabis growers b/c I guess it was becoming an issue. It was reported in the paper that one of the busts was a real bust, because the officers in the helicopter that called in the spot had actually had them raiding some poor guy’s okra patch! 😂
Thanks! :) I added some more to an updated version of the article today (including but not limited to a link to an awesome sounding book I want to buy called "Gardening Like a Ninja: A Guide to Sneaking Delicious Edibles into Your Landscape") haha :) Here is a link to the author's website http://untrainedhousewife.com/gardeninglikeaninja (which I look forward to exploring more when I have time).
That Okra thing is hilarious (though I do feel bad for the poor gardener).
Which yes, lends itself well to my theory about food forests being "invisible" to botanically blind people who only barely know how to identify a tomato plant (maybe) lol.
Thanks for the kind and fun comment my friend.
‘Botanically blind’ HA! I’m going to borrow that! 😂
🤣🤣🤣
😱🤪🤦♂️🤦♀️
Sigh. The artist and Nature-lover in me has been trying to grow a garden since 2021 - the first full year I was here in NH in the country. I seem to be in a perfect-storm location for ticks and black and deer flies. On the edge of a forest and across the road from a wildlife/nature sanctuary. They ravage me. I have tried everything. The only place they (sort of) leave me alone is on my tiny patio. I might have to change the location of my garden and/or do some container growing this year. That being said, I have made friends with a lot of the wonderful farmers at my local farmer's market and I love supporting them. I live on a hill and have let it grow wild with abandon. It's full of Yarrow and Goldenrod and Dandelion and Meadowsweet and etc. etc. You get the picture. I had visions of wandering through the meadow barefoot, but...ticks. You do know the story of the dumping of ticks by our gvnmt, right? RFK Jr. just interviewed Kris Newby, author of "Bitten" last month on his podcast. But, I digress... :)
Sorry for the long-winded comment, Gavin. I am thinking that this year I might forgive myself for not being the A+ gardener and instead appreciate myself for letting the plants go wild and do their thing with abandon. Thx for another great article! I love seeing wild gardens in urban areas! 🌿 💚
If you spread lime or dolomite very thickly on the soil (so it looks like snow) before rain, this greatly reduces the tick population.
I did this around my house yard, when my son was a toddler as every time he went outside he was covered in ticks. After the liming, he could roll on the lawn with abandon and only picked up ticks when he went over the gate into the animal paddock. I did this once and the effect lasted for the 14 years we lived there. I used a "helicopter mother" amount of lime = 14x20kg bags on approximately a quarter acre!
You could try taking the homoeopathic remedy Staphysagria in a very low potency (6X) 1/2 hour before going outside. This has worked anecdotally for people who are particularly attractive to mosquitoes.
Thank you, Jayne!
Oh it turns out that mantis do eat ticks! Perhaps that is why they are never an issue in my garden despite my leaving tall grass in areas for the beings that prefer such habitat.
- https://www.naturalpestrepellents.com/blog/what-eats-ticks/
- https://sayhellospot.net/rid-your-yard-ses-do-the-job
- https://olsen-farm.com/beneficial-insects-praying-mantids-for-tick-control/
Hope this helps! :)
I’m hoping the wild turkeys return this summer! 🦃
I feel your pain sister!
Is there any difference if you were to get gardening done at the crack of dawn ?
How about protective clothing?
Have you noticed any praying mantis in your yard? I just posted a note about how I like to encourage a healthy population of those amazing beings in my garden and I have noticed them grabbing mosquitoes and black flies right out of the air in my garden (not sure about ticks though).
I did not know about the dumping of ticks by the government, what is that about?
No need to apologize, I am glad you shared and want to help any way I can.
Here are some resources for creating natural insect repellents and for attracting more predators of black flies and mosquitoes to help defend you in your garden space.
- https://ourpermaculturelife.com/natural-insect-repellents-vinegar-and-herbs/
- https://www.treehugger.com/plants-that-repel-unwanted-insects-4864336
- https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/yarrow-insect-repelling-herb-stronger-than-deet/
- https://commonsensehome.com/deer-fly-control/
- https://www.tribepermaculture.com/post/mosquitoes-in-garden-know-the-natural-predators#:~:text=The%20easiest%20way%20to%20attract,the%20right%20kind%20of%20habitat.&text=Having%20a%20small%20pond%20is,feet%2Ddeep%20pond%20is%20required.
