bert boan

Thanks for the reply Dave. The aquasponge does sound like a great idea. Here is a video to show you what I'm dealing with. For some reason (shyness probably) I didn't post it with the first post.

Is there an official site Online PDC will be announced? I've been watching here, Geofflawton.com (instagram and fb) and PRI's sites- any other places where it may be announced?

Forgive me if this is a simple question but I just haven't seen the right YouTube video yet:)

Property is ~1 acre rectangle
So my yard is on a slope from front to back- rain runs from the front yard around the house and back to the bottom of the back yard. And the two properties west of me slope to the bottom of my back yard. This creates a small temporary pond in hard rains until it soaks in or evaporates. This has been happening for so long the soil is basically fine sand.

There is a ridge above this small pond toward the back (probably 50' to 60' around the back edge.

Would it be best to build the hugelkultur in the depression where the water ponds, along the back on top of the back "shore," or in frint of the depression?

I'm sure there are pros and cons to each spot. The hugel will not only serve as planting area but also repair the bad soil, create a wind break and visual break for the property behind. Too many pros not to build one but the question is which would be the optimum spot to build.

Thanks much for the replies, seems like I probably have my answer. Here in Central Oklahoma our Spring and Autumn are fairly mild but several periods of below freezing for many days in the Winter.

R Scott I will be checking out that video.

I'm trying to graduate into a longer growing season but I'm confused about what structure to invest time and money into. My main question is the functional differences. The way I understand it you'd build a hoop house to keep the frost off young plants in the early spring and keep a bit more heat into the fall. However you can keep it from freezing you can grow all year long. Is the keeping the temperature regulated (above freezing or where a particular crop needs it to be) the goal for year round growth vs season extension?

Thanks for your time and any advise you can pass to a newb!
Bert

Greetings Okies, We're in our second year on an acre in downtown Newcastle. Our dream is to have a garden large enough to call it a community garden and involve our neighbors. But now that I've been looking into permaculture I've been expanding my horizons.

We've got clay and dust - so last year was 3 raised lasagna garden beds and this year is a 25x25' patch that has layers of mulch, hay, and leaf clippings. I'll add some more soil and manure when the snow gives way to decent temps.

We had some great results last year except that we didn't plant enough okra, beans, or cucumbers to have more than a handful at a time. The squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and spaghetti squash did great.

I'm looking forward to adding some beneficial insect attracting flowers and doing some companion planting. I've had very little luck finding internet info on which plants do best in Zone 7 / Oklahoma. I welcome all ideas!!

Good to meet you all!