HugelKulture- Mound Garden

MustangStudFarm said:

The garden section is full of pot posts and not many people watching the section. So, I decided to post here. Mods can move me if they want...
I have started a couple of raised veggie beds using the hugelkulture method... I live in the woods and I have more than enough decomposing wood on my property. I have been dragging dead baby trees and stacking them. I have mostly Oak and Hickory on my property.
After I stacked the wood, I used a wood chipper to mulch leaves and branches. I would keep an eye out for mycelium and add it to my mix.
There is a compost facility close to my house. They take lawn clippings and branches from the city people and sell compost for $10 for 3cu. yards... This is what I was going to use for top soil.
I really have no idea how this is going to turn out! Does anyone have ideas on what to do? I read that decomposing wood will rob N from the soil for the first 3yrs. I imagine that compost will keep this from happening?

http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

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MustangStudFarm said:

The garden section is full of pot posts and not many people watching the section. So, I decided to post here. Mods can move me if they want...
I have started a couple of raised veggie beds using the hugelkulture method... I live in the woods and I have more than enough decomposing wood on my property. I have been dragging dead baby trees and stacking them. I have mostly Oak and Hickory on my property.
After I stacked the wood, I used a wood chipper to mulch leaves and branches. I would keep an eye out for mycelium and add it to my mix.
There is a compost facility close to my house. They take lawn clippings and branches from the city people and sell compost for $10 for 3cu. yards... This is what I was going to use for top soil.
I really have no idea how this is going to turn out! Does anyone have ideas on what to do? I read that decomposing wood will rob N from the soil for the first 3yrs. I imagine that compost will keep this from happening?

http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

Click to expand...

greasemonkeymann said:

whats up brother?
I have a soft spot for any growing technique that utilizes rotting wood, so I am all eyes and ears for this one, one thing I can say though, is decomposing wood will take some of your nitrogen as it breaks down, but ya gotta remember that is only when it's relatively fresh, if it's rotten already, I doubt it'll take much from your soil.
Wood chips on the other hand, not only take a bunch of nitrogen, but it can seriously increase your compost temps, careful with wood chips...
I imagine you will have a nice tasty garden for years to come, can't wait to see what veggies you are going to grow. I'd say peppers, tomatoes, and maybe some good beans or melons?
maybe plant a cover crop of legumes for the first yr? That would help any nitrogen issues you have.. Or you could plant comfrey? Course good luck getting rid of it once you do...

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greasemonkeymann said:

whats up brother?
I have a soft spot for any growing technique that utilizes rotting wood, so I am all eyes and ears for this one, one thing I can say though, is decomposing wood will take some of your nitrogen as it breaks down, but ya gotta remember that is only when it's relatively fresh, if it's rotten already, I doubt it'll take much from your soil.
Wood chips on the other hand, not only take a bunch of nitrogen, but it can seriously increase your compost temps, careful with wood chips...
I imagine you will have a nice tasty garden for years to come, can't wait to see what veggies you are going to grow. I'd say peppers, tomatoes, and maybe some good beans or melons?
maybe plant a cover crop of legumes for the first yr? That would help any nitrogen issues you have.. Or you could plant comfrey? Course good luck getting rid of it once you do...

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st0wandgrow said:

I was gonna suggest exactly what grease said. A nitrogen fixing cover crop should offset any N that is sequestered by the wood.

Looking forward to how you do with this! I've seen some impressive gardens utilizing this method. Pattahabi would be a good guy to brain pick. There are some informative threads on an organic gardening forum he belongs to.

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MustangStudFarm said:

It was you that got me looking into decomposing wood. Huglekulture is perfect for me because of poor soil quality(sandy loam) and an abundance of dead trees. I have been passing over rotting wood when I cut fire wood, so I now found a purpose for it. I can clear my land of wood debris during summer and winter.

I saw in the linked article that they suggested "lasagna layers" for topsoil. I saw that they use bone/blood meal and you dont like either.

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MustangStudFarm said:

I have not really came across an active "organic garden" forums. Maybe, I have been looking in the wrong places?

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MustangStudFarm said:

I didnt realize that so many pics downloaded? It will not let me edit and delete any either...
Anyways, I went to my vocational rehab appointment yesterday. I was asking them to find me a job at the post office or or send me to college, right. They found me to be unemployable because of my service connected disabilities! It is bittersweet news because it will dramatically increase my disability money, but I am stuck without a job.
I did not like that the compost smelled like cow manure. I expected it to be lawn compost. I thought about it and lawn compost could be worse? Fertilizers and poisions! It seems like everything I do is wrong lately! I am thinking about just using a rotor tiller to plant straight in the ground.

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