Emily Gilquist

Thanks for the ideas, guys!
George, doesn't covering the grass with hay lead to more grass seeds -> more grass? I could see straw working. I'll likely end up piling compost and straw on top of the whole thing. More biomass for all!
I found out today that the whole thing has been planted with clover and Jerusalem artichokes already. I guess it's not as hopeless as I imagined!

I recently moved to a farm where several hugel mounds were built, and then didn't receive the love they deserved. Now the grass is encroaching (I wish I knew my species better so I could tell you what kind, but alas...), the voles are a-tunneling, and the sides are eroding. The soil here is pretty clayey and full of rocks. I have a feeling that when they were built, not a whole lot of nitrogen was added.
There are two sets of hugels - we'll call them the north bed and the south bed. On the north bed, the mounds are pretty low, just a couple of feet. It's shaped sort of like an elongated E, with the outer sides being taller and the middle fork just a little mound running down the center. Some apple trees were planted in it (I think the idea was to make it a nursery area, or something), but I think they're all done for. This thing is covered in grass and full of vole holes. There is no irrigation here, so that's a likely cause of apple tree demise.
The south bed has received a little more attention overall. It's been planted with some cover crops (clover and I don't know what else) and is taller - between 5 and 6 feet. It has a drip system running along the top of it, which is making it look a little sad and eroded. I planted some buffalo berry, Nanking cherry, and serviceberries on the inside of it (it's shaped like a long u).

So the questions are:
1) how do I reclaim them from grass? Cover crops? Tubers? I'm into the idea of planting Jerusalem artichoke on the north side.
2) what to do about increasing organic matter? This is clearly not an overnight situation, but any advice helps.
3) erosion control/keeping the thing watered. It's really dry here (30ish inches of rain annually, I believe, most in May and June) but I feel like the drip system isn't the best option.

Can't wait to hear what you think! Thanks for existing, all you permies.

Hey Sarina! I recently moved to a farm which has a quail coop (not designed by me) which is basically an 8x10 greenhouse attached to the south side of the chicken coop. We also have 4 females and 2 males, all Coturnix. The idea was that the quail were put in the big greenhouse when they were first obtained, and they were so happy about it that the farm owner built them their own greenhouse. We only recently moved in topsoil, and I'm trying to grow a cover crop in it (yesterday I sowed buckwheat, hairy vetch, turnips, and mangels) but the quail love the seeds so much I'm not sure any of them will germinate before being eaten...haha. They have a milk crate covered with brush in one corner, which they love to hang out in, and a covered box protruding off of the north side of the coop that stays much cooler. The poo isn't a problem, but a lovely little soil amendment.

So all of this is designed for happy quail, but not egg laying. Since I've been here (a month now) I've found one egg. Not sure whether this is because of low protein in the diet (they're on 16% layer crumbles, I have been supplementing with meal worms - this is the most likely cause) or because of not enough light (nothing supplemental, I've read it takes about 14 hours daily for them to lay). What is the protein content of the game feed? I may switch to that. Are they on supplemental lighting?

Hey all! I've been creepin' on permies for a while, I suppose it's high time I get involved.
So here's the story: I recently took over caretaking a 50-acre property north of Bozeman with my partner. There is a sunken greenhouse, a huge garden, lots of hugel mounds, and a quail coop/greenhouse (among other things). The situation is, mostly, absolutely dreamy.
Except for the fact that I always considered "community" the most important petal on the permaculture flower, and currently I am new to the area, and having a hard time figuring out how to integrate myself with the community, the job being rather isolated.
So I'm looking for you!
If anyone out there is around the area and would like to come work on some projects (or just hang around, that's cool too) do let me know!