Deadline! Under the Gun Hugelkultur!

Greetings! Found out about a grant my sister and I are eligible for, since I'd already started a Hugelkultur (cause I like to eat) we decided to base our experiment on it. I've done some research and pretty much accepted what ever stuck in my head as the way to go throughout the construction.
My original intention was to ask Paul to be a cooperator but I'm going to find out if Permies.com can count as one too.
This is the beast so far: dug down 'bout 2 foot, had the use of a friends handheld auger. (Got decent, little bit sandy, dark dirt for bout 1-2' then orange clay.) Took rotten oak across bottom of pit, used a wee bit of old ancient rotted pine. Next layer on top of layer of old pecan - trees have been down 3 to 10 years. All done by hand, mostly by women!
Today, switching up to add a layer of hay I cut last week then piling on homemade dirt. (Manure, ashes, wood chip mulch & clay). Ya'll pipe in with whatever - we're open to ideas, thoughts, smacks to the forehead, bring it! And Paul, we understand your fees for services, may we list you, please sir as a resource for expert advice in our grant proposal?
Thanks ya'll!

Check us out on Facebook: The Historic Roberts Family Farm!

https://m.facebook.com/HistoricRobertsFarm?v=timeline&filter=1&refid=17

Where does the grant money come from ?

SARE.org, (hold your nose) Sustainable (ugh) Agricultural Research and Education.
Thanks for posting our link - Sweet!

What is it that you would like me to do?

I hope that you are making "globs and blobs" instead of a homogeneous innards for your hugelkultur.

See here we go right here, despite reading on this site for hours and hours (even taking notes at times) I do not know what blobs-n-globs are vs. homogenous means. Other than the 2 truck loads of mulch, I'm the greenest thing on the mound!

The Call states "Successful projects must include project cooperators. They can be other farmers, researchers, extension agents, governmental or non-governmental organizations or others who cooperate in project planning, data collection and outreach of results." A detailed budget is to be included in the proposal for the two year grant and so at this point all I need is this here verbal handshake and an estimate of your fees for your collaboration in the project planning as an expert advisor. If you are willing, an estimate of what it would cost for you to attend one or more 'outreach field day events' (Tallahassee, Florida) would also be great. (Another internationally renowned ecological revolutionary I have reached out to is Michael Reynolds, the Garbage Warrior.)

As luck mixed with a little due dilligence would have it, I have found a second grant this project is suited for with some slight adjustments and modified application. Both projects should radically improve Best Management Practices in their respective bona fide agricultural fields ushering permaculture concepts into contemporary commercial farming operations... So, I guess what I'd really like is for you to help me change the world. (LULZ!)

A detailed explanation of the proposed project can be Emailed privately. Inquire for more or submit your estimate(s) to gr8H8er@hilarious.com, (bet I check my Email bout every 15 minutes today!)

Thank you for your time and consideration!!!
(The hugel photos posted are not of the project. It is what happened when there was a need for a median in the parking area of our future community garden and a little pile of sticks I didn't want to move. It will be at least 7' tall - space dictated the triangular shape but it may prove interesting to have a South wall and N.E. And N.W. walls as opposed to North only?)

Oh, duh, I get too excited sometimes - mostly what I need at this point is your words... The superior function of Hugelkultur, the benefits in general as well as its impact specifically on the Southern or South East region of the United States. I know you've written volumes - if you could toss me a few links to cite as foundation, that'd be a huge help!

Have you watched the "World Domination Gardening" 3-DVD set? Specifically the DVD on hugelkultur? Or the hugelkultur micro-doc?

No Sir, but I can and will. The existing hugel was started kind of at leisure. The original plan was to cater the crop to the location and just see what happens when there is a NW & NE slope opposite the Southern slope and to research more as I progressed. Hours of lone construction with spurts of crews helping and witnessing the evolution (the reality of the 80 deg slope, 2 or 20 jillion lizards moving in, etc.) got me thinking of ways to utilize the structure in commercial Ag operations - especially when aggressive stripping and shocking soil are par for the course.

My thoughts also turned back to my youth and granddaddy's answer when I asked, "What is organic?". Granddaddy was a kind and generous man, rarely did he ever spit venom but he did that day! A mouthful poured out... he even cussed!!! How many other conventional farmers share his disdain and mistrust? How can techniques be introduced in order to quell that prejudice? Is there a way to make the County Extension Officer's first response be "Hugelkultur, hugelkultur, Hugelkultur!" instead of "2-4-D, glycophisate is the answer." Because that standard answer polluted 15 acres of my land and God only knows how many others... Agent Orange? Fukin Really?
So then I learned of this grant (and what a proposal demands!) and here I am. Something's got to give and I have an idea that may be a hell of a shove - increase profits for Joe Farmer, get the garbage out of the sheeple's gullets and lob the Banksters off at their knees in one flail swoop... Will this grant be available next year? Most likely but so will the new herbicide - it's taken 5-10 years for the technology to cripple our babies' digestive tracks, this new shit should accomplish the job in 1-3 years.! Now is the time.

The grants won't be awarded until February. Help me get it and I promise I will read, watch, study, turn in notes on anything and everything you suggest. I NEVER do this but my number is 850/524-6435 and my perfume is 'Eau du C'mon J'um Pon'! Forgive typos - I'm on my cell)

Tell us what you need, and we'll see if we can cobble something together for you in the forums.

But right now we need Paul to put out more videos, podcasts and articles! Don't woo him away from us!

No, no... I don't need anything new... AND if this works... it'll make an awesome video... (And keep us and our precious herds and flocks away from yucko stuff!) Promise! All I need is his bio - 250 words or less a clue of where to go for the best quotes regarding hugels and the South and maybe 3 or so hours of consultation over 2 years time. See? I'm no distraction - not asking him to winter in Florida (although.... LOL!)

Is the micro doc the one on YouTube? The one with four pictures on a split screen and 'Hugelkultur!' as the icon? If so, I almost can repeat that one backwards, but the hugels look tiny... unless that's a camera trick, like the 20 extra pounds on my ass...? Found the 3 DVD set, no option to buy just the third one. That's a bit of a bummer but I'll find a way. (already down to a diet of peanut butter honey sandwiches and milk - makes grocery shopping easy!) 5 days, really 4 days and 4 hours and 20 minutes... (heh heh 4:20)

Oh, but I did see the Keynote Speech - California on YouTube, what I learned there was oh look a squirrel! Damnitman!

That's a good looking growing mound you have going in there.

I would think an even mix would work well for layering, the hummus and potash will give places for the clay to cling to.

If you have a cement mixer, you can really blend your ingredients well before laying them on.

Don't forget to add in any coffee grounds you might have/be able to get hold of, the are great to toss in as you are building any mound, good source of nitrogen and though they are acidic, the wood seems to take care of neutralizing that.

That pecan hummus will be great stuff any way you decide to use it.