I guess I wouldn't fit the bill, as I had to google "chicken tractor" to find out what it meant! Having several clients who do raise chickens in a suburban setting, and let them free range during the day, I was requested to redesign an existing northern California back yard to use less water and still be chicken and rabbit friendly,(they raise rescue rabbits as well). Part of the design package was to come up with suitable additional edible plants/fruit trees that would work in their cool summer climate with almost pure sand, so adding lots of soil amendments to increase organic component, and adjusting irrigation schedules to reflect that plants would root almost straight down in sandy soils, and surface soil layers would retain very little moisture without lots of mulch and added organic content. In the end, it was mostly about making the garden work to fit the conditions, rather than force inappropriate plants to accomodate to the soils/climate, while trying to reduce the need for fertilizers, and stick with plants and trees that would not outgrow the site and require extraordinary pruning. I think permaculture is a lot like feng shui, the basic principles are often just common sense, and landscape designers with an interest in conserving resources and home grown vegetables and animal husbandry may also be a good starting point. In my own case, it was important to know how the chickens and rabbits were using the existing garden, and make assumptions about what new plants would need protection while small, and whether they would attack the new drip irrigation lines which were a replacement for the existing spray heads, and were using too much water with poor results in the almost pure sand soil. I can't say we got it 100% right the first time, but follow up to deal with problems and address them worked out in the end. I was actually surprised to find that the chickens and rabbits were not the worst enemies of 1/4 inch exposed drip lines, which I had mostly tried to keep well below ground, but pesky squirrels. And did others know that the thin bark on a mature Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree is attractive to rabbits, while Mandarin and Orange tree bark is not? I also quickly learned that Flowering Ornamental Kale didn't work in the animal accessible back yard, but was fine in the front yard. And lastly, if the husband or wife is a neat freak about not seeing mulch scattered over walkways on a daily basis, free range chickens and mulch are not a good mix. My solution was to try to get thicketing ground covers to completely fill in bare dirt in areas next to pavement, so this would be less of an issue over time. Also, after looking at several chicken tractor designs, don't other parts of the country have problems with raccoons simply digging under a bottom less cage, or what we refer to as chicken coops here in California? Backyard chickens wouldn't last very long here if the overnight shelter had no bottoms and were portable and a raccoon could simply dig under them.

You would need to buy some bagged topsoil to pot your aquatic plants in. It is cheap at big box stores. Many tropical and hardy aquatic plants thrive in Phoenix, I had a ponding friend there who had a business selling off her extras as they grew so fast. You didn't say you were in Phoenix that is just where I used to live. You can grow plants from tubers at the Asian market. You can also get them from other ponders, a lot cheaper than retail. There is an exchange as part of this forum and there are others too if you google. Many allow plants to be sold but this one does not. Many aquatic plants are fast growing and small starts are fine. There are not so many that are suitable for a home gardener to grow for food production. Most are ornamental.

I getting back into ponding and would like to trade my website design services for any pond plants and/or pond supplies. Click the links below to view samples of my work: http://www.gail-gates.com/will/index.htm http://www.gail-gates.com/ebay/aboutus.htm There are no fees for my services. I am able to set you up with a free website address if you like. Happy Ponding! ---(-@ GAIL

November Permaculture Design Course at The Panya Project, Chiang Mai, Thailand Teacher: Chris Shanks Dates: November 5 - 20, 2007 Costs: $750 (registration before October 1) $950 (registration after October 1) This 16-day Permaculture Design Course will be focused on regenerative design for all climates. Taught by Chris Shanks, the course aims to give a well rounded education of all aspect of permaculture theory and practice. Participants will come away from the course motivated and excited to design and implement using permaculture principals and ethics. The Panya Project, nestled up against the 5th largest national park in Thailand, hopes to be an active member of the national and international sustainabilty movement. Set on 25 rai (10 acres, 4 hectares) of what used to be a monocrop mango plantation, the project is actively regenerating the land through a heavily planted tropical edible food forest. The community at Panya hopes to continually get closer and closer to full sustainability, while at the same time expanding their own knowledge, wisdom and joy through the process. We are excited to host this course, learn from the broad experience of Chris Shanks, expanding our own knowledge of natural systems as well as providing the space and opportunity for others to learn as well. Come and join us in learning about what we believe is one of the most powerful methods for regenerating the health and abundance that is natural to this planet. Learn how to design and implement interactive systems that use natural forces and natural systems as their guide. Now is the time to act! Lets actively create the world we want! Come join us!! Chris Shanks has practiced permaculture in the Americas and beyond for almost ten years. Chris works as the co-Director and farm manager of Project Bona Fide, Isla Ometpe, Nicaragua(www.projectbonafide.com). Bona Fide is a 46 acre permaculture farm that was started in 2002. The farm is an educational center and community anchor that supports many social and reforestation program. Bona Fide itself has planted its 46 acres with more than 20,000 tree in its reforestation efforts. Bona fide features all manners of sustainable systems, food forests, nurseries, gardens, and natural buildings. Chris also divides his time between the Bahamas and Orcas Island, Washington State. In the Bahamas Chris co-founded the permaculture educational curriculum at the Island School/Cape Eleuthera Institute (www.islandschool.org and www.ceibahamas.org) and has worked on the implementation of the campus master plan for 5 years. On Orcas island Chris has worked closely with the Bullock Family homestead and educational center building capacity in regards to their sustainable systems and educational facilities (www.permacultureportal.com). Chris also works as a permaculture designer in the professional realm where he serves as a project manager, designer, and chief horticulturalist for Whole Systems Design (www.wholesystemsdesign.com). In Nicaragua Chris works as a consultant and project manager with business people dedicated to green development and and eco-tourism. He develops master plans and does site analysis, designs food and water systems as well as gardens and nurseries. He also likes dogs, mangosteens, motorcycles, and durians. Learn more at our website: www.panyaproject.org Contact : Chris Dawkins panyaproject@gmail.com Here is a link that might be useful: Panya Project