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| Here is a hugulkultur bed I built a few weeks ago. Will be planting Pumpkins, Squash, watermelons and cucumbers in it. The cucumbers and Zucchini (trombonico) are vining and will be grown on the north west side of the bed on a trellis system I plan to install along the entire NW side. The pumpkins and watermelons will be planted halfway up that side as well but allowed to roam up over the top and down the SE side. The plants should run south and east towards the sun, that is direction most of the pumpkins grew last year in the same spot (minus the hugelkultur bed)
Digging begins, I dug out 60% and piled the dirt on the other 40%
Raked that potrion out into a smooth bowl shape.
Added the big logs.
Smaller sticks on top. I had a mix of really decayed stuff, newer stuff and slightly aged stuff.
Sod laid upside down on the wood. All the wood was maple or apple.
I also put a couple wheelbarrels full of 85% done compost on top of the sod and in around the gaps and edges, was running out of daylight so I focused on working instead of picture taking. This is with the first 60% basically finished.
I finished in the dark, here is a finished picture from the next day. The bed runs from where I am standing NE to the end of the bed is SW. But more N-S than E-W if that makes sense. I gues you would say it North/NE to South/SW.
How did I do for my first hugelkutur bed? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| g'day c/h, looks pretty good from my end, you went to a lot of effort and it will return, for me as i can't do all that digging i will be laying my tree material on the ground surrounded by corrugated roof width as height material. my toughest task chain sawing and moving hardwood tree material. len |
Here is a link that might be useful: lens straw bale garden
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- Posted by Coconut_Head none (My Page) on Fri, Apr 27, 12 at 10:51
| Thanks Len! It was funny, as I kept working into the darkness my wife actually uttered some words I never thought I would hear. She actually suggested I stop working and come inside!! I was on a mission to get that thing done though as we had somoe nasty weather approaching and I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it in the coming days. |
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- Posted by emgardener (My Page) on Tue, May 15, 12 at 23:55
| Post us some end of the season harvest pictures, would like to see them. I just dug in some Hugulkulter beds also in heavy clay soil, didn't use any compost. Hopefully it'll work ok. |
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- Posted by Coconut_Head 5b (My Page) on Thu, May 17, 12 at 16:20
| Will do! As well as next year, as I hear the bed gets even better after a year of the wood decomposing. |
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- Posted by Coconut_Head 5b (My Page) on Fri, Jun 22, 12 at 13:20
| Here are some updates. This First from a few weeks ago, and then more recently (yesterday)
And the more recent ones:
I did notice yesterday on our second day of very hot weather (between 90 and 95 degrees) that some of the plants in the bed seemed to be wilting pretty heavily. I risked it and mid day watered because I forgot the wood underneath was probably at this point wicking the water out of the soil from below as well as the regular loss from above. The plants didn't burn and they were back to looking great when I got home from work. For this season I'll have to try to water them a little more frequently, especially with such shallow rooted water hogs in the bed(Pumpkins, cukes, zukes, melons, squash. CH |
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- Posted by dieseldame Central TX (My Page) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 21:03
| Wow! I was just seeing what was new, since I haven't been here for quite a while. Thanks for the pics and info, as Hugulkultur is completely new to me. I have a huge amount of material bulldozed 20 years ago that I've been harvesting what's useful from and trying to figure out how to build swales with the rest (erosion prevention). I'm now going to start researching this so I can understand it better. Again, thanks! |
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| don't need lumber as such any prunings that need shredding will do. len |
Here is a link that might be useful: lens straw bale garden
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- Posted by emgardener 9 BayArea CA (My Page) on Fri, Jul 13, 12 at 0:24
| Thanks coconut_head for the pictures. Just posted some pictures of my own results with hugelkultur. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hugelkultur result pictures
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| Nice job. I am late to the Hugul club. I am prepping beds now. |
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- Posted by snoggerboy RSA (My Page) on Tue, Aug 7, 12 at 21:37
| Great to see ! ...and especially that you did not put cardboard in the ground as advocated by so many ! |
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| I'm new to this type of planting. My friend uses cardboard. What are the pros and cons of using it? |
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- Posted by brendan_of_bonsai 4b AK (My Page) on Fri, Oct 5, 12 at 18:48
| I get the impression that they are supposed to be taller and steeper than that. |
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- Posted by Climberpilot none (My Page) on Wed, May 1, 13 at 7:39
| Great thread! I am interested in trying this on a very small scale. Anyone ever heard of hugelkulture being done with only branches and smaller (1' diameter or less) cuttings? I dont have any downed trees, but I have a couple cottonwoods that drop branches regularly and this would be a great way to get some value from them! |
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| As I understand it,the larger logs extend the time bed stays activly in the process of rotting and acting as a reservoye for nutrents. I think useing the limbs is an exelent idea. |
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