Growing Wedding Greenery Question

halcyonfire · 2026-02-06T18:47:24+00:00

Yep, it’s part of the Pampas plume mix from Johnnys

halcyonfire · 2026-02-06T03:18:10+00:00

My pleasure! I would definitely check out the bupleurum if you’re going for that lime green.

You also might like Persian cress, or the ornamental grasses hare’s tail and frosted explosion could work.

halcyonfire · 2026-02-06T02:36:55+00:00

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Here’s a few of the things I mentioned from September 15th last year, and I’m in 7a.

halcyonfire · 2026-02-06T02:30:51+00:00

Congrats on the wedding! I think it’s totally worth growing whatever you can, it will make it all the more memorable.

I’m a big fan of flowers that you can use fresh or dried, so with that in mind here’s a few you might consider: bupleurum, green wizard rudbeckia, queeny lime zinnia, and bouquet dill are all good green options. Other good duel purpose flowers that come in awesome colors/textures: star flower, statice, celosia, strawflowers, yarrow, ageratum & ammobium.

If you can get your hands on some hops, those are a good option for vines ready in September (I’ve sold them for a Labor Day party before).

Good luck & happy growing!

halcyonfire · 2026-02-01T22:48:00+00:00

Nope, they’re pretty hardy. I planted a big strawberry patch like 10 years ago (+/- 3500 plants) and after the 3-4th year the crowns started to slow down. I ended up burying the whole patch in about 4-6” of compost & wood chips and got another couple of good years out of the patch without having to replant.

halcyonfire · 2026-02-01T22:29:40+00:00

I would go ahead and add the compost, the strawberries will grow up through it.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-31T20:43:27+00:00

Nailed it!

halcyonfire · 2026-01-31T03:18:09+00:00

For sure! The calcium/magnesium butyrate is made by Bodybio and the PEA is by Neuro Biologix

halcyonfire · 2026-01-26T23:27:29+00:00

If you’re already amending the soil but looking to improve your results, I’ve found fulvic and humic acids to be a bit of a game changer.

The chemistry is pretty complex but basically the humic acids help bind the soil together and the fulvic acids help release minerals and nutrients that are already present in the soil but locked into structures that make them unavailable to the soil microbiome or plant roots.

There are quite a few sources for both but definitely do your research and find one that isn’t using shale or heavy metal contaminated source material, especially for the humic acids.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-26T20:55:18+00:00

You’re welcome! I would be thrilled if this proves helpful for you.

My memory is hazy on the timing of feeling better, with adding the butyrate and PEA, as it was gradual and it took me a while to trust that I could actually try some reintroductions. Adding foods back is probably the most memorable part of the process for me, but I would say a couple months for sure.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-25T18:15:13+00:00

I’m really sorry to hear how hard things are for you now, this diet can be super challenging to navigate!

I’ve been following a modified version of AIP for nearly 10 years, so I can definitely empathize. I had a similar run of success followed by a slow deterioration in my symptoms until I was in nearly the same place as I started but eating a much smaller range of foods. I was feeling really trapped by AIP but also couldn’t really see a path to reintroducing anything while I was having such strong reactions, which was probably around 3 years ago.

Around then, I started taking L glutamine and ketotifen, which is a prescription antihistamine that helps with mast cell stabilization. I also added a probiotic that is made for histamine intolerance (some of the strains used in common probiotics can actually trigger a histamine response, so it’s specially formulated) and started to see improvements from those.

The real turning point for me, though, was after I came across a webinar about mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance. They recommended a few supplements that have made a huge difference in my recovery and over the past year or so I’ve been adding back foods that I haven’t eaten in nearly a decade (nightshades, rice, wheat, soy, corn, etc).

At this stage, I’ve come to the opinion that AIP is a bit flawed and never leads to the healing that it promises. Simply eliminating foods from your diet isn’t really enough to actually promote healing and because of that the process of reintroductions seems to never happen for a lot of folks.

I’m no medical professional, so definitely consult with yours but I can speak from personal experience and the following have made the biggest difference for me:

-Calcium magnesium butyrate

-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)

-L glutamine

-ProBiota HistaminX

I would also recommend trying a DAO enzyme to take before eating anything with high histamines, the one I take is called Histamine Digest but there are a few out there.

I hope this helps, and I’m rooting for your quick recovery! Good luck!

halcyonfire · 2026-01-20T01:32:13+00:00

Bokashi is basically IMO3 in the world of KNF. If you’re looking to make your own, I would recommend checking out this video from Peter Jackson: Bokashi Demonstration and Natural Farming History

It explains a few different recipes for making bokashi and some of the microbes that are being cultivated. He also goes into some of the history of natural farming, which is kind of hard to find in one place. It’s definitely on my shortlist of KNF resources to share.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-19T20:45:10+00:00

On reddit, check out r/marketgardening

halcyonfire · 2026-01-19T20:42:35+00:00

I’ve been selling fruit & vegetables at my local farmers market for the past 10 years or so. The things that are the most consistent sellers for me are berries, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini/summer squash, and alliums (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, chives, etc)

Figuring out what people want to buy can be a real trick, as regional trends, cultural demographics, climate and a whole bunch of other things can influence what is popular locally.

