Gary Finch

I understood the principle of hugleculture is to create fertile soil over a period of time - i.e. once the carbon source (logs) have properly composted then the new soil can be spread over the site so growing annuals rather than perennials or trees makes sense on a huglekulture bed - obviously the created feature will also perform many other functions i.e. windbreak, growing space, ecosystem, offer differing aspects,capture and hold moisture etc - as others have mentioned Sepp has both the resources, space and climate - he can also use it, on his extreme slopes, as a way  of reducing erosion.  Another thing to consider is height of the water table - if the logs become submerged in water then there is a danger of over acidifying the soil.  The Lawton approach seems to be more consistent with a small farm scale use of energy and available resources - they are making an awful lot of compost whereas Sepps approach has been to design using a minimum - for me it would be about taking the design approach and weighing the desired functions of each element/system and weighing that against the available resources, climate and zones.

Hi, i cleared bindweed from an allotment by covering the 'infected' soil with a double layer of corugated cardboard and topping this with old carpet which excluded light but allowed moisture through. Physical removal began in the autumn by working on a square metre at a time - lifting the cardboard and carpet and forking the ground exposed the thick white roots which in their dormant state remain whole and easy to remove. working a meter at a time through the autumn and winter followed by an organic mulch left the soil ready for planting up in the spring. I limited the spread of roots (in the springtime) from uncleared soil by digging a trench and lining it with old compost bags. It's very important to resist the desire to carry on in the spring as this is when the roots become very brittle and easily broken, as well as having tiny new growth that is hard to spot. As i had a back problem it took a couple of years - the unintended consequence of this was that because the roots were excluded from light they gradually came to the surface making the last few metres very easy to deal with.

Hi,
given that the ethics of permaculture are drawn from existing and past indigenous peoples and religions that did and do live a harmonoius lifestyle i often look to the buddhist approach, especially with regards "Right Livelihood" The Buddha gave several discourses about behaviours that should be refrained from in speech, thought, activity etc and bearing in mind Buddhism is based on compassion for the self and others this doesn't seem a bad place to start - he also added work out your own salvation with dillegence, so a bit of critical thinking and observation - you could do worse than apply an action learning loop to yuor current behaviours - David holmgren "Permaculture Principles & Pathways" has a good paragraph on carrying out a self audit,

regards, gary finch

Hi, a bit late with this, however
There are many pc books that are great resources regarding the ethics, principles, systems and elements of a great design, though not much on the approach and the process.
My teacher, Aranya, is one of the foremost pc teachers in the uk and is working on a book,
"Permaculture design - A step by Step Guide to the Process"  it should be out this year and will be available from www.green-shopping.co.uk and other suppliers - I have proof read the final draft and it is very clear and simple how to that compliments earlier works by Bill mollison etc

Cutting the grass very close to the ground will enable pioneer plants to get a foot hold and out compete the grass, but it is a slow process - an excellent resource book is "Design and maintain your edible landscape" by Robert Kourik

Hi,
I'm gardening in the uk, europe, so cool temperate climate.  I found direct sun a bit harsh for kiwi plants and expeienced scorching on the leaves in our equivilant of a heat wave (26 degrees) so your shady spot sounds ideal - they are climbers in a humid forest naturally.  regarding the leach field, could you plant a screen of nutrient hungry plants like comfrey that will discourage the kiwi roots spreading that way, absorb the nutrient and turn it into something you can then use tp feed the kiwi etc Cannot comment on the pawpaw as dont have the climate - where abouts are you?
regards,
gary finch