Mac Johnson

I'm going to try both of these approaches as well as sod transplanting.  If I remember, next spring/summer I can tell you which worked best

I've had pretty low success with getting white clover started in locations.  Once established, it's great but it always seems to be overtaken before it really develops roots.  I've only tried by direct sowing seeds so far.  I was thinking of digging up some of the stuff growing wild around my property and starting small patches that way.  Has anyone tried this approach?  Would I cut it similar to sod for best effect?  If planted in virgin dirt, how big of clover chunks should I plant with the hope of it overtaking the surrounding barren ground?  Power to the fixers

Crosshatched some sticks to help hold the dirt until there are roots to do the work. Finished adding dirt. Repurposed some blocks to make a few step paths for access to this bigger mound. Finally, I'm starting to add some plants. Got these honeyberry on clearance from a local place.

I'm probably going to cover most of it with old blankets too hold the weeds down until this fall when I can get the rest of the plants in.

Ended up 5 foot tall and 21 foot diameter. It'll probably settle some with the rain.

My trees support a large amount of Dryad's Saddle and Chicken of the Woods.  I make the Dryad's saddle into a jerky and use chicken of the woods to replace some of the chicken in our diet.  Makes great nuggets, alfredo, and grilled (mushroom) chicken with practice.

Updates!

Ran my ideas through several iterations of AI and got this.  Yep, looks like AI still has tons of problems like being able to count (no matter what I asked, it couldn't give me just 6 satellite mounds).  Someone at work had me try it out.

Put the logs (cottonwood, willow, ash, soft maple) together, inoculated with Shiitake mushrooms (Fingers crossed they take).  Started digging my future pond and putting the dirt on the mound.  More will be added after I fill in the voids.

Syd Smith wrote:
-The garden will be installed in what is now pastureland. It's pretty compacted. I plan to condition the soil with cover cropping and mulching for up to 2 years before installing the garden, but some modest mounds could also help build up a deeper soil bank that drains well.
-The ground is pretty flat (not great for swales), but it does pond in some areas, suggesting poor drainage.

Just by creating some small mounds you'll help some of your plants in these areas of poor drainage.  Just giving a little slope can provide the necessary movement of water to prevent rot and root smothering.  I live on the plains, and any area that has water pool likely has poor draining clay or something else underneath.  The capillary action of the mound will also draw some water up in times of drought.

I'd think about adding something organic to the small mounds.  Not a full hugel, but maybe leaf litter or sticks mixed in to be the water sponge that will soak up excess water and then release it slowly.  Personally, I wouldn't bring the dirt if you have somewhere you can dig and it is fairly fertile.  You'll be providing somewhere for the water to go if you dig in the same area.

Joao Winckler wrote: One thing worth considering as you scale up: a really large mound can create a rain shadow on its leeward side, so orienting the long axis perpendicular to your prevailing wind helps moisture penetrate more evenly. The keyhole path access is a good call too, makes it much easier to plant and harvest without compacting the mound itself.

That was something I had not thought about.  The mulberries would definitely cause some of that.  I'll amend my plan to take that in to consideration.  Maybe some plants that tolerate less moisture...  I am hoping to create many small microclimates throughout.  Even stretch a few zone 5 plants to my area with some creative hardscaping.  Thank you for your insight!

I've got some Hugelkultur mounds I've built over the years and feel pretty comfortable with the concept, now.  I've been a fan at their ability to produce and survive through droughts without supplemental watering.  Plus, the ability to contain gardens in circular plots I can mow around simplifies the maintenance and allows for control of more aggressive plants like jerusalem artichoke and raspberry suckers.  Now, I want to take all that I've learned and make a series of mounds including a larger central mound and include as many varied crops and their guilds that I can reasonably expect to grow in my zone (4b).  Part experiment, partly to show the locals what can be done, and mostly for food for my family and nutritious fodder for my livestock.

My plan at the moment is for one central mound (~18 feet across and 5-6 feet tall)  surrounded by 6 smaller mounds (~8 feet across and 3-4 foot tall) spaced evenly around the larger mound I'm calling satellite mounds.  I'm less concerned about these at the moment, as I will add them as I have time, and will start with the large central mound.  The mounds would each be specialized for guilds/livestock forage/specialized needs/etc. with the central mound being my most productive, cooperative, and desired plants.

I attached a hand drawn image of my initial thoughts for the central mound and quick drawing of the 7 total mounds for visual representation.

I'm worried the sunchokes will overtake the rest of the mound done this way, anybody have advice?  Want to use them for the groundnut support.  Clover and wild strawberry will be a lot of the soil coverage with astilbe adding more nitrogen fixing on this mound.  I'm also surrounding all mounds with chives and other alliums due to rabbits, deer, and voles.  I'm not a master gardener, just a guy with dirty hands and some time on his hands.

Thank you for any advice you may have!

While I can't be sure on all the details of your situation, I do know this feeling. I love blueberries. And despite doing all the courses, all the methods, with all the right parameters and I still can't grow them despite trying for years.

I have had some success with mushrooms, though. If I had to guess, it's a moisture problem and probably getting dry. Not because you're not watering enough, but because getting some of these commercial strains started may call for more consistent moisture to get them established. For me, it was almost daily watering a bed of wood chips and layers of blue oyster sawdust spawn over landscape fabric. My easiest mushroom, though, was the wine cap or king stropharia. Several bags of mushroom spawn in a pile of fresh ash and maple chips sitting in a tarp in a small depression so the base of the chips were always sitting in water. I've used these chips in hugelkulter beds, my regular garden mulch, and just keeping weeds down usually at one part inoculated and one part non-inoculated chips. I've been able to pick mushrooms from these chips the first year and more every year since. I've added fresh wood chips every year and mixed them in and close the tarp over the top for a while in the cooler months or if it gets hot and dry out. The wood chip pile is also a good source of big mushrooms if you keep it in the shade. Aside from making a pile of wood chips, it's low maintenance.

I've failed on several mushrooms I've tried to start (lions mane, shitaki, chestnut...) but these two just worked. I think it was a moisture problem when I failed.