Fritz Charlton

thank you very much.  I will investigate.  I really appreciate your feedback

I have scatter planted my hugelbed with so many seeds that I am unsure.  Can anyone confirm that this is a weed, likely from the horse manure I added?  This stuff seems to be everywhere.  I planted some Amaranth varieties (new to me), but cant think of any others.  As near as I can tell it is pigweed, which I understand to be an amaranth... so I am confused or at least hesitent to pull them out. 

Perhaps my form is off, here.  Is there a better place to have posted this question?  If so let me know. 

Thank you as always.  Happy longest day to all!

I tried making a shade garden (the usual suspects listed above) last year.  I square footed in an old raised bed, that is now overgrown around it.  If I am imagining your balcony facing north, I can only imagine you will be facing the same problem I did: trying to grow in almost no sun.  I tried, but it did not work for me. 

Consider container plantings.  Tomatoes and peppers are beautiful plants

BUT there is hope!  I am a would be guerrilla forest gardener.  I have been slowly eeking my way.  Experimenting.  Which brings me to what brought me to this post.  Maybe it needs a new post.  And it is...

Morning sun versus evening sun plants.  I have found that beans, especially pole, like to climb the trees on the west edge (evening sun) while Cucurbits, can handle the morning sun side.  Obviously, almost every vegetable would love full sun, but we make do where and how we can. Has anyone else done any experimenting along these lines?  If so I would LOVE to know your findings.

if this is anywhere near true, I owe you lunch.

If you want solutions... ok top of head.  Just brainstorming

-Soil Cubes http://www.soilcube.com/
-on grates 
-over trays, pitched for run off and solar optimization
-on 'found' reused shelving and pallet wood,
-or a  PVC frame like this guy http://theselfsufficientgardener.com/the-horticultural-engineer-making-a-seed-starting-rack-from-pvc builds *obviously modified for aforementioned reasons
-framed in reflectors

OR get a glass cutter and some liquor bottles, I am sure there are plenty of those in the Apartment recycle bin.

BUT, I am not the one living in the city. 

At the risk of repeating myself, much props to the ingenuity, inventiveness and IDEA, but I still question the implementation (plastic). 

I definitely salute their ingenuity, reason for doing it and inventiveness (seriously, many applause) but ewwww plastic bottles?  Really?  It is my understanding that plastics leach out toxins, BPA, for example.  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/us-bpa-twice-canadas-level/1

Call me crazy, but most pallets I have seen seem to be stained or shellacked, or processsed in some way.  Maybe I am wrong.  

ROI = return on investment

You are embarking on spending a ton of time.  (I am in the same boat)  You are also likely to spend a bit of money, bringing in at least one of the inputs.  This bed is going to produce for you for years and years.  MHO is to take the time to use the best inputs you can gather.

For example, this is how I am doing things:
Logs- branches- brambles- leaves:  find some woods, ask the people fill your truck... or ask a tree/landscaper
Horse manure - free from stables
Compostables-  I leave a can at the local fruit veg stand, a bucket at the coffee shop and one at the sushi shop for fish heads.

My main issue is dirt!?!  no free dirt.  hopefully it is cheap  as, well, dirt.

Long story short, I am all about spending time to save money, but you can still be Frugal  in your Hugel, but not cheap going deep.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am currently in process on my first Hugel.  Good luck.

My point was by no means to suggest that all people should live in Australia.  Please reread and try to imagine. 

We (me and you) are blazing the trail back to what it means to be a child of man(kind) on earth and of the Earth.

All of our actions, have had consequences.   People across the globe are begining to reject the systems that require massive stores, and food fractories.  We want Real.  People are begining to see what is of real value, and that we are creating symbiotic healthful environments and reconnecting to our roots, providing for our selves and others.  This world is so bountiful. 

We possess the capabilities to create food forests and mile high buildings and everything between. 

Imagine

Overpopulation?
Some might argue that this is a problem.  I would like to offer up some simple facts and mathematics. 

World Population = 6,773,234,966

Land Mass of Earth    = 57,491,000 Sq. Mi.
Land Mass of Australia = 2,968,000 Sq. Mi.

1 Sq. Mi. = 639.9974 Acres

Acres of Land on Earth = 36794090523.4
Acres of Land on Aust  =   1899512283.2

Acres per person in Australia = 0.28044387840302187443706644326681
Acres per person on Earth    = 5.4322772955755156951689308928073

Are you reading that?  I read that as, if every single person on earth, was in Australia, each could have more than a 1/4 acre... family of four, 1 acre. 

Now, that may not be a alot, but that is the population of earth with in the boundaries of Australia.  If you look at the same info globally, there is enough land for every person to have over 5 acres a piece.  Every person from infant to elderly.... 5 acres!

Yes, I understand that there is a considerable amount of desert, etc in Australia.  I hope that you see my point.

Also, because you will be asked if you choose to tell this to someone else.
Arable Land on Earth = 12,000,000 Sq Mi. (as in 4x the size of Australia).

Then you throw in the fact that we are a people that are inventing (rediscovering) ways to grow fish with plants year round in cold places and/or creating food forests in deserts and on mountains, and other considerably nonarable lands. 

Mismanaged, probably
over managed, definitely
Overpopulated, Myth Busted

Math made easy.

I have gathered my supplies, and was thinking I would start my first layer as leaves, instead of paper and cardboard.  Then follow up with the bigger wood.... etc..

I am not digging out, to drop my Hugel beds.  Max, i have  10 inches of "topsoil" that is probably half clay (very slippery stuff) with gray clay below that.  Long story short I am not going to dig in the muck and make a puddle, just to fill it unless someone tells me i am making a mistake.

so i guess thats 2 questions. 

hope you can help