Spencer Davis

Hey all, I was just wondering if anyone has tried to use diatomaceous earth in a refractory mix?

I'm happy to hear that you have enjoyed the videos and thank you for watching. I can't really endorse any specific books, as I have not read them myself. The process is quite simple though. As they say, "wood on dirt and dirt on wood." Other than that there are a couple things I would recommend to achieve the best results.
1) don't use fresh cut wood. It will take much longer to break down. This is ok if you are not looking for instant gratification.
2) make sure to put PLENTY of dirt over top of the wood. The rain will wash some of it down quickly depending on the slope you create.
3) as with any garden, have a plan for weed control. I intend to soon cover my hugel with cardboard and wood chips, aka Back to Eden style.
4) lastly, take careful consideration for how you plant. I have raspberries that have taken over most of the area where my strawberries are. I didn't research enough to know how much they would spread.

Just went out to the garden for a few minutes to show what the hugel has done in its first year of life. Suggestions and comments welcome...

Got off work late last night and wasn't able to get a pic but did get one today. Here's a closer look...I ate one today that was a darker red. My guess is raspberries.

I will get a closer pic tonite after work. Thanks for the info everyone!

I broadcast seeded 2 packs of variety leaf lettuce this spring onto my newly constructed hugel and they have taken off! I have more lettuce than I can use. I have been giving some and also the ducks like it so none of it is going to waste. I also broadcast peas carrots and spinach. These three have sprouted and are growing but not nearly as well as the lettuce.

So I found some wild berries today while out walking part of my property that I hadn't been before.
First question, I'm not sure if they are raspberries or blackberries?

Should I dig them up to transplant them? If so should I maybe just do half to make sure they will grow? Is this an ok time of year to do so?

If I leave them there I was thinking of thinning out the weeds and mulching around them or spreading compost around them.

What do you think I should do? Here is a pic of my find:

I would go ahead and plant anything you wanted. It should all grow, you just won't have the harvest. I have planted mine this spring right after construction and it is doing great. I have strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and all the typical veggie stuff.

Here it is almost mid June and everything is doing well on the hugel. I have planted several things and had no disappointments yet. Also a side note, the whole thing was built and planted underneath a very old black walnut tree. Juglone myths debunked?

Here's another link to my YouTube video for a visual.

Thomas: what do you think about this?, instead of planting the tomatoes horizontally, why not just plant them vertically really deep? It seems then they could gather more nutrients and moisture...especially for those of us that plant in hugels. Also thought of this for the chicken-in-a-bucket technique...?