Mike Jasper

1. Is it safe to say these DVD's wont cover the new and exciting stuff from this recent workshop you had that I have been listening to on the podcasts.

2. Does this in any way directly or tangently talk about building a RMH on a Concrete Slab on grade constructed house?

With the benefit of complete ignorance since not being a graduate of workshop or master of the DVD's yet I would say that I too am disappointed that all the experts seem to say you can't do as good a job with a side vented system.

I live in urban southeast side of Indy but also have 42 acres an hour east of Indianapolis 1/2 way to Dayton. If you ever want to start a midwest branch let me know.

Mike

I am a Newby here. So I will apologize in advance for asking things that have probably been answered were I to have dug deeper before posting.

As I look at Hugelkultur I am going to try it in my back yard. While I will have trimmings from trees and could get larger logs from my property in Eastern Indiana I am also thinking I would use a more plentiful urban resource (card board). I also plan to pile in leaves so I guess I may end up with something more like a lasagna compost bed but I aspire to getting something that will soak up the spring plenty of water that comes to this creekside location and hold it through the gradual drying out of summer. I also want to figure out ways to not bend over and to share less of the "crop" with the bunnies or whatever seems to be sharing the harvest without sharing the work.

With the larger amount of non wood material should I expect the hump to "deflate" as rotting takes place and if so, was thinking I could just pile more on over time. Since I currently have a willow problem on the dam of the pond in Milton I am thinking I need to see it as a waddle shortage at home and there if I can get beds started and make fencing to hold them together at the base.

I also want to apply it out on part of property in Eastern Indiana someday.

Thanks for input. Being hard headed I will probably try it my way no matter what is said, but there is always a first time for me to actually listen to the answers I get. I figure if I am not dead yet there is still hope.

Mike

Thanks George,

I would welcome hearing from someone that works in that part of Indiana. I see you have been an active poster. As I get time I will see what you have posted and get a better idea maybe of what your are up to down south.

Mike

I am also interested in the area. Purchased 42 acres near Milton Indiana in 1999. One procrastination has lead to another and have done little with the property. It has nothing but Edge between the elevation, the pond the woods the 7 acres of Alfalfa. I guess the good thing you can say is that nature has been left to repair things. I live In Indianapolis and look for some sort of partner(s) to move the thing forward. I have flirted with Permaculture and don't feel I am a lazy person but the outcomes so far argue otherwise. Part of how I earn my daily living is as a financial advisor and part is as a controller businesses advisor. I have clients from time to time comment on farmland it's cost and it's value as an investment. My reply is the land is too expensive now what they need is invest in a farmer somehow. My goal would be to find a partner that has the know how since I have the land and put together something that funds itself.

I am listening to a podcast of Paul and this Geoff Lawton talking about what to do to get more farmers to do permaculture. My answer is find those of us who have interest and help us do it successfully so that the neighbors start to wonder what the heck we are doing. It seems to me that we here about all these dessert etc efforts. I don't understand why no one wants to come out of the wilderness and try a place like Eastern Indiana that has water and reasonable climate already productive soils yada yada.

What am I missing. I and my land are just getting older and I am not in the frame of mind that I need to spend thousands of dollars to take a class to then spend 10's of thousands of dollars. So I guess I am the problem. What I want to figure out is, identify something that we could do today with what I have that would then fund something that then could fund something else and wake p one day ready to build a home and move after my daughter is safely out of the house. I thought that was what this discipline did but I seem to be too much a curmudgeon or lazy dolt to get my feet on the path. Having the land over an hour from the house is probably not a smart move but in the end it is where I am. Any thoughts or talents to collaborate with is appreciated and it is certainly a real pleasure to see the work more intelligent and dedicated people than I are doing with things like the rocket heaters etc.

Hello and I am not always a grouch just today.

Mike