Hugelkultur gardens. Some final thoughts (for now!) - Part 3.

I started writing this three-part series with the intention of exploring the benefits as well as identifying some of the pit-falls of hugelkultur gardens. Many gardening methods often get presented (especially on the internet) as fool-proof solutions to the mounting problems caused by conventional agricultural —making lots of promises while glossing over the challenges. Sadly, hugelkultur gardening has fallen into this trap, leaving some people wondering what they did wrong when their experiences don’t match what was promised.

Hugelkultur gardening is one of many ‘new’ techniques that have been subsumed under the mantle of Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture. From the basis of my own experiences, I have tried to show that there are some very good reasons for employing hugelkultur technology in your garden designs. However, hugelkultur gardens do have some inherent challenges that should be considered:

1. Hugelkultur gardens are a lot of work!! Unless you plan on hiring someone to make your garden(s) for you, be prepared for some intensive physical work such as digging a trench in root-bound sod (or worse), dragging home a lot of organic materials - rotting logs, sticks and more sticks, bag upon bag of rotting leaves, wheelbarrows of compost, and topsoil. Remember, as with any construction project it is better to plan on more costs/time/materials rather than less).

2. Hugelkultur gardens are not quick-fixes or ‘insta-gardens”. While you might be able to plant certain crops in your first season hugelkultur garden, most botanicals would prefer that you wait at least one or two seasons before you expect an abundant yield. There are, however, some plants that fare better in newly constructed hugelkultur gardens that are not yet completely settled or fully composted. Annuals such as squash and tomatoes, — both of which have long fibrous root systems can burrow through the many layers of decomposing organic materials to find those sweet pockets of nutrients and moisture — tend to fare better than annuals such as carrots or spinach, which have shallow root systems and require consistent moisture to even germinate.

3. Hugelkultur gardens are not only excellent habitats for growing vegetables, they can also be attractive to critters like slugs, voles and even carpenter ants. This should not be taken as a singular indictment against hugelkultur gardens - indeed, whenever we garden we are essentially (and intentionally) concentrating ecosystem conditions that are more favourable for certain plant species (the ones we like), which makes them also more suitable for certain so-called pests (the ones that like those plants too). In the end, that is the nature of gardening. But if you plan for this, you are less likely to be disappointed.

David Holmgren — considered one of the ‘founders’ of Permaculture (although its helpful to remember that permaculture techniques have been practiced for many thousands of years by Indigenous people everywhere) — identifies 12 principles in permaculture design:

• Observe and interact.

• Catch and store energy.

• Obtain a yield.

• Apply self regulation and accept feedback.

• Produce no waste.

• Use renewable resources and services.

• Design from pattern to detail.

• Integrate rather than segregate.

Hugelkultur gardens can satisfy all of these principles. The principle of ‘obtain a yield” stands out as especially poignant. For me, an abundant yield is not only measured by the amount of squash or number of jars of tomatoes I have stored away at the end of a growing season — an abundant yield is also the degree to which my gardening experience felt like a creative endeavour, and one where I have deepened my sense of spiritual connection to the earth. The inherent quality of biomimicry; the impulse towards vernacular design; the alchemy of engaging decomposition — all of these have a lure that our human psyche finds deeply satisfying and even healing. We are, after all, a part of this earth so that when our work to sustain and nurture ourselves aligns with what nurtures and sustains this planet - well I believe we are on an honourable path. And we know this because we can feel it!!

Some of the yield obtained from my Three Sisters Hugelkultur garden in Lake St. Peter, Ontario. I brought those squash with me when Jenece and I moved to our new home in Cape Breton in 2018. They sustained us throughout our first winter here.