@michael@social.tree.dance
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michael

@michael@social.tree.dance

Trying to develop a forest garden along the CT-RI border.

In the before times I lived in NYC where I worked in the online media world as a creator, producer and technologist.

I once won an Emmy. Another time I started a journalism lab.

Now I ponder bees and trees with my young daughters and am much happier.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

michael, to nature
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

as i read up on invasives, murrow's honeysuckle is a bit of an asshole:

"[S]ome studies have led researchers to believe that honeysuckle may release a toxin into the soil from their roots that would harm surrounding vegetation, preventing their growth."

https://www.nps.gov/articles/morrows-honeysuckle.htm

@plants

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

it might look like a wasteland but there are now 15 (potential) raspberry bushes where there were once infinity invasives.

putting in tree crops is next week's project. companion plants soon thereafter. progress!

@plants

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

i don't get the hate dandelions get. i think they're great.

i mean, intermingled with purple bugleweed adds a nice touch, but they shine well on their own.

unrelated: no mow may is gonna get real shaggy in my neck of the woods.

@plants

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

I saved some peach pits last fall and am finally trying to grow them.

The seeds are in these bags. They'll go in the fridge for the next 4-5 weeks and hopefully germinate.

If they do, I'll put them in pots until about this time next year and then begin my STUN experiment with them.

Sheet, Total, Utter Neglect.

Basically, plant them somewhere nice and leave them on their own to do whatever it is they'll do... or not do.

https://www.permaculturenews.org/2013/06/07/mark-shepards-proven-technique-sheer-total-and-utter-neglect/

@plants

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

i planted a persimmon in this pot. it's currently growing tomatoes. i need to pay closer attention to my composting.

#gardening #compost @plants

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

i'm at my in-laws in southern california. my wife's dad has a lovely backyard. it's maybe 45x90 feet but he has oranges, pomegranate, fig, and, pictured here, a sweet iranian lemon (limoo shirin) that my daughters find irresistible.

you can do a lot with a little but of space.

@plants @gardening

michael, to plants
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

last night over dinner my wife casually dropped that seven hardy almond trees are arriving in a few days.

two weeks ago, also at dinner, she dropped that five persian mulberry, two apricot and two arctic kiwi were arriving.

i need to stage an intervention.

then i need to find their forever homes.

@plants

michael, to Flowers
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

spent the morning taking advantage of a rare sunny day by cleaning up our flower garden.

i'm forever amazed that a seemingly bare patch like this will be an explosion of flowers in a few months (wild indigo, lady's glove, peonies, joe pye weed, bee balm and a whole lot more).

@plants

michael, to plants
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

Question from the curious: I went to Home Depot. I saw that its garden center was starting to put things out and went to take a look.

They had some apple trees, arborvitae and other odds and ends.

Then I saw it. My nemesis. Burning Bush! I spent much of last year clearing it.

Why is Home Depot (or anyone) selling this totally invasive plant? I can't imagine they're ignorant. It's also not some high value plant that they make premium returns on.

What gives?

@plants

michael, to plants
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

found the dr. seuss section of the aquarium.

@plants

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Listening to Ethiopian Jazz. You could be listening to Ethiopian Jazz, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c_jytxxPoo

michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@ernie was listening to Mulatu Astatke earlier today...

michael, to conservative
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

researchers find flowers that are evolving to self-pollinate where insect populations are declining: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/20/flowers-giving-up-on-scarce-insects-and-evolving-to-self-pollinate-say-scientists

@plants

michael, to nature
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

lemurs in madagascar are clever. they rub millipede toxin over their bodies as parasite repellent.

they then eat part of it to get high.

video/mp4

michael, to conservative
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

scientists think they know what happened to the billions of missing snow crabs off the alaskan coast.

warmer waters increased their metabolism, which increased their caloric requirements and they couldn't keep up.

basically, they starved to death.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/19/us/alaska-crabs-ocean-heat-climate/index.html

michael, to conservative
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

can a 144-year-old seed grow?

yes, yes it can.

and of course it's a weed (with an important hybrid twist).

https://www.futurity.org/buried-seeds-viable-2995582-2/

@gardening

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

I made a thing.

michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@ernie even though i haven't been on it in years, it'll always have my affections.

(every so often i think of re-exploring it)

michael, to politics
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

sounds about right.

Deglassco, to random

Scott Joplin, christened the “King of Ragtime,” is a luminary in American music. Born in the late 1860s in Northeast Texas USA, Joplin's journey in music was both a personal odyssey and a reflection of the transformative era in which he lived.. His compositions—- a fusion of myriad influences—-were profoundly influential and his legacy continues to reverberate through contemporary music.

1/

Image: Joplin painting by Sidney Holmes

michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@Deglassco my dad was a scott joplin fan and kept a collection of tapes in his car's glove compartment. when we went for drives, we'd listen to one after another. i was 8, maybe 10, and loved the music. i loved listening to it with my dad.

he's deep into alzheimers now and in a nursing home. i hadn't remembered this memory until your thread. thank you.

Private
michael,
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@guidedbywire @plants 😂

michael, to gardening
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

i planted 150 saffron bulbs today and then went down a rabbit hole on protecting the corms from rodents.

supposedly, there's a lily native to central asia, iraq, iran and turkey called Fritillaria imperialis that has a scent that repels them. they're also pretty. i'm going to give it a go and plant some. garlic too... and lavender.

@plants

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis

michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@OxgardenZ @plants @richrollgardener as in, lay chicken wire flat on top and have the saffron grow through it?

Private
michael,
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@KeithDJohnson @plants

i'm looking at a geothermal greenhouse. something along these lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZghkt5m1uY

michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@KeithDJohnson @plants can i ping you about your system when we're ready to move forward?

michael, to random
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

my daughter would like to know why superheroes wear their underwear "on the outside".

any help with this matter appreciated.

Private
michael,
@michael@social.tree.dance avatar

@ClimateJenny @faassen @plants thanks and good points. i might be able to leverage their data. but what i really want are digital and physical flashcards that i can learn from.

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