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Fodder Tree Uses

NickF

NickF

Seasoned Member
Real Person
Male
Was talking to some of the men about fodder trees, wood gasifiers, alternative energy, and uses for the fodder trees I suggest people grow and use.
A few of the fellers asked for more info on willow as fence posts.

There's one video about it. This guy Tim has a fantastic video series, really fun to watch if you want something interesting that isn't total entertainment garbage. Useful knowledge and fun to watch too.
I'll be sharing video content later this year on my youtube channel called Homegrown Liberty. Here's a short one of the old garden space we were cleaning out for fodder trees.


Ask all your questions on fodder trees here!
 
Oh, by all means, blow off the hippie earth worship and mud wrestling (unless you like to mud wrestle). I only use the best parts that are practically applicable and do work. Helps me get more done by setting stuff up smart. Let animals do the work for me.
 
NickF said:
Oh, by all means, blow off the hippie earth worship and mud wrestling (unless you like to mud wrestle). I only use the best parts that are practically applicable and do work. Helps me get more done by setting stuff up smart. Let animals do the work for me.
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My take was always that it was by toil that we’ll take our food from the ground. Anything that claims to make that easy is deeply suspicious to me.
 
I just made an artificial wetland for treating our greywater, and have hit a problem with putting a fence around it - the clay is now so sodden corner posts just pull over when I even loosely strain the wires. Maybe I should be doing this there.

My one concern is that the tree grows around the wires. Cutting it down in the distant future will be hazardous, especially if you remove the fence but leave some wire stuck in the tree, then someone else cuts it down decades later not knowing it was once a fencepost. Wire and live trees is a dangerous combination.

Just makes me hesitant.
 
FollowingHim said:
I just made an artificial wetland for treating our greywater, and have hit a problem with putting a fence around it - the clay is now so sodden corner posts just pull over when I even loosely strain the wires. Maybe I should be doing this there.
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Then set live stakes minimum pencil diameter, every 8” and weave the whips together like a basket. Shouldn’t take but a few afternoons in the fall/winter. They will grow together and often will self-graft. You’ll have a living fence that will close together into a veritable solid wall of living wood. No wire needed.
 
NickF said:
Then you get out there with your fingernails and till that ground. I'll use a tractor with a PTO to do it.
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And so it’ll be by toil that you pay for your tractor. The curse is real and unavoidable, although I can see how it could be malleable if you’re front loading the toil and working with creation in humility and persistence.
 
The Revolting Man said:
Alright, I’m hooked. I’ve always blown off permaculture but if this is then I MIGHT re-evaluate my position.
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This is good to hear! It's not just a hippie thing. Stewart Brand ("Whole Earth Catalog") was a genius who brought together such good wisdom from whatever source it might come from. My grandfather predominantly ran his 40-acre farm this way, right up into his 90's.
 
The Revolting Man said:
My take was always that it was by toil that we’ll take our food from the ground. Anything that claims to make that easy is deeply suspicious to me.
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Often, the biggest toil (not just through effort but through loss of resources and damaging of the soil) comes from what have become standard farming methods. A true sight to behold in Atlanta the next time you're around the neighborhoods west of I-85 along Chamblee-Tucker Road are the what at least used to be numerous back yards (and even some front yards) that have been turned into permaculture gardens that are staked out into 3 dimensions with stuff climbing everywhere. Much of the excess produce they produce ends up at the DeKalb Farmer's Market, Harry's and other bulk stores.
 
I will say. I’m not one of these “permaculture people” I recognize there are some cool techniques and usefulness in the whole envelope of what people call permaculture. I tend much more towards old fashioned “common sense, country living”. Old ways of doing things, and working smart so I don’t have to kill myself daily working harder than I have to. I have too much to do to make my life difficult.
 
NickF said:
Then set live stakes minimum pencil diameter, every 8” and weave the whips together like a basket. Shouldn’t take but a few afternoons in the fall/winter. They will grow together and often will self-graft. You’ll have a living fence that will close together into a veritable solid wall of living wood. No wire needed.
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If I can get hold of a pile of basket willow whips I might well do that. I've been meaning to grow basket willow just to have it for futureproofing, but end up planting fruit trees everywhere, it's felt like a waste of space to put in willow. But this is a good reason to do so, and if I was pollarding it for basketwork it would stay a compact size - which would be ideal in the location it is in. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
The Revolting Man said:
My take was always that it was by toil that we’ll take our food from the ground. Anything that claims to make that easy is deeply suspicious to me.
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Upon further reflection I realize my response to you was disrespectful and I heartily apologize.

I misunderstood your intent and meaning and popped off with an answer unbecoming and not typical of my character. I’m not as used to people having anything more than surface level thoughts on matters and that’s my own prejudices showing.

I also agree that anything claiming to circumvent the curse is deeply suspicious to me as well. I agree, we will get our food with the sweat of our brow but my aim is to be smart with my labor and not beat my head against a wall unless that’s my only option. As such I’ve looked to as many of the older ways of doing things. Some of those fall under the umbrella of a word I somewhat despise. “Permaculture” I say despise because that movement has been inundated with so many idiotic charlatans selling an edenic pipe dream. And I have no respect for those men. I want to make sure everyone reading this knows that I am solidly NOT in that camp of leftist earth worshiping rose tinted glass wearing ideologues.

I realize you probably just shrugged it off and it wasn’t a big deal to you, but it would keep bothering me if I didn’t make it right according to what my conscience dictated.
 
NickF said:
Upon further reflection I realize my response to you was disrespectful and I heartily apologize.

I misunderstood your intent and meaning and popped off with an answer unbecoming and not typical of my character. I’m not as used to people having anything more than surface level thoughts on matters and that’s my own prejudices showing.

I also agree that anything claiming to circumvent the curse is deeply suspicious to me as well. I agree, we will get our food with the sweat of our brow but my aim is to be smart with my labor and not beat my head against a wall unless that’s my only option. As such I’ve looked to as many of the older ways of doing things. Some of those fall under the umbrella of a word I somewhat despise. “Permaculture” I say despise because that movement has been inundated with so many idiotic charlatans selling an edenic pipe dream. And I have no respect for those men. I want to make sure everyone reading this knows that I am solidly NOT in that camp of leftist earth worshiping rose tinted glass wearing ideologues.

I realize you probably just shrugged it off and it wasn’t a big deal to you, but it would keep bothering me if I didn’t make it right according to what my conscience dictated.
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If you look through the old posts I think you’ll find that I’ve earned whatever pushback I get. I’ll throw flaming bricks all day long so I can duck a few too.
 
It's great to see the practical application of God's Word here; one being quick to acknowledge his faults and another allowing love to cover sins. A good example set. Shalom
 
NickF said:
Then set live stakes minimum pencil diameter, every 8” and weave the whips together like a basket. Shouldn’t take but a few afternoons in the fall/winter. They will grow together and often will self-graft. You’ll have a living fence that will close together into a veritable solid wall of living wood. No wire needed.
Click to expand...
I just planted basket willow cuttings for this fence. Just short cuttings, will weave into a fence next winter once they've grown. Thanks for the suggestion. I've been meaning to do something like this somewhere for years, but hadn't considered doing it there. I've got three varieties of basket willow in this fence, and will expand it into a larger coppice with the first harvest of whips, so we can one day have enough to get into some basketwork.
 
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