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Summary
Paul and friends are talking about hügelkultur.
Paul opens with a post from someone in western Washington who is working on his first hügelkultur. Paul strongly advises building it at least 7ft high. Paul sees people building hügelkulturs by piling up a lot of logs and then adding earth. He advises that this isn't likely to work. You need to start by laying down a layer of wood, and then covering it with soil. Then add more wood, and more soil, and continue until the whole thing is at least 7ft high.
Alan compares it to making lasagna. Unfortunately, there's a style of gardening called lasagna gardening which Paul dislikes intensely, so he asks that lasagna and hügelkultur never be in the same sentence. Someone asks about lasagna gardening and why Paul dislikes it. Cardboard is mentioned which causes Paul to rant.
Alan mentions that modern cardboard is likely to have all manner of toxic gick in it. Paul agrees, that's why it's even worse to put in your garden.
Back to hügelkultur building: Paul likes blobs. Kitchen scraps, lawn cuttings etc can be incorporated in contiguous lumps, rather than spreading it around. Alan mentions that too big of a blob of some materials can go anaerobic. Paul clarifies that the blobs shouldn't be bigger than basketball sized. Alan talks a bit more about anaerobic stuff in compost piles, but Paul feels that in the hügelkultur the risk of it going anaerobic fast is lower.
They talk about biodiversity and the benefits it brings.
Now they address a question about hügelkultur orientation, Paul prefers hügelkulturs to be kind of wavy and running up and downhill, this is more relevant than orientation relative to the sun. The variety of sun coverage leads to more diversity due to different sun exposure. Paul calls in Andreas who lives in the tropics, and hügelkulturs don't work there due to rapid decomposition of the wood.
Someone form North central Missouri asks about aging fallen wood. Paul says it's not generally necessary. Alan mentions hardwood species, it takes a few weeks for their anti-fungal compounds to break down which is relevant.
Next question is if a tree dies from disease, is it OK to use it in a hügelkultur. Provided it was a natural death, Paul sees no problem. Herbicide is another question though: you shouldn't use trees that died from herbicide, so you need to be a bit careful.
Relevant Threads
Hügelkultur forum
Washington Hügelkultur post
Cardboard Substitutes in a Lasagna Garden
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