Living on the Edge
It’s not just a good Aerosmith song. Edge use, for those of us who really like to push our food production to the max, is essential. Along a property line (assuming you have a good relationship with your neighbor and trust they won’t spritz your plantings with herbicide) is a great place to make use of an edge. Trellised hops or sunflowers are a good start. Well caged tomatoes, if the sun and soil needs are met, is another option. I’ve had success with all of those. Edge and vertical space use always go well together. Here, along the west side of our house I’ve planted peas. It receives moderate sun this time of year, the stucco holds daytime warmth and protects the plantings from late frost. Once the peas have finished out, I’ll replace them with cucumbers that’ll love the heat and sun that bears down on that side…
Our Mission Statement
Strong Roots Resources is a business built around teaching the concepts of modern home economics in order to help others build resilience into their lives. We use a variety of permaculture techniques, waste stream redirection and frugal planning to demonstrate how to turn a standard consumer-oriented home into a place of food production, creativity and harmony. Our focus is helping our neighbors assess and understand the potential of their property, no matter how small, in terms of growing food, reducing energy use and fostering independence. These skills can be learned and applied regardless of economic status. We share this knowledge and skill set following our own 13 year (and on going) experience with small scale homesteading in an urban area. We speak from a place of humility, acknowledging a gradual learning curve and small successes that have built upon themselves. We have found that a change towards this type of…