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A bit about me:: I was a foster parent for 5 years and since I became a mom I'm more passionate about the food we eat....and grow. I'm just beginning to learn about permaculture and cheesemaking. I love to dabble in everything and am constantly learning new things.

Latest greatest meal cooked at home:: Peach Crisp. It's summer and I'm stuffing myself with fruit.

My latest DIY project:: Packing up our house and moving 2100 miles across the country to Eugene OR

At 4:54pm on October 22, 2008, Eric Paul said…: I've been contemplating how best to do it for a while now. I have two 48" square windows. The original plan was to use some reclaimed lumber to build frames, and then stick straw bails along the outside for insulation. We are planning on moving in the spring, so I don't want to build anything too permanent like I would if these were for my own home. For now the plan is to just use four hay bales to make a square, and kind of dig them into the ground a bit, at an angle. Not sure on the angle though, I've read that a small angle is sufficient, and I've read that it should be you latitude + 20 degrees, which will make mine 60 degrees. Four Season Harvest is next on my reading list, did Coleman have any recommendations?

At 5:03pm on October 29, 2008, Kelly Dukarski said…: Hey Thanks!
I basically added 20 tons of soil/compost (crazy, huh?) then graded it out. I took the overall square footage and came up with a center point. I started by digging a center isle and the edge/perimeter beds. What was left on either side of the center isle was measured off into 6' long x 3' wide raised beds with a 1/1/2' isle between each. It actually worked really well and eliminated having to make wooded raised beds or risk the complications of too much rain on flat fields. I did loose some space doing it this way but the maintenance was so much easier. The raised beds actually saved the garden this year during our record rainfall/flooding. The plants did really well and we were able to grow several varieties of veggies (20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes). If you need any help just hollar! By the way, your photos are beautiful! You're little ones are adorable.

At 6:31pm on October 29, 2008, Kelly Dukarski said…: By the way, I saw that you are reading four Season harvest. I'm actually going to meet Eliot next week at his farm in Maine. I am researching a project for next year (with a client) and he invited us up for a visit. If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to ask. I plan on taking lots of photos too so I'll share them with everyone.