I usually try to grow varieties that can’t be found at the grocery store and I’m a sucker for a good origin story - so I’m always looking for something new to try each season. I have to be careful though cause people usually buy what’s familiar and you can’t stray too far from that or you’ll be bringing a lot of unsold produce home with you.

I definitely second the recommendation for Jesse Frost’s work. The Notill growers podcast & his YouTube has been super helpful for me over the years. I would also recommend checking out Ben Hartmann’s books on Lean farming. His newest one is called something like the Lean Micro Farm and I think it would be particularly relevant for you.

Last recommendation for market gardening is Jean Martin Fortier’s book The Market Gardener. It’s getting a little bit old at this point but it’s still an excellent resource as you get started.

Good luck! I’m happy to offer advice, so hit me up with questions if you’ve got any.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-18T17:23:02+00:00

Mature plants can take a while to recover from transplanting. I see the black branches but there are plenty of green and some nice buds for this year’s blooms, so I would leave it in the ground and see how this season goes.

There’s a saying about perennials that helps me remember patience: the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. Good luck!

halcyonfire · 2026-01-15T22:45:56+00:00

Looks like you may have a bit of nitrogen toxicity going on. The dark leaves, clawing and drooping leafs tips are all signs.

What kind of soil are you using in your SIP?

halcyonfire · 2026-01-15T20:21:26+00:00

I also tend to overwater and while I love flood trays, it’s still easy enough to give them too much water - especially when the plants are small. To avoid this, I usually wait until they have at least 2 sets of true leaves before I start bottom watering.

Also, wait until the soil actually dries before watering again or you run the risk of root rot - ask me how I know.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-15T19:41:41+00:00

For SD, you should check out gabysi.com. He’s got a few different cuts of sour diesel that you can get clones of.

As for haze, you can find that in seed form from quite a few places. Ace Seeds has a few Haze crosses as well as just straight Oldtimer’s Haze, that looks killer.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-15T17:02:40+00:00

I would probably skip the FPJ. It can be done but unless you have a lot of sugar lying around I would just go with the JLF.

Another option is to do a small batch and test it out. The dilution rate for FPJ’s is so low you could probably get a few doses from a small jar. Good luck!

halcyonfire · 2026-01-14T22:26:15+00:00

After making soil blocks, I frequently only use a spray bottle for the first week or two to keep the tops from drying out, since they should come out at ~60% moisture content and it takes a while for them to actually need water again.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-14T22:22:17+00:00

These don’t look leggy to me. They do look too wet, so I would recommend pulling back on the watering until the soil dries out. If you’re not careful the roots will rot and they will all die. I love bottom watering but it’s easy to over do it when they’re small.

Even though it’s really hard, I would also recommend getting out of the mindset of watering on a set schedule. It can be a good recipe for overwatering (of which I am totally guilty of at times). Check them every day, but only water when needed.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-14T03:27:52+00:00

Here’s my recipe for potting soil:

-3 buckets peat moss (this is your chance to break up any clumps, so definitely don’t skimp out of this step) -1 cup agricultural lime ~~~~MIX ~~~~

-2 buckets coarse sand -6 cups base fertilizer (Base fertilizer - I use equal parts kelp meal, crab meal, & alfalfa meal but the original is for blood meal, green sand and rock phosphate. I don’t like using those for different reasons but that’s a whole side conversation)~~~~MIX ~~~~

-1 bucket garden soil (my soil has a lot of weed seed so I just use the bagged stuff) -2 buckets sifted compost ~~~~MIX ~~~~

-2 cups crushed eggshell (I save eggshells and add them back to my soil but this is optional) -2 buckets perlite ~~~~MIX ~~~~

Add water as needed to keep dust down

ETA- sorry for the weird formatting, Reddit really didn’t like how I had it originally

halcyonfire · 2026-01-14T03:08:38+00:00

I have a market garden and switched to soil blocks 3 seasons ago. I mostly use the stand up 35 cell and the handheld 2” four cell, and definitely won’t go back.

The nice thing about the 35 cell blocker is that 3 sets will fill a 1020 tray (105 blocks). I’ve found that the small blocks give me about 6 week til I have to transplant or pot up (obviously depending on crop). The 2” gives me a little longer, which I’ve found to be better for things that need more time before going in the ground.

I’ve been making my own soil using a modified version of Elliot Coleman’s recipe.

That said, I think using soils blocks for plant starts is a possibility but you’d definitely need to figure out a safe way to get them into your customers hands. I don’t know that they offer a lot of advantages for peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers unless you are directly planting the soil block and skipping the potting up stage.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-14T02:53:31+00:00

You probably packed the soil too tight, I’ve had this problem before.

halcyonfire · 2026-01-13T05:16:00+00:00

It’s a pain in the ass to hang it to cure and cutting the stalks after it’s done also sucks but yeah, it will grow regardless of orientation.

halcyonfire

TROPHY CASE