Tyler Grace

Looks like fun. I really miss living in a small town. I grew up in the tiny town of Santa Ynez when I was very young and then my parents moved to Green Mountain Falls (even smaller town), so I know what it's like having fun little events like that in small towns.

I can't really say I have any favorite events that go on in the relatively large city of Colorado Springs, as I don't often go to any. I do enjoy the sprawling suburbs here but it's just not the same as a small town. Hopefully I'll be able to get a homestead in the mountains in the near future, if I can ever afford it that is...

My favorite plant for the past few years has been the Haskap or "Honeyberry" (Lonicera Caerulea). It is badass in the sense that it's a fruit shrub that can handle extremely cold temperatures, some say as low as -45 F. It also does well in higher elevations, on berms, open areas, in nearly full shade, in various types of soil etc... It is definitely the fruit shrub of choice in Colorado in my opinion, even though various types of blackberries and raspberries do great here.

I have about 3 or so well established Haskap plants and a bunch of younger ones, including Aurora, Tundra and various hybrid strains. My most established plant is a 4yo Aurora which I have been propagating for a couple years now. Propagation can be a bit tricky but I've had the best results taking cuttings when the sap content is higher, in late winter/early spring.

The berries themselves are packed with nutrients and can have a very sweet taste, especially the lower growing Tundra variety. The Aurora berries are more tart (which I prefer) and savory but still sugary in taste. I can see why this plant is taking off in Canada and I believe it will become more popular in the US as well.  

Sounds like it wasn't meant to be. Unfortunately, you established quite a bit while together and those things require maintenance. I won't pretend like I can relate to your exact situation but I would look at it as being ahead of the game on the homesteading front. The work you do now on your own will make you stronger and more prepared for the future when you do find someone to help.

If it were me, I'd remove the leaves entirely. Call me a purist, but I can't tolerate bits of chemicals in my soil. That being said, I sometimes get bulk aged humus from landscaping suppliers which may have questionable additives in it.

It's really up to you, if you want to take up the tedious task of picking out every bit of it, go for it!

Whichever material you choose, you better make sure it is tough and durable. 10 feet is no joke for a wall. I've done keystone block walls, boulder walls, timber walls etc... Once you get over about 4', you need some heavy reinforcement. I'd suggest that you terrace the wall back in sections and not have a solid 10' plane.

Alana Rose wrote: We want pictures! (Well, I should clarify, I’d love to see pictures.)

Sure thing!

The Arizona blonde sling was difficult to take a picture of as it's still tiny.

Also, since I made that last post, I have added a Brown Recluse to my collection. At least I am pretty sure it's a brown recluse. If anyone can confirm whether it is or not, I'd appreciate it.

John Ludwig wrote: after I dug out the first foot I ran into rocks.

If it were me, I'd just procure more logs and heavy biomass to fill the void. I generally trench around 3' down in smaller berms (3' wide). One thing i've learned doing berms is, never rush the building process. The thing will be there for a long time and it's a pain to remove and reconstruct.

Very neat masonry job. I like it.

My favorite thing is the cold dry Rocky Mountain air in Colorado. It gives me energy.

Also prepping for next growing season, starting new hugel berms before the ground freezes, moving herbs inside and propagating them, researching about new growing/propagation techniques etc...