12/25/2025
Since this seems like it’s going to be an on going thing, the original Pigpens Rustic Forge is going to be dominated with farming as I learn.
This will probably be my first true germination from seed. The Sea Buckthorn, first used in Ancient Greek times to feed their warrior horses. Also used by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan’s armies to fuel their conquests. Not used in modern commercial farming because of how hard the harvesting process is, full of thorny branches and the requirement of male plants that don’t produce fruit. Along with this issue is the fact that sexing the shrub takes 3-4 years before they produce fruit, so proper ratios of male:female are impossible to predict. With a harvest of late summer into fall, at full maturity each plant will produce 50 lbs or more.
With 146 seeds, industry standard of 90% germination would put this crop at 131 successful germinated. At roughly a 1:4 ratio of male to female as average. So 26:105, maybe some don’t make planting so 100 plants. In theory at top production would have this crop at 5,000 lbs a year of silvopasture for all farm animals and humans. Even with a lower production rate for an initial investment of $3.95 plus time. That could be a worthwhile inflow of feed, as well as the potential increase in wildlife (the freezer will oblige).
I’m sure there are many people out here that look at plant, tree, and shrub prices and think that the market, florists, farmers, and nurseries are all just crazy for their prices. Especially when I say 3.95, but in order for me to get them in the fridge for cold stratification. First the seeds needed to be sanded (scarification), each little tiny seed by hand taking 2 hours+15 days in the fridge. Then germination/planting time, transplanting, and on and on. So understanding the process of time spent, and not every plant survives.
This grow is going to be an experiment to measure time spent working on the plant’s and what would be a fair amount for a mature shrub. Remember 3-4 years for maturity.
Im starting to understand why the old proverb “Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war” has held true for a millennia. When I took the first picture of the seeds counted out I made a hulk smash mistake, destroying a seed. Simply because of complacency of doing the same thing 70 times in a row, one mistake tilts the rudder for correction. Reminds me of Daniel Son and Mr. Miyagi on patients. iraq 05 whenever there was spare time we would conduct MCMAP (McNinja), green belt training got serious. I remember throwing an elbow in a match and then it ended with my opponents nose flowing blood, broken as could be. All in a situation that needed side control rather than making it a bad day. Crazy thing is that I make this same mistake everyday like clockwork, it’s situational dependent but Na**lm and Molotov cocktail’s seem to be my kryptonite for self sabotage of relationships.
The only Marine Corps attribute that I see as a failure (could definitely be my own) is the organizations ability to reintegrate us back into society. Doesn’t help that I’m part of generation kill and jarhead, drill instructor SSgt Smith made me his shadow of death.
