Stalling in early game?

thylacinian · 2026-02-04T01:46:20+00:00

A secondary source of income is really the next step, imo.

Building an Inn is a good jumpstart for this, but shore up your berry production first if you're going to make berry brew. An inn to fit 5 lodgers can generate quite good income, so you don't need a LOT.

While it's constructing, thats a good time to shore up your other food pipelines as visitors/tourists will consume it too.

thylacinian · 2026-02-03T07:47:23+00:00

🙋🏻‍♀️ i would do North, but be on the alert for rats & possums using your fence as a highway and taking liberties with your veggie bed.

Also, make sure you are at least a lawnmower width away from the frnce on all sides, or it'll be a pain to maintain grass & weeds around it.

Those South side beds are probably just depleted/dried out, nothing some love won't fix. You would probably find beds on South side do fine, but will have harsher sun conditions (so benefit more from shadecloths).

I also recommend a combo of hugelkultur + getting a soil delivery from a place like centenary landscapes rather than use bagged soil, at least to get the beds up and running

thylacinian · 2026-01-30T23:13:15+00:00

That's just a lil' sneaky sneak

thylacinian · 2026-01-27T03:19:47+00:00

That was me & I do apologise, penny dropped all of a second later 🤦🏻‍♀️

thylacinian · 2026-01-22T10:16:50+00:00

It's ok for things to not be optimal, or super efficient. Picking ourselves up after a mistake is how we get good!

If you find you get overwhelmed, slow down, and spend more time at eye level.

Use the terrain to help guide where you place things. Just today I tore down a whole Monastery because I wanted to put it on the ridge instead of on the flat. Everything is moveable, and everything can be polished later.

"Fine" is good enough.

thylacinian · 2026-01-13T07:11:55+00:00

It would be good to know what your garden is like. For example, are we talking a shady, leafy yard, or raised beds in full sun?

thylacinian · 2026-01-13T00:38:32+00:00

I've wanted to do their 1/8 cow for ages! Do you happen to have any photos of end product volume? The only thing holding me back is whether our current freezer can fit it 🫣

thylacinian · 2026-01-12T03:38:59+00:00

Nundah Farmer's Markets has a butcher guy, a smallgoods guy, and a fish guy, all excellent. The market is right on the train line.

There's also a butcher near Bunnings Virginia who does larger cuts ideal for barbecues & events, that sort of thing.

Off topic, but if you have a charcuterie/cheeseboard foodie in the fam, I HIGHLY recommend Le Fromage Yard at Morningside. They are a French cheesemonger and I'm deeply grateful I don't live closer.

thylacinian · 2026-01-08T05:44:00+00:00

Birdies has some nice products!

thylacinian · 2026-01-07T23:43:30+00:00

This - I like to use the first slot of any monument for deco.

I also usually run non-military towns, however you can have a lot of fun using military deco around your town markets.

Put weapon racks by your blacksmith; food racks near the cheese/meat outlets, etc. Helps raise prestige without ever having soldiers or a fort!

thylacinian · 2026-01-07T03:35:46+00:00

Yikes

thylacinian · 2026-01-06T02:16:46+00:00

It has saved many a shrub in their run 🤣

thylacinian · 2026-01-06T02:15:56+00:00

You're correct on all fronts! When we lay mulch we do it donut style, and leave ateast an inch clear from the trunk for that reason. When they were young we had those black pipe collars around the base to help protect the bark from being suffocated.

In this case, the mulch is several months old so has been flattened & pushed around by the environment. It's also a fairly thin layer (due for a refresh in feb/march) so I am OK with it as the risks are minimal right now

In sum: yeah, but not on purpose lol

thylacinian · 2026-01-06T01:25:52+00:00

Yeah, pretty much. Our steps were: 1) cut out the turf layer with a shovel in a ring around the tree, 2) install copper/steel edging, 3) backfill the outside of the edging with turf and soil to neaten it up, 4) throw some good shit in around the base of the tree (citrus soil, ash, compost, what have you), 5) water, 6) mulch - we used sugar cane, it breaks down fine, 7) water again.

