Hi! I have been reading on here for a year or so, but now that it is time for me to actually do something because I have some
land, I am frozen...I guess I am "book smart" but cannot practically apply it.
I have a row of catalpa
trees at the front of my property that due to some serious over-pruning at the start of their lives and then years of neglect are in pretty rough shape. I will be taking them down and chipping the
wood to use as mulch for my garden paths. I would like to re-plant
apple and pear trees in the spaces between the stumps and then create hugelbeets over the stumps. The problem is that I don't have access to a lot of materials, so I am trying to make do with what I already have on my property.
My plan is to cover the fresh stumps with some composted wood chips (from my property). Then add a layer of fairly fresh
chicken manure. Followed by some organic hay/straw (whatever I have left after the winter), sod (from a new garden area I am making), some kitchen scraps and finally a layer of soil. I am thinking that all of this will result in approximately a 2-3 foot mound on top of each stump. I do not have access to grass clippings (no-mow
lawn) and very few leaves (wind has blown most away) and I am not comfortable bringing in too much material (several invasive plants and diseases in the area).
As this is the front of my house, I am planning on doing a 3 sisters garden this year, along with some nasturtiums and coneflowers.
What are your thoughts on this? What are your thoughts on planting new trees in between where the old ones were? I am in Zone 5a.
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