Hi Paul and every1. I'm new to this site and hugelkultur. I found this site while searching for ideas to make raised beds for gardening since I am unable to get down on the ground and getting back up is next to impossible. Actually kind of funny to watch to! I refuse to give up gardening I just have to change the way Im working it. I have a small plot of land in Central Wisconsin, 11 acres, bought and paid for. Since 2002 I became disabled and have since, been trying to live off my land not only due to lower income purpose, I have become green as well. I had to learn how to can food, butcher my own rabbits and chickens, and basically grow my own foods. We're going to raise sheep and goats next spring.The internet has helped open my eyes as to how our foods are commercially grown and processed. Well no wonder I acquired a strange disease the doctors don't even know about! I am starting to build my first mound for my hugelkultur garden. Last summer was again drought stricken here and my biggest fear is that I'm going to run our well dry by watering my garden and part of a small field. I did not even grow flowers around my place in fear of wasting water, where food priorities come first. BTW if you're going to cry because of my story, please cry over a plant! Don't waist a drop of that precious liquid! If my hugelkultur garden can save me from water usage and save the water in my well, its well worth $100 bucks a year. But because my disability pays monthly, Id have to arrange to make installments on a monthly basis. I enjoy the podcasts, videos and reading the forums. I've really learned a lot here. Paul for your information and the hard work you put into this, this is valuable and you should be able to collect over head costs and some extra revenue for all that you do. You are saving people a bundle of money! We owe you! You are my God! Seriously though, the swearing is just a little over powering. Just a little. I like how you presented the podcasr for Women Urinating outside. I know you could have really pulled a lot of punches with that one, but you held restraint very well. My husband and I have always been the DIY type and we managed to build our 3800 square foot home mostly out of recycling lumber, total cost under $10.000, by tearing down other homes and garages. We look for homes to recycle in order to build what we need rather than supporting the lumber companies whose lumber is in worse condition than used lumber. This dates back to the late 70's and early 80's even when we both had substantial incomes and money to burn. We saved even more by learning how to sew, make our own furniture, recycle lumber and other building materials and basically how to live for as cheap as possible. My youngest son is 25 going to college for electrical mechanical engineering. Soon our place will be off the power grid by way of solar power. We use an outdoor wood furnace to heat both house and hot water for now. And we never take a living tree from the forest. We only burn what is down already and never gather too much from one single area as the forest needs its own eco system we don't dare rob much from it. Now back to the point of my post. While I think your information is valuable and I would contribute monthly, people are always looking to live as cheap as possible and will get their information from other places on the internet for free. A lot of people want to be the big kahuna and are egar to post information to other folks just for asking or to prove a point. Well that's all for now. I look forward to learning all I can in what time I have left.
Brenda
