Stephen B. Thomas

Hello all! Below is information I'd collected regarding the results of our GAMCOD plot here at Wheaton Labs.

All calorie data was supplied by the USDA's Food Search Database.

To Sum It Up:
We harvested 14,654 calories, from 6 different crops. If we replicated this to plant the same plot over an entire acre, we would have harvested 3,033,378 calories of food.

The Details:
I worked along with a large number of different Boots this season. I started building a hugelkultur inside a 200sq.ft. area over at the Lab in March 2025. The dirt used to build the hugel berm was from a nearby pit (I hope it will be a natural swimming pool in there someday...) and various nearby logs. We started planting seeds in early May 2025, and our final harvest was on 22 December 2025.

I've extensively documented the progress of the GAMCOD project here through the season, and most of it is available via YouTube under Wheaton Labs Boots Adventures.

Our final, harvested crops this season include:
Sunchokes: 15,374 grams = 11,223 calories
Mustard Greens: 20 grams = 5 calories
Turnips: 522 grams = 146 calories
Turnip Greens: 120 grams = 38 calories
Potatoes: 3,190 grams = 2,456 calories
Yellow/Crookneck Squash: 786 grams = 149 calories

TOTAL CALORIES ON THIS PLOT = 14,654
TOTAL GAMCOD CALORIES = 3,033,378
(multiply the plot calories by 207, since the GAMCOD plot is 1/207 of an acre)

If I have the calculation numbers incorrect above, please someone correct this for me and I'll update our totals ASAP.

While this resulted in fewer calories overall compared to last year, we increased the diversity of the harvest yield. Diversity was my main focus, since I knew that meeting the calorie goal would be easier, thanks to the sunchokes. I feel we would have done even better with more discipline and structure, and I know I did the best I could at that sort of thing. Next year, I want to try some other gardening experiments, take care of seeds and baby plants much better, and continue to build a diverse assortment of vegetables grown to harvest time.

Thanks for reading here, and thanks to all the Permies regulars who provided comments on the YT videos and in my BEL thread throughout the season to provide suggestions and encouragement. And of course, thanks to Paul for providing this excellent learning project.

The holiday tradition is still holding strong... Thanks Uncle Mud & Family...!!!

I'm baking some cinnamon raisin bread tonight, and this will be a splendid addition.

Riona Abhainn wrote:I'm glad you will get to do it again.  Wondering if Paul will run bootcamp for the month you're away?  I enjoy hearing you on the podcast episodes when you join Paul on them.

Yep, I am grateful I have the chance (and the funds) to do this. I combine it with visiting family and old friends on the east coast, adding variety and skill-building to the return trip back home.

Bootcamp will still be running while I'm away (we have two excellent team members right now: Esteban and Molly), though Paul doesn't want to take in any new Boots while I'm off-site.

Pleased to hear you enjoy those few occasions when I can sit in with Paul on those podcasts...!

Amy Gardener wrote:One of the best decisions that I made last year was to invite Stephen out for a few days of work on my acre homestead.

You're very kind, Amy! And an excellent host. Stoked to return this coming February.

Nancy Reading wrote:What a great way to spend your 'holidays'! I hope that you get to see how some of the projects you helped with last year turned out.

James, Amy, and Jen have all confirmed I can make a return visit this year, so I'll be able to report back.

Bri Cierp wrote:I still don’t know if I’d want to eat them, though. They don’t get along well with my tummy.

Maybe an additional item for the list above: "They are an acquired taste."

I had a wonderful time doing this in the previous winter. I want to do it again. To sum it up:

WHAT: a volunteer for 3 to 5 days
WHEN: February 2026, estimated dates below.
WHERE: see the maps below... The date listed on the map indicates when I will likely be in the shaded-purple area on that map.

More details noted after the map images. These are important.







(Week 3 is solidly booked! I may be able to visit other places in this area, depending on how the rest of the schedule works out. If you'd like some help, please send a PM.)



The Details and Important Notes:
- No, I can't be everywhere. I am "snowbirding" and don't have an all-terrain vehicle. That's why I'm avoiding generally-cold and snow-covered areas on this trip.
- No, unfortunately I can't accept every invite. Please don't take it personally.
- That being said: first come, first served.
- The only thing I request in exchange is a place to sleep (out of the precipitation) and vegetarian food to eat. Coffee will also be of tremendous help.
- I'm not some permaculture guru. I can make no promises. However, I am very willing to put in some hard work to help you with your existing or soon-to-be-existing homestead and permaculture projects. Maybe my BEL thread can clue you in to some of the things I've accomplished and helped with over the past couple years at Wheaton Labs. Click here to have a look. I also had a wonderful experience in 2025, and took some photos showing our projects.
- "Three is the magic number." I think three days at your site is what I can manage, though if my schedule turns out to be light, then I may be able to stay longer.
- It's unlikely I will be able to bring many tools with me on this trip. Please have what you need for me to do some tasks for you already on-site.
- This is not WWOOF or HelpX. I am not a Boot or the High Commander while at your place. This is a personal project. We will make our own rules and guidelines.

Please send me a PM if you think I can be of help to you when I'm in your area. Thanks for reading...!

John Hutter wrote:What if,

the interior of the structure is completely sealed off from the unpeeled framing (cob doesn't need bark to stay in place) and

there is no bark anywhere there is wood on wood contact in the frame - or the only contact points are the cut ends of logs.

Depending on your climate and the amount of moisture trapped in the logs, I'd still be concerned with mold and fungus growing in those logs. Particularly if you seal it all up with cob prior to adequate drying, I'd think that the cob would absorb at least some of that excess moisture and then gradually break off. I imagine (as this is all a thought experiment anyway) that this would lead to rotted logs in the worst case, and in the best case scenario periodic applications of additional cob would be required, at least until the logs were sufficiently dry.

If there's a way to assure that the logs have been dried, then I'd feel a lot more comfortable in using them with the bark still attached. Otherwise, personally I would spend the needed time in the Spring to peel some logs.

Lately I've been studying and observing quite a lot about sunchokes. And I'm almost convinced that, were I interested in dating, I'd be a sunchoke.

I grow without permission.
I defy corporate influence.
Extreme conditions don't faze me.
I'm a turn-off to the typical.
When others wither away or evaporate, I'll still be there.
However if you put me on a shelf, I won't be around long.
My true value is secreted beneath the surface.
Even on my bad days, I will always have more value than a potato.

BEL #832

Here's a video recap and assessment of how one of our hugel berms has recovered after suffering a landslide last year. Things are looking all right over there.



Thanks for watching, and enjoy your day...!