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Climate Crisis: Preparing for extremes [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-04

I wasn’t as prepared for the heat wave as I wanted to be, so now that highs are merely in the upper 90s I’m trying to do more to prepare for the next one.

Number one is planting more fast-growing trees for light shade in the kitchen garden, which is my vegetable growing space during the hot season. It is irrigated regularly with well water. The two species of tree I’m using for shade here are Moringa oleifera (Moringa, Drumstick Tree, Horseradish Tree) and Albizia julibrissin (Persian Silk Tree, Mimosa). Neither of these are native but not a high invasion risk. Mimosa is naturalized throughout Texas and has been for many decades. Moringa is completely edible though most people eat the leaves and sometimes the seedpods. It dies to the ground when it freezes in our Central Texas climate but grows back from the roots, reaching 8-10 feet in a season. Mimosa is much hardier. I planted four small ones this morning. they don’t seem to mind the heat at all, but need water when young.

My second action will be to put up some shade cloth in the chicken run to keep the chix a little cooler and maintain some moisture in the compost they’re creating in their run.

There’s a lot more we can do here over time to prepare for hotter, dryer conditions. Firebreaks, a tornado “fraidy hole,” more rainwater harvesting earthworks. Little actions every day, little bites, will make us more resilient.

Resources

Greening the Desert Project

Rain harvesting info

Rain harvesting videos

Tropical and subtropical permaculture

Land resilience videos

Resilient living info

Resilient living videos

Native seeds (Southwest varieties)

moringa seeds

Please feel free to share what extremes you expect and what actions you’re taking or plan to take.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/4/2179264/-Climate-Crisis-Preparing-for-extremes

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