Sunday, October 9, 2016

Step by Step Hugelkulture

Adventures in Hugelkultur - or How I am Cleaning my Garden this Fall
a guest post by Sharon S.
Hugelkultur what is that?  Simplistically, it’s a mounded, raised garden bed made from a variety of organic materials.  The mound decomposes providing a long-term supply of nutrients.  It also stores water and requires less watering.  I had a tired old vegetable garden that needed a rehab so I decided to make my first mini hugelkultur.   Here’s what I’ve done so far:
  1. Dug a trench - mine was about 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 18 inches deep.  I wanted to make it deeper but I ran out of digging steam (aka the rocks won).  
    20160910_092514.jpg
  1. Add cardboard (no tape or stickers)
    20160910_092937.jpg
  2. Added woody debris mostly branches from my pruning efforts over the last year

    20160910_144044.jpg

  1. Added layers as I cleaned up the garden - included fennel, parsley, sunflowers (no weeds or weed seeds)
    20160910_145651.jpg
As I continue to clean up the garden, I add more layers to my “pit” - bean stalks, tomato plants, petunias, soil from pots, grass clippings, shredded paper, more sunflowers, bokashi, soil, and as the fall cleanup of the yard continues, the pile gets larger.  
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3 comments:

  1. Powell River BooksOctober 11, 2016 at 10:20 PM

    Sounds like my compost pit, minus the cardboard and sticks. I do it each year and get more soil for my cliff-side potato patch. - Margy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 12, 2016 at 8:18 AM

      Hi Margy, Thx for commenting. GC

      Delete
  2. Terry FaubertOctober 12, 2016 at 8:33 PM

    I first came across this concept in the early 1980's, from a fellow in Yahk BC who swore by it. It's a great way to build raised beds, as the structure holds them together and the layers slowly compost and feed the beds. I had great success with it during the 18 years I lived (and gardened) in Lund.

    ReplyDelete

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