Jodi Shaw

I had a question about hugelkultur,

I would like to made a bed from a tree that needs to come out, but I had some concerns about attracting unwanted pests with the rotting wood. Last year I got fresh chips from the local arborist that I made a mulch layer with, and this late summer/fall I noticed that a colony of carpenter ants had become very busy in the yard. Wouldn't a hugelkultur bed just encourage them more? I have a 1907 Craftsman house, I don't want them deciding to eat that instead! My Google search for any possible problems with hugelkultur hasn't come up with very useful, so I thought I'd throw it to the Permie wolves.

Thanks,
Jodi

I think it would be a great idea to have different videos for different climate areas. I am sure you can find something on YouTube that will work for your area, but I think as long as you are following these principles and ideas for an urban space and pay attention to what you see that does well in your area, you will come out just fine. What I have noticed in all of my reading and watching and chatting is that most areas people are working with seem to be relatively flat or larger than what a typical urban person has available - at least in Seattle! We have hills and ravines, so landslides are a real problem and a lot of the water catchment systems that are encouraged could cause some serious problems.

I just had my first taste of persimmon last night (Hachiya). What a delightful fruit! I live in the Seattle area and was hoping someone would have advice on which variety does well in the PNW? Which have the best flavor for this area? I have heard that the tastiest is the Jiro (Fuyu) from Japan, but seeing as Seattle is lucky to even have a summer sometimes, that a Jiro wouldn't be ideal. Would love some input, thanks!