Jhansi Bobba

I would love to build rocket mass heater at my place. We discontinued wood burning fireplace in the house due to asthma issues. I have more than enough fire wood every year from the tree companies and right now I am using tree logs for hugelkultur beds.

Is there a company that builds rocket mass heaters and how much would it cost?

Thanks

Thanks Nancy. I will definitely post updates on the project.

William: Clover and alfalfa would that attract deer, need to look into that. I need drought resistant ground cover as I am not planning on watering the pasture.

Thanks Josh. Yes the bottom line is they built this castle with a 7ft wooden fence all around with lots of trees for privacy and they think my property is ugly because I spread mulch do things unconventional. Their adjacent neighbor right across me planting a lavender farm and those lavenders more fire hazard than the mulch I am spreading. The tree surrounding her property lost leaves in fall and winter, so she can see my pasture through her window and it is ugly.

I would love to create swales on the hill I have and let the rain water flow through my property slowly and absorb as much as possible before running off into the creek across the road.

I am happy to be part of this community.

Thank yoiu.

Hello everyone

I have all these tree rounds that tree companies drop off as they save money by not taking to the recycling place. I have been thinking about creating some sort of deer fencing with these rounds piled up in any shape and drop soil on them like hugelkultur beds then with small t stakes tie fishing wire. Do deer climb the hugelkultur bed that is say 4 to 5 ft tall and then jump over fishing wire?

outside of hugelkultur bed I will plant cactuses agaves not appetizing and on top of the bed plant something I would like to eat. Would this work

Thank you

Thanks Jon. I love mulch and it does wonders to soil. The tree companies fight over to drop the mulch for us here and also the rounds. It is a great idea to buy bulk seeds and throw them on the beds to see if they sprout. I am thinking about using hose pipe on a time and small sprinkler on beds so it gets wet slowly and  waters down the logs. there are many gaps between the logs since we have not arranged them manually. Hoping to push the manure into the gaps when time permits.

Thank you all. Is there any ground cover that grows on mulch. I can throw seeds on top and they grow their roots into the mulch. I weed in the mulch and there are some weeds that grow their roots so far.

I am attaching few hugelkultur beds pictures I am building

Thanks everyone. I am happy to receive the replies and ideas. Hope to answer all the questions and ask more.

Our zoning is Agricultural rural and we have right to farm. The neighbor who is complaining is not next to me or across me. She is one house away from the house across me. I don't border her anyway.

I am building hugelkultur beds leaving space between fence and the bed. I am also building in the pasture. I get so much wood from one company, second company not as much. I give away plenty firewood to neighbors every year. This year I am planning to cover up with manure and soil. I totally believe in mulch. The clay becomes beautiful soil over time with manure and mulch on top of that.

I wish my neighbors can see how natural this is, repurposing the natural materials and doing good to the land to grow beautiful plants whatever they are. I have noticed once their helper washing the trunks of the trees in the driveway. we are all on well water.

Since I am doing this in such a big scale, I don't have bandwidth to arrange each bed. Is there anything I can do to accelerate decomposing of wood rounds. My goal is to plant agaves and cactuses on these beds. We have deer rabbits squirrels and gophers. I am fighting a war with gophers as they are devouring agaves.

Thanks again.

Hi

This is my first post here. I do enjoy reading the forums.

for the first 5 years after moving into our ranch of 12 acres, I have raised cows, sheep, goats, chickens and pigs. then next 5 years didn't do much on the ranch. July 2023 started planting Agaves (americana, artichoke agave, blue weber and other varieties). I started spreading mulch everywhere and goal is to do it the whole property.

Also i have tree companies drop off the tree rounds to create hugelkulur beds and goal is to create them like a berm along the fence line. Yesterday one of our neighbors started complaining about how mulch is fire hazard and duraflame logs are made from mulch etc. I have told her this is tree mulch over the time it decomposes and soil becomes wonderful (we have clay). I explained to here all the logs will be covered by soil and the fire can't reach to the logs under the soil. She said this looks ugly. She threatened to call the county.

Granted I have lot of tree rounds 10 trees worth of logs not covered and bunch that are covered. She basically doesn't like the look of my property because of the mulch and logs.

Did anyone spread mulch in their whole property? I am in northern california zone 9b.

Thank you.