Thanks to one of our kind readers, I'm trying yet another new biomass-producing crop this year --- Tithonia diversifolia. This relative of the ornamental Mexican sunflower is a weed in tropical areas but has also shown promise in improving soil conditions for African farmers. Since we're definitely not tropical, the plant will have to work hard to prove itself worthy of being babied over the winter in the form of cuttings on our farm. Still, I have high hopes for the species' potential as a cut-and-come-again mulch and goat-fodder plant.

Stay tuned for more details (and let's hope I remember to cover my cuttings if we get another freeze since I excitedly rushed out and planted my 13 cuttings in the garden right away). Thanks, T.!

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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