After the majority of wood is compiled, we'll go with leaves and then maybe purchase some straw or pine straw to add to the mix. Topping it all with soil or well rotted manure as the final layer and then plants!
Our Huglekultur pile is in a rather shady spot so I don't imagine sun loving veggies would work for us, but certainly other edible plants would be advisable. The idea is that it is a compost pile of sorts but works as a garden too. Neat eh? The decaying wood becomes spongy, holding in water and making it available to the roots from above. The bonus is that it usually requires little watering or weeding, and breaks down slowly over the decades.
That is so good an concept and less work (hauling away) and eventually gaining soil!
ReplyDeleteI have known the concept for years and am thrilled to have the actual name - Huglekultur - for when I am trying to explain why not to haul away all the "good stuff" for gardening......
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to let my yard guy aka hubby know about this.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! You have no idea how this has just turned on a light bulb in my head! The back of and sides of my property are wooded and there is plenty of wood laying around. In fact my neighbor kind of dumped a pile of sticks on my property very near where there is a low lying area that would be perfect for a Huglekultur. It is a shady area so I will be transplanting some of my Lenten roses there once I get it constructed. Melody you are the best!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny that they have names for all these things now? We did that with our debris and compost at our last house, which had an acre and a half. We built piles where we wanted gardens and let it decompose for a few years. We made many gardens this way over the years.
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Excellent idea for your landscape renovation! We are using a similar technique in a shade garden in France. What began as a drainage ditch, a gravity flow from road to vineyard used from the early 1800's, was re-routed we were left with a 60' x 4' trench. We began to fill the ditch with clippings large and small, hopefully to eventually have a healthy extension of the garden area. Our Huglekutur is a multi year project as the priority is making the old farm house livable!
ReplyDeleteWell, I learned a new word today!
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