I'm planning a gutter/water barrel project for our house and our shed.

I'm planting a new garden in a forest clearing. Mostly perennial edibles.

Giving a talk on PC to the local garden club in May.

Trying to grow artichokes from seed. (yes, I know we live in Alaska!)

Planning to give away a lot of perennial edibles to give other people a start on growing their own.

Want to try growing mushrooms in coffeegrounds.

Rerouting the drainspouts off the roof.

I am going to build 2 composting toilets for local community gardens.

Running wasing machine water to the flowers and grass(rinse water to the garden). Making manure tea. Ruth Stout method of no till gardening. Planting edibles all around the house on trellises (sugar snap peas at the moment). Bushes and trees to block the winter winds.

I am trying to develop a forestfarm suntrap garden with dwarf crabs and apples, gooseberries, currants, ribes, hazelnut, lignonberries, artichokes. ALso finsihed ripping out all the english ivy and replanting with CA natives (for the wildlife. ALso trying to figure out how to do a greywater system......

I am sheet mulching like a madman and researching native plants to my area. It is slow work in another language though! And I have started planting as many perennials as I can. However, we plan on moving before summer is over, so I don't know why I am spending so much energy on something I won't be around to see. Oh, that's right. For the next people (I will leave an explaination of permaculture in a plastic ziplock bag on top of the compost pile!)

It was so nice today, I had to do something. So I mixed a bunch of old seeds together (about 5 of each type), sprinkled them over a largish wick fed box planter, and gave them some vermicompost and greywater. I wonder what a mix of sunny lettuce, red clover, radishes, hairy vetch, spinach, chard, alfalfa, a whole bunch I can't remember right now, and green peas at the corners will do... I hope to get some ideas for my own polycultures. Or am I way off base?

Pulling up woody stalks from last years vegetables and flowers. Forking over the soil in some of the beds. Pruning snow-snapped wood from some trees, while pruning other (young) trees to get good strong basic form.

Soon going to do a water-test sample from my new well. I had to put in a well after 21 years of reliance on a gravity-fed springwater system. That system is shared with six other households and most of the other people don't see one another much, don't talk much, and a few actually despise each other; I couldn't get them to agree on the need for an upgrade and expansion of the system. (It did not matter that I, personally, get along okay with each of them.) So I spent $10,000 and many, many hours finding and developing water in this new well/pumphouse.

Planning a pond, hopefully one that will grow edible fish as well as pretty plants and be home to frogs. Planning to re-roof my house.

Need to re-fence the area behind our big garden.

Stuff like that.

J.

I planted a three sisters garden in the backyard of our apartment building. We may still be here at harvest time... I modified it a little I think. I planted the corn in triangles, 6 inches apart in a 5x5 bed, and put either edamame, pole beans, or peas in the centers of the triangles. Then I planted one pumpkin, one table queen squash, and a yellow crookneck in the center of the bed. Finally, a nice sprinkle of radish seeds over the whole. It will be a vegetable battle royale!

My wife and I found out that Japanese laws are greywater friendly, and we plan to have a sawdust toilet as well as our greywater wetland if the property deal goes through.

I ate the first radishes from my wick planter polyculture at my school (see my post two above this one). Also, I have been cutting crimson clover flowers from it and sprucing up the waiting area at my school.

Eric in Japan

I'm starting small by experimenting with soil conditioning in my window box (I'm not at all green-fingered, but trying to learn). I attended a short course in organic gardening.

I'm nursing the plants back to health after unexpectedly having to leave them to themselves for a week. If I succeed I might have a go at putting in a webcam to monitor their progress.

Hi All,

Well, last night I just finished my first herb spiral - what fun that was! I earlier converted an otherwise unproductive slope into step gardens w/ swales & sheet mulch. Not sure if followed the contour correctly but it was surely a fun and a great learning experience. Focusing on keyhole garden design next. Also need to get creative fast as the deer are licking their lips watching me plant those seedlings. Thinking about installing a food hedge to keep them out but that would take a few seasons to develop into an effective barrier.
Any suggestions other than standard deer mesh fencing?

Hi gang. My move is finally over. Unpacking starts now. (whew.)

So this means I can turn my attentions back to this and celebrate being back in civilization. I've also been given the green light to work on the yard. (muahaha)

So far, planted herbs in the front flowerbed along with a variety of caladiums and installed some solar LED accent lights. Also got the DBF to buy a bagging mower and we built a compost bin. Started a vermiculture bin this weekend. Also planted strawberry plants in the kitchen windowbox 2 months ago.

Wow, people, you are an industrious lot! I really love reading this stuff. But I'd /really/ like to know what some of these things you are doing are. Like, Eric what is a Three Sisters Garden?

It might be very nice to have a post from each of you detailing what exactly you are doing in these projects for people who show up who are more wet behind the ears than we are, and believe me I'm still damp.

Hope all of you and your environments are thriving. (sure sounds like you are)

esho funi, (life and it's environment are 2 but not 2)
ana

Here is a link that might be useful: Check this out...

oh addendum.

Pookie's mom. I've been trying to find out about suntraps, can you point me to any resources?

and I know Caladiums are probably not a wise choice for north texas...but they help preserve my sanity...so they stay for now.

nuffsed
ana