From the guy who taught us about using waste wood to build soil using hugelkultur beds.

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/...

Quote: " Most of the so-called 'natural disasters' experienced all over the world today are in fact human-made. If we are to survive on this planet, we must learn to cooperate with the forces of nature and water can be our best teacher."

This is a great video - I'm halfway through right now. Thanks for posting it! Sepp Holzer is quite an innovative man.

Hi Dave. There is so much content, I have to go back and watch it again. There is sure to be a lot more on water conservation/erosion as those conferences come up in April.

That's why I want a pond so badly on my property. Sepp says that water is at the core of all his projects.

We had ponds on our property back home in Northern michigan. Us kids built a raft and explored every inch of the larger pond. It had turtles and frogs. And I remember we also planted some catfish to combat an invasion of leeches (bloodsuckers). Here in west Alabama we have huge commercial catfish ponds -- but you never see kids playing on them.

In winter we skated on the ponds.

I have about 60 sq ft spot at a low point on my property that I'm considering for a pond. Got a buddy that raises tilapia and mosquito fish. He threatened to throw some in my pool if I don't get a separate pond going. My wife would flip. :O

I read the USGS Web site daily. Ran across this interesting article on water you all may find interesting. Put the water availability debate into true perspective.

http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/feat...

I have read Sepp Holzer's book from cover to cover. Wish I could just start all over in a different spot although he pretty much covers how to shine a light no matter where you live.

Which book is that, Mary? Do you recommend it to others?

The book is titled "Permaculture: A practical guide to small-scale integrative farming and gardening". It was great and even if you don't have a 10 acre farm, there are things you can do to help your own plot of ground. It certainly raises awareness of many issues that I never even heard of. Lots of very practical information about types of plants and trees and such for all uses. I also got a book called "Root Cellaring" by Mike and Nancy Bubel that is really neat and talks about just what the title says. "The Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman addresses pushing the envelope on the growing season even for us up here. I understand that on the Kenai Peninsula they have built what are called 'high tunnels' (think plastic quonset huts) that double as greenhouses. If weather is a problem this is a great reference.

I finally have my three raised beds (4'x8'x18") installed. I want to try some of Eliot's ideas about pushing into winter with cold weather crops. He is in Maine and while his zone is a 5 like mine, mine is longer and perhaps a bit more intense. Plus we have the sunlight issue - less and less til Dec 21 then more and more until June 21. From 2-4 hours a day to 20 hours a day.

Elliot Coleman is a favorite of mine, too. He and Barbara damrosch are a team of gardening experimenters and writers.

Here's more information: http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/...