- https://www.escapetosylvan.com/post/permaculture-brings-in-dragons-and-damsels
- https://web.archive.org/web/20230415103235/https://returntonow.net/2022/07/21/dragonflies-eat-hundreds-of-mosquitos-per-day/
You are most welcome, thanks for reading and commenting. Hope some of this info helps!
Hi Gavin, I have tried just about everything. Even my beloved Yarrow isn't enough. And rumor has it that the Susun Weed claim that the army says it's more effective than DEET is bs. I've tried different times of day. I'm wondering if the theory that they love Type O blood is true. I've even donned the fashionable bug netting but when it gets hot - forget it! We have tons of Dragonflies - they arrive like an army. But, there are just too many deer/black flies. I'm going to try really hard this year not to complain too much. Maybe i'll take a road trip. Or stay in the house and get some writing done. IDK. I feel sorry for the animals. But, for now I'm enjoying the bug-less winter. Well, I was until a friend of mine sent me photo that says a winter with lots of snow on the ground helps the ticks survive. WTH??? UGHHHHH. Here's the podcast I was referring to. I read her book a few years ago. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bioweapons-and-lyme-disease-with-kris-newby/id1552000243?i=1000642252702
I ask this with all seriousness and respect for all of Mother Nature's creatures - what purpose do ticks serve on this planet? 💚
One last thing - this is a wonderful podcast: https://commonwealthherbs.com/podcast-124-a-holistic-herbal-tick-bite-protocol/
Not sure if this would be an option for you where you are, but we had this problem when we started too. The ticks were SO bad, and we got Muscovy ducks and Guinea hens, as well as chickens. Since then we hardly see them anymore, sometimes on the outdoor dogs who wander far off. We don’t have the ducks or guineas anymore and still no issue!
Thx, Michelle - Not really an option for me but I did have a party of five wild turkeys visiting at least once a day most of the summer last year. I think it helped a lot. And I mowed the grass right around the house. They're mostly wood ticks but they're just SO DISGUSTING. :( I'm mostly bummed because the woods are right outside my door and I'd be in them all day if it weren't for the ticks and the BITING flies. They're absolutely monstrous - especially the deer flies. Pretty much mid-May - mid-August is a wash. :( #ilovewinter!
If you want to find out if someone has fascist tendencies, put them on an HOA committee.
Ahh the old bring out your fascistic tendencies HOA litmus test, yes, and then if you combine that with a massive propaganda campaign from the government telling everyone that if they capitulate to big pharma propaganda, receive injections and put on medical looking facemasks they are better and more responsible citizens than all those "dirty anti-vaxxers" then you will really find out how fascistic their tendencies are! I found that reality of the past 4 years revealed a great many closet fascists and opportunistic bullies in my circles, it was very helpful for separating the wheat from the chaff in my life.
Thanks for the amusing, illuminating and thought provoking comment.
More problems could be solved by putting greenhouses in attics than putting solar panels on roofs.
I suppose I would agree if the solar panels are hooked up to an elon musk lithium battery bank, though there are cool designs for passive solar for heating water or more advanced newer solar powered electrolysis/hydrogen generating systems that I think have a lot of potential.
Considering how energy demanding greenhouse lights are for growing, why not do a gourmet medicinal mushrooms attic grow room instead? All one needs is a DIY humidity control and ventilation system and one can grow copious amounts of protein, mineral, medicinal beta-glucan and vitamin rich mushrooms using free "waste" materials from various industries (landscaping, power company pruning, organic agriculture chaff, coffee grounds etc).
Thanks for the comment.
Photovoltaic power wouldn't exist without massive federal subsidies. None of them turn out well. LEDs don't consume anywhere near the power that old school incandescent lights do, and they emit light at the specific frequencies that the plants thrive on. Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on greenhouse growing written by actual practitioners?
Great point about federal subsidies and Photovoltaic tech (the manufacturing and disposal processes also poisons the water table and earth) . I have seen passive DIY solar water heating systems that used upcycled materials which I think are a great idea though.
Okay so lets assume you can make a super energy efficient LED grow system in your attic. Would you choose that pathway for growing plants instead of using natural sunlight (if you had the ability to do either)? And are you talking hydroponic or LED grow lights with real soil?
