Plants!

Grouped by use:

• beneficial insect attracting
• pioneer
• wet feet
• clay break
• pest insect repelling
• medicinal
• edible
• ground cover
• windbreak
• fire retardant
• local
• weed competitor

Specific plants good for these roles in SW Vic:

• beneficial insect attracting
  salvia, pelargonum, geranium, calendula, rosemary
• bird attracting
  salvia, correa
• pioneer
  salvia, pelargonium, rosemary
• wet feet
  veitnamese mint, azola (duckweed fern)
• clay break
  potatos
• pest repelling
  geranium, mint, feverfew
• medicinal
  feverfew, mint, calendula, rosemary
• edible:
  pigface, berries, oregano, thyme, perrenial basil
• ground cover
  pigface, thyme
• windbreak
  olive
• shade tree
  Apricot, nectrarine
• fire retardant
  pigface
• local
  pigface, correa, muntries
• weed competitor
  mint, perennial basil, mustard greens

Plant list

• pigface
  succulent. flowers. edible, ground cover, fire retardant
• salvia,
  flowers of many colurs
• pelargonium
  flowers of many colours
• geranium
  flowers, insect repel
• raspberry, young berry, native raspberry
  edible
• correa
  bird attracting
• calendula
  self seeding annual
• feverfew
  medicinal, flower
• rosemary
  flowers, edible, medicinal, ground cover, benificial insect attracting, tough, easy to take cuttings
• potatoes
  edible claybreak
• oregano
  edible
• thyme. lemon, turkey, creeping, pizza
  groundcover
• vietnamese mint
  wet feet, edible
• mint
  edible, medicinal
• apricot tree
• nectrarine tree
• olive tree
• muntries
  edible, local, groundcover

The Big U

I have two more 20 foot (6m) containers. I set them as a big U shape at the ends of the 40'. All on top of the hill with the best views. The main building for the property with a lot of growth planned over time.

The 40' is kitchen stuff, table, desk, wargaming table and shelves, the soft room.

The 'shed' is garden storage, tools, gym, other storage.

The 'garage' is other stuff storage. aim is not to use as a room so can move things in from others when they get modified.

In the middle is the main space. Initially a greenhouse, but in time a workshop space and generally largest planned enclosed space. Can fit 20 people maybe.
The greenhouse feel and plants as part of the living environment is an important aspect of the area, even if it is based around the very non-organic containers.

North facing glass windows in the open part of the 'U'. So can act as a sunroom.
Making use of passive solar design, thermal mass just out of summer sunbeam reach but in winter sunbeams from the lower sun.
Flow through ventilation from west to east. along  length of the 40' main wind. Should flow often.

The 40' west face will possibly have the first insulation pallet modules. Pallets, stuffed with reclaimed styrofoam, covered with wood to be vermin proof and minimal light entry. Excellent insulation. Tiled on outside of containers where needed on the especially west facing sides that face the hottest sun.
Similar modules will be used on the roof of all the containers. With corro iron and guttering attached.
Actual roofing for the middle will almost certainly have to have some columns.
I'd like a nice solid roof to hang furniture from, hammocks etc