Joao Winckler

They should be fine. Fall-sown peas often just sit there doing nothing over winter and then take off once the soil warms up in spring. The ones that went in late probably just didn't have enough time to establish before the cold hit. Worth leaving them and seeing what happens.

Mine has stayed pretty contained in a raised bed for three years now, but I've heard enough horror stories to think I just got lucky. If I was starting again I'd probably sink a root barrier or just grow it in a large pot sunk into the ground. Easier to harvest that way too.

Pawpaws blooming in year 8 is about right, they take their time. The USask cherries are a good call for zone 5b, they're tough as anything. Curious how the arguta kiwi does once it recovers from the rabbit damage, those things are surprisingly resilient once established.

Five acres after 40 years of concrete sounds like a proper life change. The mounds look solid for a first build. Clay soil is a pain to start with but hugels actually do well in it once the wood starts breaking down and the biology gets going. Squash on the first year is a good call, they'll sprawl over the mound and help keep moisture in while everything establishes.

Comfrey is a good one for this. Leaves for mulch or compost tea, flowers for pollinators, roots for propagating more plants. Not exactly a culinary plant but every part has a use. Borage is similar, flowers in salads, leaves edible when young, and it self-seeds so reliably you basically never have to plant it again.

I grew some a couple of years back in containers and they did well enough, though I found the harvest fiddly - lots of tiny tubers to sift out of the compost. The flavour is good, kind of nutty and slightly sweet. Tony's point about rats is worth taking seriously, mine were in a raised bed and something definitely had a go at them before I got to harvest.

Mine took about three years to really get going, and even then it was only once I started feeding it properly that it bulked up. Manure in autumn made a noticeable difference the following spring. The patience is the hard part honestly.

That polytunnel position looks good. Skye weather being what it is, having it close to the kitchen garden makes sense for quick access when the rain comes in sideways. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.

The allelopathy thing with fennel is real but seems to vary a lot by soil and conditions. I've had it growing near tomatoes without obvious issues too. The bigger problem in my experience is just the shading and root competition as it gets big. Paper bags over the seed heads is a good call, fennel self-seeds aggressively if you let it go.

Tomatoes are tougher than they look honestly. I've had them survive conditions I was sure would finish them off and then keel over from something completely mundane. The soil block method probably helped a lot, roots stay intact and don't get the transplant shock that kills most seedlings. The extreme temp swings are rough but tomatoes seem to handle stress better once they've got a decent root system going.