Zeus forero

Rammed earth or light cob could work with a stone/clay foundation.

For the cob wall, there are clay mixes that withstand rain and freezing better than others, for example if you use clay with bentonite content the cob will have resistance to water damage.

I've tested it in hurricane conditions in the south and the cob blocks with more bentonite barely washed out. The other blocks made with the equivalent of baseball clay had more surface damage on the side receiving the rain drops and would required maintenance to keep the the initial look.

In your area I would worry about the spalling of the rammed earth during the beginning and end of winter unless you can seal it with a vegetable oil or other methods.

Whether I used cob or rammed earth, I would plant creeping juniper at the top of the fence to provide a natural hat during all seasons. I´d prefer cob because it is less technically demanding, doesn´t spall excessively and I expect it to survive washout for at least 10 years with the use of creeping plants as protection

I recommend two scenarios if you´d like to harvest crops from the companion plants or just amend the soil in the meanwhile.

The clover is also a great idea for ground cover for most scenarios with beehives.

Harvest (basically turn the orchard into a food forest while the trees start fruiting):
You could place a corn, quinoa, and kale along a few peas/lentils/beans for each plant. Also venture into having pineapples as the plant will survive light frost. The kale and quinoa can be planted in batches to ease the harvest and the plants do survive freezing temperatures.
As a ground cover I would keep the clover and add mustard

If you´d like to have some root crops, you could directly plant burdock, carrots, parsnip, turnips. And make a few towers of 1'x1"x(6-12") squares to grow any type of potatoes vertically.

Also, high heat of the summer and water consumption can be avoided with cassava or banana plants in wicking beds/spots to provide shade while the trees and bushes harden.


Amending:
Keep on planting clover, add all types of legumes and aromatics to chop and drop them.

Keep in mind that clay bodies are different, clays like bentonite will have vast resistance to water drops or rain. You migh find the appropriate clay pits in your area, and most of the time sealant clay has a very light pastel color. I tested red clay vs a kaolin/bentonite clay cob brick and the endurance of the second block spent a year exposed to a few hurricanes and yearly rain and it lost less than 1% of uta volume. I used a heavy clay/sand/straw mix 1:1:2 by volume made for thermal mass and it seems that you want to prioritize insulation.

I would consider perlite as the insulator from the foundation and not so much as a long term shock absorber.

You could make a lumber+plywood box and fill it with sheep wool (low quality cut) or compressed straw. If you only have access to hay I would use a rubber ring/gasket or grease seal around the edges

It has been a nice experience and you're right as long there's more food and water in the acreage than in the forest they usually stick around. It was quite a learning curve for them too, to go from raised cages from their previous owners to a large open area, as some of them ate wild mushrooms that weren't any good for them

Trying out a cob hive, it will nice if they swarm before spring

The main frame for the chicken coop is finished, the door frame and egg hatches will be added before the straw/clay mix.
Let me know if you sell willow cuttings! I bought some expensive ones for a live fence and they didn't survive rooting

Hi Claudia,

There's a person in South or North Carolina that builds with cob. He has great information and might be able to guide you with the permit process

https://youtube.com/@thiscobhouse?si=FcBq1kbtGgugVxyd

www.thiscobhouse.com