RE: "Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on greenhouse growing written by actual practitioners?"
That is a little like saying "Can you tell us the source of the information you have gathered on synthetic mRNA injections written by actual synthetic mRNA manufacturers and proponents?"
I have friends that own large hydroponic greenhouses here in Southern Ontario (some grow cannabis, some grow vegetables or strawberries) and I have helped them fine tune their growing methods so I am well versed in the tech involved and what those types of industrial scale LED grow greenhouse systems can produce.
When we do a Brix test of their harvests grown in hydroponic systems and compare lets say a tomato grown with synthetic inputs, and no soil under LEDS to a tomato grown under sunlight in living soil, there is a significant difference. Given some of these guys are growing Cannabis we also have some of their crops tested using MASS Spec equipment to get a full profile of all the phenolic compounds, terpenes and cannabinoids present. We have also done comparisons of those crops grown in natural conditions to hydroponic and the crops grown in living soil with natural light are the clearly superior crop.
That being said, I personally use LED grow lights in my home for a number of different cultivation methods, so i`ll take on the role of an "actual practitioner" and do my best to speak on what I have learned so far.
LED-s are great for starting a huge amount of seedings or leafing out a big batch of hard wood cuttings to give them a head start while it is still cold outside. I also use them for supplementing the light that my lime trees get on the side of the plant not facing the south window in our living room. These are very helpful tools in that regard. However, given that natural light and living soil provide the plants with nourishment no amount of synthetic fertilizer or various spectrums of artificial light can match, I always go with cultivating the plants as adults for producing edible/medicinal crops using sunlight and living soil.
Other considerations:
Soil substitute - there's no soil substitute that can qualify as regenerative or of long term benefit. Plants must have full freedom to choose for themselves what and when to eat and at what amounts. There are also myriad symbiotic relationships that take place within the rhizosphere of plants when they are grown in living soil that contribute towards their resilience and capability to produce peak levels of nutrients and medicinal compounds that no hydroponic system can replicate.
LEDs - I have a lot of concerns about LEDS from a human health and ecological impact perspective, the PCBs used for one. LED bulbs also contain lead, arsenic, and a dozen more potentially hazardous substances (for more info: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es101052q ). LEDs may be especially helpful for those in darker, colder regions like Alaska where the sun disappears for long stretches of time as well as heavily urbanized areas like Tokyo for those seeking to step up their food production capabilities but we should also honestly assess the downsides.
Now another thing to be concerned about in terms of hydroponics is that it is energy reliant. So if you’re in a place where the electricity tends to cut out, or if you want to be capable of growing food with or without a centralized power grid, then this is really something to consider. Mushrooms can be grown with or without electricity.
If your lights go out, your plants will die. Sadly that’s just the reality, it’s a very fine-tuned system and you can get great productivity out of it. But at the same time, plants produced in such systems are not as resilient as those grown in natural conditions.
And that brings us to the next major point to consider. Natural conditions tend to enable plants to develop a buffer capacity against changes in temperature, lack of water, etc. They toughen up and produce all kinds of amazing secondary metabolite plant compounds that help protect them from stress. We are now discovering how healthy some of these compounds are for us humans. Secondary metabolites such as anthocyanin also offer a range of great health benefits. Secondary metabolites called ‘glucosinolates’ in the broccoli family have anti-carcinogenic properties! So plants toughening up to growing conditions can be a good thing for them and for us.
So over all I would say an LED growing system can be a helpful tool, but relying on such a system as one's only method of growing plants leaves one open to serious disruptions in food supply and the food that is produced is of a lesser quality than food grown in living soil with sunlight.
If you install LED lighting in your greenhouse, you can keep the plants growing 24/7, regardless of what the sun does. If your LED grow lights are full spectrum, you are wasting most of the electricity they consume. Plant's needs for light are very frequency specific and tunable LED lighting is available and in use. The sun's output is not broadband or consistent.
So if you could grow plants for eating with either LEDs or outside in the sun (as in you have the space for both but are choosing one over the other) you advocate for choosing LED grown food??
And are you talking hydroponic or LED grow lights with real soil?
Full hydroponics in a greenhouse with lighting for after the sun is down.
Plants don't know or care about the source of light, but they grow better with certain frequencies of it than others, or white, for that matter. White LEDs are blue LEDs with phosphors that emit white light when excited by intense blue light.