Annette Jones

If you're relatively new to tomato planting, one of the most common mistakes is overwatering. Many of the suggestions for soil improvement on here are very good and having photos is very helpful, but overwatering is assumed to be the death of seedlings.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here that we use at my commercial nursery is cinnamon.

If you notice that the stems near the soil level are spindly, weakened and floppy, (known as damping off), sprinkling a little cinnamon over the soil kills the bacteria responsible in the soil and they can recover ONCE watering is backed off . It doesn't kill off all soil bacteria so is safe for the soil.

A little cinnamon goes a long way so don't over sprinkle. Buy cinnamon that does not have flours or bulking agents added and is just pure cinnamon. Hope this helps.

Non Fiction: Earth Restorer's Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow. She considers permaculture to be ‘sacred knowledge’ to be carried and shared with others and has travelled extensively to do this.

Fiction: I am reading my way through Chris Hammer's latest series, Scrublands, Silver, Trust, Opal Country, Dead Man's Creek, Cover the Bones, a Crimes series I'm totally hooked on and highly recommend.

Visit us downunder in Australia at
https://www.zaytunafarm.com/ - Geoff Lawton, well known to a lot of permies through speaking with Paul Wheaton - New South Wales
https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/ - NSW
https://www.workaway.info/en/host/968967662946 - biodynamic permaculture - NSW
https://www.workaway.info/en/host/939882221271 - NT. Northern Territory
https://www.highvalleydawn.com.au/ - Queensland
https://permacultureapprentice.com/ - South Australia - learn to set up your own farm
https://www.milkwood.net/about/ - Tasmania
https://www.workaway.info/en/host/235913427654 - TAS
https://melliodora.com/property/ - Victoria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1BjW2kSNs - Tour of Meliodora - VIC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njucn01wv10 - Video on Meliodora, birthplace of permaculture by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren - VIC
https://murrnong.com/ - VIC
https://drylands.org.au/ - Western Australia
https://www.fairharvest.com.au/ - WA

so many more, large and small to visit if you come our way and want to stay with like-minded people.
Australia, like America covers all zones, from snow to desert to tropics, so choose what relates to you and come visit

Well Jim, I'm in awe of your art form, you're inspiring whole groups of people with what you do, and the output sounds pretty prolific too.

And R. Ranson, what you may consider "making bad art until you're good at it", well, others may have a more positive point of view of what you do, we all have a different way we see art. I have seen a few of your attempts on the forums and love that you put it out there to encourage others, and a lot of it I'd give wall space. Art isn't a perfect science simply because we are so different in our likes and dislikes.

Keep it coming all of you, just goes to show how many different faces true art has, these forums showcase so many interesting talents, all forms of 'art'.

And Aleister, your attitude is just the best form of art :-)

My favourite art is in the garden and my seed collections, to me you can't beat art in nature, ever changing and always beautiful.

Impressive cordwood wall! Can't wait to see Black Sparks kittens, you and Trace will have the fun of naming them

I have to agree with Thekla and Thomas a buried hugel will work way better in a smaller area especially if you also experience drier conditions and keep your parents happier with the look as well.  Mine don't annoy the neighbours even though they are both located in the front of my house, and I often share herbs with them

My 2 buried smaller hugels were started 9 years and 6 years ago. Both were packed with wood, filled in with bark and wood chip between the boughs and branches and topped with a lot of soil and much thicker mulch than my normal elevated gardens, I have mobility problems so find raised gardens are easier for me - I "chair garden" often when pain hits.

These 2  gardens work extremely well with both vegetable and fruit tree production and both hold water well, I add mulch and compost when I feel it is needed (by observing the condition of the plants, they usually let you know if anything is lacking).

I have not had to do any extra watering after the first 2 years of construction, when I had a little poke around and dug down the mycelial fungi growth was amazing and the "soak" of the wood was doing its job of water retention despite our summers often reaching over 100F/38C The fruit trees give a little dappled shade, but most of the garden is full sun. I have occasionally had to put shade cloth up when our weather warnings are high.

It takes a while for the wood to break down to the point of holding soak water underground for the roots. From what you say about how dry your area is I would also add drip irrigation as a backup for a couple of years until the hugel breaks down a little and really starts doing its job, don't expect immediate miracles until this happens.

This gave me such a laugh. Pity it took me 3 years to see this. I am now showing it to our permie kids group, they love it and so do their parents :-) Thanks Myron

Hope you're still up to posting updates :-) Would love to see them

Just found this post and watched the YouTube video, awesome descriptions and photography, you've shown how to turn lemons into lemonade turning the effects of Covid into a productive garden, Just great. Love the title too :-)

Thank you for posting pictures it helps to visualise your area.

I agree with Angela, using the old plum and apple trees, cut up and placed as a hugel base solves that problem of what to do with the trees. I would tale cuttings first and any that take could be used on the top of the hugel, a hugel would also raise the bed enough to get the sun it lacks now.

There are other plants that can be used further down, someone mentioned edible hostas and I use sweet potatoes on mine as the vines like moist feet (bottom of the hugel), and climb and give cover for other plants, plus you can eat the leaves and tubers. A lot of herbs like mints, coriander and parsley also like shade.

New habitat from some rocks and other bits and pieces in another location where you don't mind them being would help with the salamanders especially if you can relocate some of them when you make them, others then follow to mate, they like being near each other.

Magnets do work on removing nails, I often do it myself after burning old wood palings found dumped along the road in the firepit then I use the ash to mix into my compost.

Your frustration is probably because you are trying to do everything at once so breaking it down will work, I've been overwhelmed many times as I attempted different project over the years and it always helps to take small steps, also if you have like-minded friends or family to occasionally help? I don't know if that's possible but worth a try.

Please keep up updated this has been a really interesting thread and your pictures made it easier to respond to you. Thanks, and hope you find something helpful to take away from everyone.