Bobby Smith

Could you (and would it be possible) to build a large enough hugelkulture bed with a swale on/in it? Does this concept even make sense? Alternatively, could you build a hugel bed buttressing a stone bund?

Nobody mentioned moringa...we use that as a living fence here in Hawaii...it can grow up to 3 meters in a year, does not shade out other plants, and is one of the most nutritious things in the world...we love it here!

What about eggshells added to compost? How much does this add calcium? In KNF farming there is a method of adding brown rice vinegar to eggshells to remove the calcium and then using as an amendment.

Long thread...I have to admit I didn't read the entire thing. However...

What you may want to look into is rearing black soldier flies. They will eat anything...even an entire mongoose! They are attracted naturally, so there is no stocking, and if you build the growth area correctly there is no maintenance other than throwing in kitchen scraps. It is a self-feeding contraption that will give constant streams of fresh protein to your chickens or fish. We use it in our aquaponics and chicken areas.

Coffee grounds are excellent for the worms in our ground here in Hawaii, but the ants love to make mounds and tunnels in the middle of the grounds...they don't help here.

Ladybugs can indeed bite...Harmonia axyridis is the correct name and the reason they often bite is they are looking for salt. And their reflex bleeding can cause stains!

We use borax on the bamboo, but we build with it before it is dry. What is the life of treated wood (if we keep it out of contact with the soil, that is)?

We used concrete that we would screed over wire mesh in a rain catchment tank. It might work for your application.

Very interesting point about the mountain shifts. Would the Wofati have issues becoming basically a fancy bund over the years?

Interesting problem? Did the proposed solution work? I would love to know your results!

This becomes more difficult in the tropics...you can't just let trees lie for a long time as the drywood termites destroy them...ideas?