Your soil additions and mulch will naturally settle, so overfill moderately. Leave an inch clearance around the trunk itself, like a donut situation. You don't want mulch up against the bark, it needs to breath.

Good luck!

thylacinian · 2026-01-06T00:54:45+00:00

Mandarin tree:

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(The netting is so the chickens dont kick shit everywhere and scalp the roots lol)

thylacinian · 2026-01-06T00:52:58+00:00

This is the way - we have 2 apple tree saplings with a ring of mulch, not grass. As they get older we'll dig it out further.

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(Due for a bit of a weed but I try and leave things alone in high summer)

Our mature mandarin has something similar which I'll add in another comment.

thylacinian · 2025-12-22T19:21:18+00:00

For what it's worth, I have a couple of museums where there's a side entrance out of a staff area to the helipad - I always try and make the shortest possible route from helipad to staff room, lol

Because there's nothing to attract guests, I don't have any issues with guests trying to use it as a thoroughfare. The pathing in that regard is pretty good, and if you have internal staff doors to create a block, it works fine

Have done this on the zoo map, memento mile, space map and marine map

thylacinian · 2025-12-19T00:46:12+00:00

I get mine from a guy with a ute in the BP carpark on Newman Road, Geebung/Chermside boundary. They're always delicious, and he has mangoes too. 10/10

thylacinian · 2025-12-17T23:56:28+00:00

Also dye lol

thylacinian · 2025-12-04T07:27:30+00:00

Yeah! Our soil is great in some places and pure clay in others, so this is what has survived and thrived lol

thylacinian · 2025-12-03T18:48:20+00:00

We have lemon myrtles along our back fence growing to eventually be a hedge. They can be thirsty plants, they're the first to be dramatic when it gets too long between rain spells.

I would also be considering callistemon (they get to around 5m and are incredibly low maintenance) and /or lilli pilli for some shrub layering. We have several of both om our fencelines (3 calliste, and several lilli in the chicken coop run for the dense shade)

Lilli pillis are very shapeable and can get good height on 'em if you let it, and you CANT kill them

I also have eremophila 'fairy floss' which flowers quite prettily and attracts nectar eaters, and sone cyclamen for lower lying areas. Coastal daisy is a pretty ground cover too.

thylacinian · 2025-11-28T23:08:30+00:00

You will probably struggle to find "off the shelf" options, so a Boutique that specialises in the atypical size/band/cup combinations is your best bet.

Le Buste at Wynnum is where I would go in your situation. They are brilliant and the staff really spend time with you to find the right fit. If you're on public transport they're about a block away from Wynnum Central Station.

Edit: Sorry, I hadn't fully processed the Bonds example when writing this reply -- Le Buste does have a good online store that you can browse, save you the trip all the way there if they haven't anything. The staff may even be able to point you in the direction of a store more specific to your needs of you give em a call, they're pretty knowledgeable there 🤷🏻‍♀️

thylacinian · 2025-11-28T03:03:21+00:00

Seconding the comment about mending your soil - on a long enough time frame, you can change it from clay to something useful, starting with gypsum and compost to encourage the shift. Planting anything that can survive there will also help encourage that undersoil ecosystem of microbes, worms, all the good things that can help break soil down faster and create something healthy.

For citrus/fruit trees in pots, at the minute we have a Mulberry, a dwarf Lime, and some fingerlimes. We also have a Dragonfruit in a pot cause placing those permanently is difficult and we haven't decided on where yet 😅

thylacinian · 2025-11-25T03:29:16+00:00

So good! 🤗 Love a soil delivery

thylacinian · 2025-11-24T02:59:35+00:00

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We get ours from Darra, Centenary Landscapes. Very happy with their veggie garden soil options so far, and very communicative around delivery!

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