PEP BB earthworks.sand.berm - improve a berm

Improved my improvement by building up even more. This is a supplemental photo for my previous post. Please approve the original submission. Thank you.

I completed this BB at the SKIP 2023 event, on the berm on the east side of Turtle Lot. I'd built a dry stack wall just below it and piled dirt on top of the berm, so it seemed like a great opportunity.

My finished improvement is 2 feet taller than the higher side of the ridge line (which sloped upwards) and a bit wider than 3 feet. I moved my dirt pile before I began, and then replaced it layered with fir boughs, and surrounded by rocks at the base and logs up the sides. I used considerable additional dirt from elsewhere on the property, with gravel mixed in. Nothing is poking into the berm itself. It's surprisingly stable--I slipped on the steep berm and caught myself on it a couple of times, and it didn't budge.

It also looks strangely like a sacrificial altar and will no doubt cause consternation in the neighborhood. Or possibly they won't even notice it now that it's mulched.

I seeded it with alfalfa (see picture) which was growing abundantly on the berm already.

I've attached the following pictures:

- the berm before improvement (with the pile of dirt from the drystack wall moved off to the left)
- pics from both ridgelines showing the height from the old peak of the berm to the new height
- two pics from the side of the berm showing the width
- picture of seeds being planted
- list the seed species planted
- pic of the final mulched improvement

Thanks!

I used a tractor (for the 15min BB) to improve a berm then found that it was short of the 2 ft requirement, so I used rocks to stack and make up the difference. I used summer alfalfa, clover mix, fava beans, and chickling vetch to plant the berm. Then I used Muhly and Mullein as mulch. I didn't use any sticks in the berm. The berm width is over 3ft, the tape measure length marks 3ft. The differences in height of my marker between the before and after are:

	west marker	east marker
before height	46.5in	45.5in
after height	21in	18in
height added	25.5in	27.5in

Minimum requirements:
   - make a berm 2 feet taller for at least 3 feet long.  
   - must be a solid "improvement", like logs, soil, dirt, stone, etc
   - must be seeded immediately
   - mulch is recommended and not a part of the 2' of height
   - no sticks going into the berm/hugel that would wick out moisture

To get certified for this BB, post:
See attachment 1  - picture of the berm before
See attachment 2  - Three picture of the berm, prior to mulching, showing height and width
        - pics from both ridgelines showing the height from the old peak of the berm to the new height
        - pic from the side of the berm showing the width
See attachment 3  - picture of seeds being planted
See attachment 4  - list the seed species planted

plus See attachment 5 - a bonus picture of the berm after mulching

This summer, I build two bb hugelbeds. Right next to eachother! But they build up in a slight pyramid shape in order to hit their 7 foot height. So there is a large V shape in-between them.

I am filling in this V gap for this bb. The space is over 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and taller than me sitting down, which is over 2 feet.

I started by making a scaffolding of logs. I filled in the spaces with alternating layers of dirt and wood chips. Then I covered the final poking out branches with dirt and mulch.

I planted a variety of seeds:
Bee balm,
red white and yellow clover,
Lovage,
Thyme,
Parsnips,
Thyme,
Parsley,
Garden huckleberries,
Radish,
And vetch

What about adding horizontal scaffolding which doesn't add to the height of the berm? (I'm guessing no, but want to check).

I'm trying to see if my hugel scaffolding from 2019 still meets this BB, https://permies.com/p/1089957  turns out I forgot to submit it back then.

Thanks!