For over a decade I have been making hugelkultur gardens. I started accident — by making gardens out of the piles of composting weeds and woody debris that just happened to be accumulating on the edge of my ‘regular’ garden fields where I was growing vegetables for my market-garden business. I soon started noticing that these composting mounds, or hill gardens often did a lot better — my plants were larger, healthier, and more resilient — than many of the conventional gardens I had made by ploughing, and then disking or harrowing, and then tilling the soil and planting my seeds or transplants into the disturbed the soil.
Thank you Sharon. I have very fond memories of those bush gardens. And I know that the next person who resided in the cabin for a brief period continued to grow food and medicinals in them. So, that feels like time well spent :)
Wonderful to see the progression in your hugelkultur mounds! It's interesting to watch someone who is successful with it, and then to take that 'big' step and actually do it.
A few years ago we needed garden space, and we had the trees to cut down, and a bank that could be built upon to create a garden. We used the hugelkultur framework and did what we could to mimic it with what we had.
First we dropped the trees surrounding the area and dragged the logs. Some were mature red maple. Some were old rotting birch. We even had a few ash that were in the way. Add in some large fir and we were off to a good start.
The large logs were used to build a wall on the outside, then cut into shorter pieces to fit between the existing bank and the new 'wall'. We layered with smaller branches and leaves and soil. A neighbour had some very old square hay bales so we added that material, and some if his sheep manure and another neighbour had topsoil.
We are 4 years in now, and have topped up this year with some woodchips to make paths.
While this isn't a typical hugelkultur mound, it turned into a beautiful garden with deep matter for the asparagus to reach in, and an abundance of annual garden plants, grapes, blueberries and strawberries now call it home.
I agree Kate, gardening definitely has a positive effect on our emotional well-being. Even with all the challenges and set-back we often face as gardeners, there is so much satisfaction in growing food and creating beautiful gardens.
I so enjoyed reading about this journey with hugelkultur in the bush, and the photos were great! Very inspiring, Ruth, and informative.
Thank you Sharon. I have very fond memories of those bush gardens. And I know that the next person who resided in the cabin for a brief period continued to grow food and medicinals in them. So, that feels like time well spent :)
Wonderful to see the progression in your hugelkultur mounds! It's interesting to watch someone who is successful with it, and then to take that 'big' step and actually do it.
A few years ago we needed garden space, and we had the trees to cut down, and a bank that could be built upon to create a garden. We used the hugelkultur framework and did what we could to mimic it with what we had.
First we dropped the trees surrounding the area and dragged the logs. Some were mature red maple. Some were old rotting birch. We even had a few ash that were in the way. Add in some large fir and we were off to a good start.
The large logs were used to build a wall on the outside, then cut into shorter pieces to fit between the existing bank and the new 'wall'. We layered with smaller branches and leaves and soil. A neighbour had some very old square hay bales so we added that material, and some if his sheep manure and another neighbour had topsoil.
We are 4 years in now, and have topped up this year with some woodchips to make paths.
While this isn't a typical hugelkultur mound, it turned into a beautiful garden with deep matter for the asparagus to reach in, and an abundance of annual garden plants, grapes, blueberries and strawberries now call it home.
Keep gardening! It's what keeps me sane.
I agree Kate, gardening definitely has a positive effect on our emotional well-being. Even with all the challenges and set-back we often face as gardeners, there is so much satisfaction in growing food and creating beautiful gardens.